A Cr(VI)-tolerant, Gram-staining-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming and facultative anaerobic bacterium, designated as GSS04(T), was isolated from a heavy-metal-contaminated soil. Strain GSS04(T) was Cr(VI)-tolerant with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 600 mg l(-1) and was capable of reducing Cr(VI) under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Growth occurred with presence of 0-3 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 1 %), at pH 5.5-10.0 (optimum pH 7.0) and 15-50 °C (optimum 30-37 °C). The main respiratory quinone was MK-7 and the major fatty acids were anteiso-C15:0 and iso-C15:0. The DNA G+C content was 41.1 mol%. The predominant polar lipid was diphosphatidylglycerol. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, the closest phylogenetic relative was Bacillus shackletonii DSM 18868(T) (97.6 %). The DNA-DNA hybridization between GSS04(T) and its closest relatives revealed low relatedness (<70 %). The results of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic analyses clearly indicated that strain GSS04(T) represents a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus dabaoshanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GSS04(T) (=CCTCC AB 2013260(T) = KCTC 33191(T)).