Due to leaking underground tanks in the adjoining City of San Jose during the early 1980s, the City of Milpitas in cooperation with the County of Santa Clara, the Santa Clara County Chief's Association, representatives from the community, environmental groups, and other environmental regulatory agencies developed the Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinance.
In 1983, the City of Milpitas adopted the Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinance for regulating hazardous material in both aboveground and underground applications, modeled after the Model Hazardous Materials Storage Ordinance developed in Santa Clara County. In 1983, the State created the State Underground Storage Tank Regulations.
Beginning July 1, 2018, the State's underground storage tank program in Milpitas is administered by the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health; with the Fire Department enforcing underground storage tank requirements in accordance with the California Fire Code.