Maryland
Residential heating oil tanks
The Oil Control Program (OCP) of the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has a page on residential heating oil tanks. It says many residential properties in Maryland have aboveground or underground oil storage tanks for heating, and that the OCP largely does not regulate residential heating oil tanks while they are in normal use.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 does not name residential heating oil tank records among its standard record sources. On a home or a mixed-use property, MDE's page matters because it says what the OCP does and does not regulate for these tanks.
- Underground tanks of 1,100 gallons or less. MDE says USTs of that capacity used to store petroleum products at a private residence or farm are exempt from most Maryland oil control regulations. They must meet closure requirements when no longer used as a fuel source (COMAR 26.10.10). The OCP does not require prior notice of the closure, and removal must be done by an MDE-certified technician or remover. The tank owner and the contractor must report any discovered release as required by Maryland law and regulations. Because no prior notice is required, ask the owner for any record of the closure if a tank is said to have been removed.
- Underground tanks over 1,100 gallons. MDE says USTs over 1,100 gallons used to store petroleum products at a private residence or farm are not exempt from Maryland regulations. See the underground storage tank registrations page.
- Tanks under 1,100 gallons. MDE's Oil Control Program page says the OCP does not regulate residential heating oil tanks if they are less than 1,100 gallons while they are in normal use. That page does not limit the statement to aboveground or to underground tanks. MDE says that once a residential heating oil tank is no longer in use, the owner is required to have the tank and all connected pipes and fill lines removed by a Maryland certified UST remover or technician.
- A closed reimbursement program. MDE says its Residential Heating Oil Tank System Site Rehabilitation Reimbursement Program is no longer active. It says the statutory authority to apply ended June 30, 2024, and that MDE accepted applications through July 1, 2024. MDE says an applicant with an approved application had until December 31, 2024 to submit an expense form. The page does not say how to find a reimbursement application or what one holds.
The page links fact sheets, including one titled "Heating Oil Release Information" and two that it dates July 2024: "Residential and Farm Underground Storage Tank Closure" and "Residential Heating Oil Aboveground Storage Tank Removal". This handbook did not read them.
Where to look a site up
- The page read links no lookup for residential heating oil tanks.
- MDE links a Certification Search to confirm that a UST remover or technician is Maryland certified.
- The page also links a list of companies that employ MDE certified UST technicians and removers.
- For a release, see the Oil Control Program remediation sites page. The Oil Control Program's phone number is 410-537-3442.
Getting the file
The page read does not describe a records request route for residential heating oil tanks. 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.