Underground storage tank registrations

The Underground Storage Tanks Section of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates underground storage tank systems used to store regulated substances, primarily petroleum products. DNR says all regulated tank systems must be registered with the department, and that its staff work with site owners on the detection, prevention and correction of releases.

In a Phase I ESA

DNR's tank registrations are the Iowa form of the state registered storage tank records that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. The general reading of a registered tank listing is on the UST / AST page. A registration says a tank system exists or existed. Releases are a separate record, the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) site.

Three Iowa details shape the search.

• Old tanks may be missing. DNR says its tank database contains information only on registered tank sites, and that UST sites that closed before 1985 may not be in it, because no regulatory authority existed for registration or operation of USTs before that date.
• Aboveground tanks are in the same database. DNR's brownfield page describes the database as holding underground storage tanks, leaking underground storage tanks and aboveground storage tanks, which it says are primarily the aboveground storage of combustible or flammable products.
• A yearly tag governs fuel delivery. DNR charges an annual $65 tank management fee per tank compartment for tanks over 1,100 gallons. Fuel delivery is prohibited to a tank that does not have the current year's tank tag on its fill port, or that has been red tagged for other compliance issues. DNR says the combined Fuel Delivery Prohibition & Temporarily Closed List will be published on approximately the 1st business day of the month.

What a tank file can hold

DNR's installation and closure page sets out what is sent to DNR over a tank's life.

• Installation. The certified installer and the owner or operator notify DNR of the intent to install at least 30 days ahead. The registration form (Form #148) and its attachments are due within 30 days after the final third-party installation inspection, with a detailed site diagram and tightness test results.
• Permanent closure. A certified UST remover notifies DNR at least 30 days before removal, fill-in-place or change-in-service, and submits the closure report form within 45 days of closure. The closure assessment must be conducted or supervised by a Certified Groundwater Professional. DNR says the owner must demonstrate that no release has occurred, based on soil and groundwater sample analyses.
• Temporary closure. At the end of a 12-month temporary closure, the tank must be returned to service, permanently closed, or have an extension of temporary closure filed.
• Abandonment in place. DNR calls it relatively rare, allowed when removing the tank may damage existing structures.

DNR's UST Forms page links separate closure reports for filling in place and for tank and piping removal, and a change in ownership form. For a tank that was removed or filled in place, the closure report and its sampling results are the documents to ask for.

The section's authority is Iowa Code Chapter 455B, subchapter IV, part 8, and its technical standards and corrective action requirements are in 567 Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 135.

Where to look a site up

• DNR's Underground Storage Tank Database, which DNR says lets the public view the current status of underground storage tank and leaking underground storage tank sites. DNR says it does not require a login, gives site specific details, and shows a site's latest compliance inspection results.
• DNR's Document Search. DNR says UST files are available there for public viewing. Its search tips: Program is UST or LUST, and Facility ID is the registration number.
• DNR's Owners & Operators page links a Real Estate Professionals Booklet for buyers, sellers and real estate agents who deal with underground tanks.

Getting the file

DNR says that if you cannot find records for a UST or LUST site in Document Search, you should contact the DNR Records Center. The Records Center, at 6200 Park Ave, Suite 200, Des Moines, is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except state holidays. DNR's Open Records Request page says requests to inspect public records go to the Office of the Chief Information Officer through the Iowa Information and Public Records Request Portal, and may also be made in person at a record center, by email to dnr.records.request@dnr.iowa.gov, or by mail. See DNR Records Center and Document Search.

Sources

Iowa Department of Natural Resources pages, read October 12, 2026:

• Underground Storage Tanks, last modified October 1, 2026.
• Owners & Operators, last modified October 2, 2026.
• Installation & Closure Information, last modified September 2, 2026.
• Underground Storage Tank Forms, last modified September 17, 2025.
• Leaking Underground Tanks, last modified August 27, 2026.
• Brownfield Redevelopment, last modified February 12, 2025.
• Open Records Request, last modified March 13, 2026.