Mississippi
Underground Storage Tank Program
The Underground Storage Tank (UST) Program of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) "prevents, detects, and cleans up releases from underground storage tanks", in MDEQ's words. It is one of the programs of MDEQ's Groundwater Assessment and Remediation Division. This page covers tank registration; releases and tanks out of use have pages of their own.
In a Phase I ESA
MDEQ's tank registrations are the Mississippi 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, under the UST Assessment and Remediation Program, and tanks out of use are on the Underground storage tank closure page.
Four Mississippi details shape the search.
- Underground tanks only. MDEQ says it regulates underground tanks, which it defines as any tank, including underground piping connected to the tank, that has at least 10% of its volume underground. It says EPA and local fire marshals regulate aboveground tanks. See Aboveground storage tanks.
- Some tanks are exempt. MDEQ lists registration with MDEQ among the requirements of the tank regulations. It lists as exempt from the UST regulations: farm or residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less used to store motor fuel for noncommercial purposes; tanks storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises (MDEQ's If Tanks Are In Use page words this one as tanks used to fuel heating systems); septic tanks and systems for collecting storm water and wastewater; tanks on or above the floor of underground areas, such as basements or tunnels; flow-through process tanks; tanks holding 110 gallons or less; and emergency spill and overfill tanks. Ask about tanks of these kinds at the site visit and in interviews.
- Registration and fees follow the tank. MDEQ says a tank must be registered within 30 days of bringing it into use, and that a Certificate of Registration is issued upon payment of annual tank fees. MDEQ's tank page carries a notice that the fee was increased to $150 per tank effective July 1, 2020, for every regulated tank available for use, including tanks temporarily out of service. The same page links a Public Notice of FY2027 Underground Storage Tank Regulatory Fees, and the fee table is on a page this handbook did not read. MDEQ tells prospective buyers that if the fees have not been paid and they acquire the tank, they will be responsible for back fees, and to contact MDEQ to find out whether the fees have been paid.
- A compliance letter can be asked for. MDEQ says that if a facility is in compliance, it can provide a letter stating that the facility is in compliance with the UST regulations (11 Miss. Admin. Code, Pt. 5, Ch. 2). It asks that you have as much as possible of the facility identification number MDEQ assigned, the owner's name, the facility address and the facility name before you contact it.
The tank rules are the Underground Storage Tank Regulations, 11 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 5, Ch. 2. The certification of persons who install, alter, test and permanently close tanks is in Chapter 3 of the same Part.
Where to look a site up
- MDEQ's UST Online Search page links a map and reports that download as CSV files, among them UST Facilities & Owners Information, a Delivery Prohibition List and Facilities & Owners in Violation. MDEQ says the reports take time to build.
- MDEQ says its Underground Storage Tank staff can search the UST database to see whether a property has any USTs registered with the Department. For questions it links a list of UST staff members.
- MDEQ gives the UST office's location as 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, and says the building is open from 8 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Getting the file
For reviewing UST files, MDEQ's Environmental Firms FAQ says to contact its Public Records section at (601) 961-5171; its contact page gives (601) 961-5758 for public records requests. MDEQ's general route is a written public records request; see Public records requests.
Sources
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 12, 2026, no modified date shown: