Maryland
Aboveground storage tank registrations and permits
The Oil Control Program (OCP) in the Land and Materials Administration of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) handles aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) through two routes: registration of AST systems and individual Oil Operations Permits.
In a Phase I ESA
AST registrations are the Maryland form of the state registered storage tank records that ASTM E1527-21 lists as a standard source. This handbook reads Oil Operations Permits with them; the first point below gives the reason. The general reading of a registered tank listing is on the UST / AST page. MDE's page sets size thresholds, so the question for a given property is which route, if either, its tanks fell under.
- Registration. MDE says facilities with more than 2,500 gallons of aboveground aggregate oil storage capacity are required to register all AST systems with the OCP, under COMAR 26.10.01.10. MDE notes that a facility that is required to receive an Oil Operations Permit does not also have to submit an AST registration.
- Oil Operations Permit. An owner, operator or person in charge of an oil storage or oil handling facility must apply for an individual permit if the facility meets one or more conditions MDE lists. They include aboveground aggregate oil storage capacity of 10,000 gallons or more, a marina with an AST system that is part of a motor fuel dispensing facility, and aboveground aggregate used oil storage capacity of 1,000 gallons or more. The list also covers certain deliveries and transfers, loading and unloading racks, oil-contaminated soil facilities, and facilities that solidify or stabilize oil sludge, oil refuse, or oil mixed with other waste. The permit types MDE names are oil storage, transfer and delivery; delivery from outside the state; oil-contaminated soil storage and treatment; and solidification of oil sludge and refuse.
- Discharge permits. MDE also lists general discharge permits for treated oil-contaminated groundwater and for stormwater and hydrostatic test water from oil terminals, and an individual discharge permit for stormwater and hydrostatic test water from large oil terminals.
- Inspections and smaller tanks. MDE says all regulated ASTs must have proper venting and at least monthly visual inspections. For home heating oil tanks under 1,100 gallons, see the residential heating oil tanks page.
A tank at a facility below these thresholds may not appear in either record. The pages read do not say what record exists for such a tank.
Pending permits
The page carries a list headed "Permits in the Pipeline" of pending permits with comment period end dates. The entries on the page read had dates from September 23 to October 5, 2026. MDE calls it a list of pending permits. It is not a record of tanks in service.
Where to look a site up
The page read links no search tool for AST registrations or permits. MDE's Open MDE page links Oil Control Program data on inspections and extended permits. The OCP's phone number is 410-537-3442.
Getting the file
The pages read do not describe a records request route for AST files. MDE's Public Information Act requests page covers requests for MDE records in general.
Sources
Maryland Department of the Environment pages, read October 8, 2026. The pages show no modified date.