What to Know About Tank Decommissioning in Ohio
Ohio's underground storage tank program is run by BUSTR, the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations in the Division of State Fire Marshal, not by Ohio EPA. The UST definition in Ohio Adm. Code 1301:7-9-02 leaves out tanks storing heating fuel for consumptive use on the premises, with no size limit, and farm or residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less holding motor fuel for noncommercial use. BUSTR's scope page says tanks storing heating fuel used on the premises do not require BUSTR closure or corrective action, and adds that emergency generator use does not qualify as heating. Gas station, fleet and generator tanks that meet the definition go through the full closure process below.
Tank closure for a regulated UST in Ohio starts with a permit, which Ohio Adm. Code 1301:7-9-10 requires before a removal, a closure in place, a change in service or taking a tank out of service for more than 90 days. Where a local fire department holds delegated authority, the permit comes from that department. The delegated fire department list includes the Columbus Division of Fire and the Cleveland and Cincinnati fire departments. Everywhere else the permit comes from the State Fire Marshal, whose permit fee is $35 per location. The work must be supervised by a certified UST installer and inspected by a certified UST inspector, and soil samples must be collected within 24 hours of completing the excavation.
The Petroleum UST Release Compensation Board pays for cleanup after a petroleum release, not for closing a tank. Ohio Adm. Code 3737-1-09 lists costs associated with the closure or removal of a UST system among the costs the fund will not reimburse. The Board's Fund Facts on closure soil say that if a release is confirmed when the tank is removed and the owner is found eligible, some costs count as reimbursable corrective action. Those costs commonly include hauling and disposal of soil documented to exceed closure action levels, the matching backfill, and over-excavation BUSTR approved in advance. For the 2026 program year the per-tank fee is $350 with a $55,000 deductible, or $550 with an $11,000 deductible for owners of six or fewer tanks. A claim also needs a certificate of coverage, and the eligibility application is due within one year of the release. Our guide to closure in place versus UST removal explains what changes the scope of a job.
Ohio Adm. Code 1301:7-9-12 requires one copy of the written closure report to go to the State Fire Marshal, even where a delegated department in Columbus or Cleveland issued the permit. The report must arrive within 90 days of the date the samples were required to be collected. A release found during the work, including free product or lab results above action levels, must be reported to the State Fire Marshal and the local fire department within 24 hours of discovery. Ohio's program does not hold EPA state program approval, and EPA's state program page says the federal regulations, 40 CFR Part 280, also apply in states like it. Before hiring any contractor on this page, look up the supervising installer in the state's eLicense lookup under UST installer.