Idaho aboveground and heating oil tanks

The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says its Underground Storage Tank Program does not regulate aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) in Idaho. It also says it does not regulate or track residential heating oil tanks. This page covers what DEQ says about the tanks that fall outside its tank program.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 lists state registered storage tank records as a standard source, and the general reading of a tank listing is on the UST / AST page. The DEQ pages read name no DEQ list of aboveground tanks or of heating oil tanks. So a search of DEQ's regulated underground storage tank records does not answer whether one of these tanks was ever on a property. Look for them in the site visit, the interviews and the historical sources.

Five details from DEQ's pages shape the question.

• Petroleum ASTs are under a federal rule. DEQ says EPA regulates petroleum ASTs in Idaho under the federal Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule.
• Some ASTs are under DEQ's Hazardous Waste Program. DEQ says hazardous waste ASTs and ASTs used for used oil are regulated by its Hazardous Waste Program. ASTs that hold hazardous materials not considered waste are regulated by other agencies. DEQ adds that local fire districts, cities and counties may have their own AST ordinances or best management practices.
• A release must still be reported. DEQ says IDAPA 58.01.02 sections 851 and 852 require that it be notified within 24 hours of a petroleum or hazardous substance release, and that releases of hazardous materials must be reported to its office immediately. DEQ also says its leaking tank rules apply to petroleum releases from unregulated tanks. So check the Leaking Underground Storage Tank records and the Facility Mapper even when no regulated tank is on record.
• Heating oil tanks come into the rules when they leak. DEQ says current state regulations do not address heating oil tanks on residential property unless a leak has been confirmed. The current property owner is still responsible for cleaning up leaks under IDAPA 58.01.02 and 58.01.24. DEQ says most lending institutions and buyers require the closure of unused heating oil tanks before finalizing a residential sale.
• Small farm and residential fuel tanks are exempt. Farm and residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less holding motor fuel for noncommercial purposes are exempt from DEQ's underground tank rules. So are tanks storing heating oil for on-site consumption, and tanks on or above the floor of underground areas such as basements.

Where to look a site up

The pages read do not name a DEQ list for these tanks. Three DEQ pages bear on them.

• DEQ's Storage Tanks page states which tanks its program covers and links the federal SPCC rule.
• DEQ's Regulated Underground Storage Tanks page covers heating oil tanks and links a fact sheet it titles Real Estate and Underground Storage Tanks.
• DEQ's Sample Collection page links a standard operating procedure for the management and disposal of petroleum-contaminated soil after a release from a petroleum storage tank that is not an underground storage tank.

For questions about heating oil tanks, DEQ points to its regional offices.

Getting the file

If a release from one of these tanks was reported to DEQ, the record is a DEQ record. DEQ takes requests under the Idaho Public Records Act through its Public Records Request page, which carries buttons to submit a request online, track its status and search the request archives.

Sources

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 1, 2026:

• Storage Tanks, last modified April 14, 2026.
• Regulated Underground Storage Tanks, last modified August 6, 2026.
• Leaking Underground Storage Tanks in Idaho, last modified January 8, 2026.
• Sample Collection, last modified January 7, 2026.
• Public Records Request, last modified August 18, 2026.