Ohio underground storage tank closures (BUSTR)

Removing or abandoning a regulated underground storage tank (UST) in Ohio needs a permit, and the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR) in the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of State Fire Marshal oversees the closure. A certified UST installer must do the work and a certified UST inspector must be present. BUSTR says a closure assessment may be required, depending on who counts as the owner under Ohio law.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name tank closure records among its standard record sources. They matter on any former gas station. BUSTR's own fact sheet for buyers of old gas stations sets out the dates that decide what paper an old tank should have.

Four more Ohio details shape how to read a closure.

• No assessment is not the same as a clean closure. A tank closed before December 22, 1988 may have no closure assessment in the file because none was required. Check the closure date before reading the absence of sampling as good news.
• Out of service has a clock. A regulated UST out of service for one year without an approved permit must be returned to service or properly closed, or an extension must be requested. A permit is needed to take a UST out of service for more than 90 days.
• Some tanks skip the closure rule. BUSTR says certain systems, such as some oil and water separators, are exempt from its closure rule (Ohio Administrative Code 1301:7-9-12) while a release from them is still regulated under its corrective action rule (1301:7-9-13). Tanks outside the UST definition, such as a tank storing heating fuel used on the premises, need no BUSTR closure at all.
• Responsibility is narrow, but buyers ask anyway. BUSTR says only an owner or operator is legally responsible for a closure assessment and cleanup, and that lenders or buyers may still require them before a sale or financing.

Leaving a tank or its piping in the ground instead of removing it is one of the common variance requests BUSTR lists.

What the record shows

BUSTR's published code list has entries for closures. A tank's status can be REM (Removed), CIP (Closed in Place) or CIS (Change in Service). Release status codes that concern closure include:

Where the status is CNR or NCR, ask for the closure report and any letter that followed. By BUSTR's own wording, the report had not been reviewed, or had not been received, when the code was set.

Where to look a site up

• BUSTR's database is OTTER Engage. BUSTR says it is used to find UST documents, permits, reports and compliance inspections.
• Some local fire departments are delegated to issue UST permits for BUSTR, and BUSTR's permit page links a list of them. Where a tank is in a delegated area, check whether the removal permit came from the fire department.
• BUSTR's fact sheet also suggests the local fire and health departments, Ohio EPA and the Ohio Department of Transportation for records about UST removals, and the county recorder and tax office for past owners and leases with petroleum companies.
• BUSTR is at 614-752-7938 or 800-686-2878.

Getting the file

BUSTR says public records requests must be submitted through OTTER Engage, and publishes job aids for doing so with and without an OHID account.

Sources

Ohio Department of Commerce pages, read October 7, 2026, no modified date shown:

• So You Want to Buy an Old Gas Station
• Permit-Related Questions
• Registration & Permits
• What Does BUSTR Regulate
• BUSTR Acronym List
• Corrective Action (Clean Up)
• Search BUSTR Database
• Public Records Request (PRR) & Database Search
• Contact Information