Riverside Bio Clean connects callers in Riverside County and San Bernardino County with independent crime scene and trauma scene cleanup companies. Before a company receives calls from us, we look for the three things below. Registration and paperwork can lapse, so we also show you how to confirm each one yourself.
Legal requirement
Registration with the California Department of Public Health
Under the Trauma Scene Waste Management Act (Health and Safety Code sections 118321 to 118321.6), anyone who cleans up trauma scene waste as a business must register with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and renew every year. To register, a company must show a contract with a registered hauler or permitted facility for the waste it removes.
Check it: CDPH publishes the list of registered practitioners on its trauma scene waste page. Match the company's name and address to the latest list.
Worker safety
OSHA bloodborne pathogens training
The federal bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, applies to any job with exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials. It covers protective equipment, exposure control plans, hepatitis B vaccination for workers and training. CDPH's registration rules refer to the same standard for personal protection.
Check it: ask whether crew members have current bloodborne pathogens training and whether the company has a written exposure control plan.
Industry standard
Work to the IICRC S540 standard
ANSI/IICRC S540 is the Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, published by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. It sets out how a scene should be assessed, cleaned, verified and documented.
Check it: ask whether the company works to S540 and how it verifies a scene is clean before it leaves.
What registration does not tell you
CDPH says plainly that being on its list is not an endorsement of the quality of a company's work. It also does not require a contractor's license. Registration means the company is allowed to do the work and has a lawful way to dispose of the waste. It does not tell you whether the company is careful, fairly priced or kind to families. That is what the questions below are for.
Registration matters for another reason: California victim compensation only reimburses cleanup done by a CDPH-registered practitioner. See who pays for crime scene cleanup in California.
Questions to ask any cleanup company
- Are you on the current CDPH trauma scene waste practitioner list, under this name and address?
- Do you carry general liability and workers' compensation insurance? Can I see the certificates?
- Will you give me a written, itemized estimate before starting, and what could change it?
- How will you dispose of the waste, and will I get the disposal paperwork?
- How do you decide what to remove and what to clean, and will you set aside personal items?
- How will you show me the area is clean when you finish?
- Can you bill my insurance company directly?
Warning signs
- No written estimate, or pressure to sign before anyone has seen the property
- Payment demanded in full, in cash, up front
- Not on the CDPH list, or registered under a different name
- Talk of "just wiping it down" when fluids have clearly reached carpet or flooring
- Plans to put contaminated material in a household trash bin or dumpster
Sources
- California Department of Public Health: trauma scene waste management (registered practitioner list)
- Health and Safety Code section 118321.1 (Trauma Scene Waste Management Act: registration)
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1030, Bloodborne pathogens
- ISSA: ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup
- CalVCB: crime scene cleanup service providers
Sources checked September 28, 2026. Rules and amounts change; confirm with the agency before relying on them.