Phase I ESA Preparation Checklist | ClearPath Environmental

The short answer: send the facts you have and label the gaps

You do not need a perfect file before requesting a Phase I ESA. Start with the property address, parcel information, current and former use, transaction stage, decision deadline, lender instructions, access contacts, existing reports, and known concerns. If something is unknown, mark it unknown instead of guessing.

A well-organized request helps the Environmental Professional understand the assignment, identify missing information, coordinate access, and ask better follow-up questions. It does not replace the professional’s records review, interviews, visual inspection, or judgment.

1. Confirm the property identity

Begin with the information that prevents the wrong parcel or incomplete site from entering the assignment.

• Street address and city
• County and state
• Parcel numbers or property identification numbers
• Legal description, if available
• Site plan, survey, plat, or aerial image
• Names of multiple parcels, buildings, tenants, or shared improvements
• Approximate acreage and boundaries, if known
• Whether adjacent or connected parcels are part of the decision

A marketing address may not identify every parcel involved in a purchase, refinance, or redevelopment. If the boundaries are uncertain, state that clearly and ask the professional and transaction team to confirm them.

2. Add the transaction and lender details

The same property may raise different questions in a purchase, refinance, construction loan, or redevelopment plan. Include:

• Purchase, refinance, construction, expansion, or owner-occupied use
• Current transaction stage and due-diligence period
• Target decision date and closing date
• Lender, CDC, broker, attorney, or acquisition contact
• Written environmental instructions
• Intended user and reliance requirements, if provided
• Report age or update requirements
• Any requirement for a specific standard, format, or provider qualification

Do not assume that a report accepted for one transaction will satisfy another. Share the lender’s actual instructions before work begins and ask who must receive the final report.

See the buyer timing guide for help planning around a diligence deadline →

3. Gather current use, former use, and property history

Collect what you know about how the property and nearby parcels have been used. Useful information includes:

• Current occupants, tenants, operators, and business activities
• Former owners, occupants, and business names
• Industrial, manufacturing, automotive, fuel, dry-cleaning, waste-handling, agricultural, or other notable uses
• Known tanks, drums, pits, ponds, lagoons, septic systems, wells, or waste areas
• Spills, staining, odors, releases, complaints, cleanup activity, or regulatory notices
• Permits, environmental reports, site plans, photographs, and inspection records
• Changes to buildings, pavement, utilities, grading, or operations
• Known conditions on adjoining or nearby properties

Do not turn this list into a conclusion. A former use may be relevant information, while the significance of that information requires professional evaluation.

4. Arrange access and identify people who can answer questions

Tell the professional how the site can be accessed and who can provide reliable history.

• Owner, seller, property manager, tenant, or facility contact
• Person who can unlock buildings, yards, roofs, utility areas, and restricted spaces
• Operating hours, safety rules, escorts, and personal protective equipment requirements
• Areas that are inaccessible, occupied, under construction, or unsafe
• Contact information for people familiar with current or former operations
• Permission process for site visits, photographs, records, and interviews

Access limitations should be disclosed early. A site visit affected by locked areas, active work, weather, safety restrictions, or limited observation may create limitations that need to be documented.

5. Organize existing records without trying to interpret them

Put existing information in one folder or package and use clear filenames. Include previous environmental reports, questionnaires, surveys, appraisals, permits, site plans, photographs, tank records, cleanup correspondence, notices, and seller disclosures.

Preserve the original dates and identify who prepared each document. An older report may be useful background while still requiring an update, reliance review, or new assignment. The Environmental Professional and lender should evaluate whether it fits the current property and purpose.

If a document appears to conflict with another, flag the conflict rather than choosing the version that seems convenient.

6. Write down the questions you need answered

A request becomes more useful when it explains the decision behind it. Examples include:

• Is environmental diligence required for the purchase or financing?
• Does the existing report fit the lender’s intended-user and reliance requirements?
• What current or former use needs clarification?
• Could a planned demolition, excavation, expansion, or tenant change affect the scope?
• What should happen if the inquiry identifies a condition or significant data gap?
• What information must be available before the decision date?

These questions do not ask the online planner to make a technical determination. They help the right professional understand the assignment and explain what the next question should be.

7. Send a clean request package

Use a short summary at the top:

1. Property address, city, county, and parcels
2. Transaction purpose and current stage
3. Lender or attorney deadline
4. Current and former use as known
5. Intended future use
6. Access contact and restrictions
7. Existing reports and known concerns
8. Questions and unknowns

Then attach the documents in a logical order. Do not hide an old report, known spill, access limitation, or deadline because it may complicate the conversation. Accurate information gives the Environmental Professional a better starting point.

The Project Planner can help collect these details, but the professional must still determine the technical scope and conclusions.

Preparing a DFW request

For a DFW property, include the actual city and county rather than only “DFW.” Different municipalities, parcel systems, development histories, and project plans can affect the records and contacts that should be organized.

Whether the property is in Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Arlington, or another DFW community, the useful local details are the property’s address, parcels, current and former use, access, nearby context, and planned work. Local planning information can provide context, but it does not replace a Phase I ESA or determine whether additional investigation is needed.

Prepare your DFW request with the Project Planner →

Frequently asked questions

What if I only have an address?

Start there. Add the city, county, transaction stage, target date, current use if known, and any lender contact. The next conversation can identify the missing items.

Should I request a Phase II at the same time?

Usually, begin by explaining the property and the question. A Phase II is a separate, site-specific decision that should follow professional evaluation of an identified concern or information gap.

Sources and further reading

• EPA: Brownfields All Appropriate Inquiries
• eCFR: 40 CFR Part 312
• ASTM E1527-21
• What Is a Phase I ESA?
• Does My Lender Require a Phase I ESA?
• Phase I ESA vs. Phase II