Phase 1 environmental site assessment cost in 2026

Short answer: Most Phase I prices and ranges that firms published in October 2026 put a standard commercial property at about $1,800 to $5,000, delivered in 2 to 4 weeks. The latest industry survey we found, LightBox EDR’s May 2023 benchmark, put the average at $3,083 and 16 business days. Compyle Environmental charges $1,495 flat for a standard-scope property, delivered in 5 business days from authorization and confirmed site access.

This guide’s figures come from prices firms publish on their own websites and from the two most recent editions of the industry’s benchmark survey, run in 2018 and 2023. What the report must contain comes from the EPA’s All Appropriate Inquiries (AAI) rule at 40 CFR Part 312 and the ASTM E1527-21 standard practice. Every competitor figure was checked on the firm’s own website on October 19 or 20, 2026, and is linked.

The fee pays for a records review, a site visit, interviews and a written opinion signed by an Environmental Professional (EP). A Phase I does not sample soil or groundwater, which is a separate Phase II, or building materials, which is a separate survey. The full scope is in what is included in a Phase I.

Phase 1 ESA cost by firm, October 2026

Each firm below publishes a Phase I price or price range on its own website. Two of them, AEI and Aegis, publish a range they describe as typical for the market rather than a fee for their own work, and their rows say so.

Each page was dated 2025 or 2026 (in its text or its publication metadata) or, if undated, was live when we read it on October 19, 2026. Firms are listed alphabetically. Large national firms such as Partner Engineering and Science, EBI Consulting, Hillmann Consulting and Terracon publish no Phase I price on their service pages.

Published starting prices in the table run from about $1,800 (AOTC and CREtelligent) to $3,500 (iSi Environmental and RMA), and most published ranges top out between $2,500 and $5,000. The table is not a complete list, and some firms publish lower figures. Two that we read on October 20, 2026 are not in the table because their page text gives no date later than 2024: AAI Environmental says on its Phase I page that these reports typically cost $1,500 to $5,000 and that most commercial properties fall between $1,500 and $3,000, and Phase 1 Environmental Consulting, which serves New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, publishes a Phase I starting at $1,650.

“Flat” and “from” mean different things. Geotill publishes one price, while Envicon and FastPhase1 publish a floor that rises with the property.

The average cost of a Phase I environmental site assessment

The only survey data we found on average Phase I prices comes from LightBox EDR’s benchmark survey of environmental consultants. LightBox says it now runs the survey every 5 years; the two editions before 2023 were run in 2018 and 2015. We found no edition newer than 2023.

The 2023 average is for a conventional property with no non-scope issues; industrial history, several parcels or an agency lender’s added scope push a quote up. Since that survey, LightBox’s Q2 2025 market snapshot has reported that Phase I pricing pressure “continues to be intense” (page 9), but it gives no average price. The starting prices in the firm table are floors, not averages, so they cannot show whether the average has moved since 2023.

What drives Phase 1 environmental site assessment cost

Two firms can quote the same property $1,000 apart because they are pricing different amounts of work, or different assumptions about it. Each driver below comes with a published example or the rule behind it.

Professional time matters too: in LightBox’s 2023 survey, report writing was the most time-consuming step, at an average of 6.8 hours. A3E also lists travel and its liability insurance among its 4 cost factors.

Does a Phase I cost more in California or New York?

No survey we found measures Phase I prices by state. LightBox said in 2023 that it would analyze how pricing varies by region; we could not find that analysis in October 2026. Online guides that publish state multipliers do not publish the data or method behind them. What firms publish for their own regions is more useful:

In these published figures, prices differ more by firm than by state: two Florida firms start at $1,800 and $3,500, while the California and New York floors sit between them. The clearest location cost is travel, which A3E says rural and out-of-state sites add.

A Phase I “near me” matters for one part of the job. The site visit must happen at the property (40 CFR 312.27); records research and report writing can be done anywhere. Compyle Environmental books a qualified local field professional for the site visit and charges the same $1,495 nationwide for standard-scope properties.

Rush fees: what a faster Phase I costs

In LightBox’s 2023 survey, 25% of responding consultants said they charge a premium for faster delivery. These firms publish rush terms (Aegis describes typical market terms rather than its own fee):

Our rush Phase I is 3 business days for $400 more than the $1,495 standard. Details are on our 3-business-day rush Phase I page.

A rush fee buys the consultant’s time, not anyone else’s. The site visit cannot happen until someone gives the field professional access to the property, which is why our clock runs from authorization and confirmed site access. Agency file requests run on each agency’s schedule; Curren Environmental tells clients to budget 4 to 6 weeks when agency files must be reviewed. The day-by-day picture is in how long a Phase I takes.

What a Phase I quote should include, and the usual add-ons

Two Phase I prices can be compared only when each quote states:

• The property basis (parcels, acreage, buildings, square footage, current use) and the standard (ASTM E1527-21 and 40 CFR Part 312).
• The delivery date, and the event that starts the clock.
• Who may rely on the report: you, your lender and, for U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, the Appendix 5 reliance letter.
• Whether the search for environmental liens and activity and use limitations is included. ASTM E1527-21 makes it the user’s job unless the consultant is hired to do it.
• What would add fees after you authorize, and the payment terms, including any deposit.

Under ASTM E1527-21, a REC means hazardous substances or petroleum products present at the property because of a release, likely present because of a release or likely release, or present under conditions that pose a material threat of a future release. Budget for the possibility: in EDR’s 2018 survey, consultants estimated that close to one quarter of Phase I reports lead to a Phase II.

Is a Phase I under $2,000 risky?

Some consultants warn that reports under $2,000 often give up depth and accuracy (CORE Environmental), or that choosing a consultant under $3,000 could increase risk (SCS Engineers). Yet three firms in the table above publish prices that start below $2,000, so price alone tells you little. Apply these checks to any firm’s proposal or sample report. They apply to our reports too.

Neither 40 CFR Part 312 nor the SBA names a data vendor; Section 312.26 sets which records are reviewed and how far out. If your lender requires a particular vendor’s report, ask for it in the quote.

Who pays for a Phase 1 environmental site assessment?

No federal law says who pays; it is a term of the purchase agreement or the loan. Federal law does not require a buyer to get a Phase I at all: the AAI rule applies to persons seeking the CERCLA landowner liability protections (40 CFR 312.1(b)), ASTM E1527-21 describes use of its practice as voluntary, and lenders set their own requirements.

The buyer usually pays, because the buyer is the party that needs the inquiry. A3E’s cost guide says the buyer typically pays and that this is negotiable; AEI says the buyer, lender or investor typically pays, and sometimes the seller under a negotiated agreement. Who orders the Phase I is a separate question, and on many loans it is the lender. Live Oak Bank tells borrowers buying commercial real estate that in most cases it orders the Phase I on their behalf, and the Environmental Bankers Association tells banks writing an environmental risk policy to consider developing a list of pre-approved environmental consultants. Ask your lender whether it orders the report or accepts one you order. Two situations change the picture:

• The loan program has the lender order it. Fannie Mae requires a Phase I on each multifamily property except certain Small Mortgage Loans, and the lender must order it. Fannie Mae’s requirements (Form 4251, Sections 1.A and 1.D) say the borrower may not rely on that report and is expected to do its own diligence. Freddie Mac has the lender retain the consultant; the borrower may pay for the work but, with limited exceptions, may not retain or direct the consultant (Guide Section 61.1(b)). Ordering is not the same as paying, so ask the lender how it bills third-party reports.
• The seller already has one. A buyer can use a report prepared for someone else only if it meets the AAI rule, the buyer reviews it and completes its own inquiries, the five time-sensitive components (interviews, lien search, government records review, site visit and EP declaration) fall within 180 days before the purchase, and the rest of the inquiry is no more than one year old (40 CFR 312.20). To rely on it, the buyer and its lender typically need a reliance letter from the consultant.

If the Phase I leads to a Phase II, who pays for the sampling is negotiated too.

Paying for the report is not the same as being protected by it. For most buyers the relevant CERCLA protection is the bona fide prospective purchaser (BFPP) defense. A Phase I carries the Environmental Professional’s share of one of its requirements, all appropriate inquiries, which EPA says cannot be performed after the purchase (EPA enforcement guidance, page 5).

The buyer must also complete its own share of all appropriate inquiries under 40 CFR 312.22 (specialized knowledge, whether the price reflects fair market value, and the lien search and commonly known information unless the consultant obtains them) and meet continuing obligations after closing, such as taking reasonable steps (42 U.S.C. 9601(40)). An environmental attorney can tell you how those duties apply to your deal.

How to compare Phase I quotes

1. Put every quote on the same property basis. Same parcels, acreage, buildings and use. A “from” price is a floor, not an offer.
2. Compare when each clock starts and stops. As published, Geotill counts from the order date, A3E from authorization and FastPhase1 from the site visit, while Envicon’s price table gives the time to a draft report from confirmed site access. A week is 5 business days, so 2 to 4 weeks is 10 to 20 business days.
3. Line up what each price includes: lender reliance, the SBA letter if needed, any vendor database your lender requires, agency file requests and the lien search.
4. Ask what happens if the report is late or your lender rejects it, then check the proposal’s written scope, or a sample report, against the checklist above.

Cheaper reports and what they cost

Not every loan needs a full Phase I. Under SBA SOP 50 10 8.1 (Section A, Chapter 5, Paragraph E.4.a), a property whose current or known prior use matches the SBA’s list of environmentally sensitive North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes needs a Phase I at any loan amount; for a loan over $250,000 with no match, the minimum is an Environmental Questionnaire plus a Records Search with Risk Assessment (RSRA).

The full Desktop Screen, RSRA or Transaction Screen fee is credited toward a Phase I on the same property ordered within 30 days. Which report your loan needs is covered in RSRA vs Transaction Screen vs Phase I.

Why our Phase I costs $1,495

Our Phase I ESA is $1,495 flat for a standard-scope property: one parcel, up to 5 acres, up to 3 buildings and 50,000 square feet in total, and a current use that is not heavy industrial or manufacturing. Multiple parcels, including contiguous parcels under one owner, need a scope review and a fixed quote before you authorize; other properties outside standard scope get a fixed quote within 1 business hour. When we checked firms’ websites on October 19 and 20, 2026, most Phase I prices and ranges they published put a standard commercial property at about $1,800 to $5,000, as the table above shows.

The price is lower because the work costs us less, not because the scope is smaller. We built proprietary internal technology that collects and organizes the regulatory and historical records the day an order is authorized, so the Environmental Professional reviews an organized record instead of assembling one. We book a qualified local field professional for the site visit at the same time.

The report follows ASTM E1527-21 and 40 CFR Part 312. It covers the database review at ASTM search distances; historical sources back to first developed use or 1940, whichever is earlier; the site reconnaissance; interviews; and consideration of potential vapor migration. It includes reliance for your lender and the SBA Appendix 5 letter, and it is signed by an Environmental Professional who meets 40 CFR 312.10, with the 312.21(d) declarations. Sampling belongs to a Phase II; asbestos, lead-based paint, lead in drinking water and radon surveys are separate unless ordered, and mold surveys are outside the scope.

Delivery is 5 business days from authorization and confirmed site access, or 3 business days with rush for $400 more. Some firms, Kross Inspectors among them, also publish a typical turnaround of 5 business days. We commit to a delivery date, and if we miss it for a reason within our control, we take $250 off. If noncompliance with ASTM E1527-21 or SOP 50 10 8.1 causes a lender or SBA rejection, we correct the report at no charge, or refund its fee if we cannot; our engagement terms list the exclusions.

Lenders and brokers ordering 3 or more reports a month can get 10% off under a separate master agreement. We carry professional liability insurance (Nautilus Insurance Company) with limits of $1,000,000 per claim and $1,000,000 aggregate, and general liability insurance (Technology Risk Retention Group) with a $1,000,000 aggregate limit. Our pricing page lists every product, rush option and add-on price.

Sources

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