Ohio underground storage tank registrations (BUSTR)

In Ohio every owner of an underground storage tank (UST) must register it with the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR), which the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal, created to run the state's UST programs. BUSTR oversees UST systems that contain petroleum or other hazardous substances, such as the tanks at gas stations.

In a Phase I ESA

BUSTR's registration records are the Ohio 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 underground storage tank release.

Three Ohio details shape the search.

• The list is underground tanks only. BUSTR regulates a system when 10% or more of its capacity, underground piping included, is below ground and it holds a regulated substance. It sends questions about aboveground tanks that hold flammable or combustible liquids, residential heating oil tanks and propane tanks to the local fire department.
• Some buried tanks are outside it. The rules leave out farm or residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less used for noncommercial motor fuel, tanks storing heating fuel used on the premises, septic tanks, and tanks in a basement or cellar that sit on or above the floor and are visible on all sides. Hydraulic lift tanks, systems of 110 gallons or less and tanks holding hazardous waste are exempt. A tank that serves an emergency generator is regulated.
• The record starts with the rules. BUSTR says many sites registered in the early 1990s when the rules began, and that tanks last used on or before January 1, 1974 did not need registration. It warns that its records may not show tanks from before registration or tanks that were never regulated. So a clean search does not show that a property never had a tank.

Today a new tank must be registered within 30 days of going into service, a new owner must register within 30 days of a transfer, and registrations are renewed each year by June 30. BUSTR says federal law requires it to inspect UST systems every three years. Its rules are Ohio Administrative Code 1301:7-9, adopted under Ohio Revised Code 3737.87 to 3737.89.

What the record shows

BUSTR publishes a list of the abbreviations used in its database and forms. The tank status codes are the ones to read first:

The same list codes how a tank and its piping are built, protected from corrosion and monitored for leaks. BM, for example, is bare metal, and FRP is fiberglass reinforced plastic. BUSTR says the codes are not to be read as proof of compliance or non-compliance with its rules. Read each code against the list; do not infer a meaning from the abbreviation.

Where to look a site up

• BUSTR's database is OTTER Engage, which replaced the older OTTER database in July 2025. BUSTR says it is used to find UST documents, permits, reports and compliance inspections, and publishes a job aid on searching UST facilities.
• BUSTR is at 614-752-7938 or 800-686-2878, and Web.BUSTR@com.ohio.gov.

Getting the file

BUSTR says public records requests must be submitted through OTTER Engage. A request can be made with or without an OHID account. BUSTR recommends an account so that the request can be tracked, and publishes job aids for both routes on its Public Records Request page.

Sources

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

• Underground Storage Tanks (BUSTR)
• Corrective Action (Clean Up)
• What Does BUSTR Regulate
• Registration & Permits
• Registration-Related Questions
• So You Want to Buy an Old Gas Station
• Release Prevention (Inspections)
• Rules (the page shows the date March 29, 2021, without saying what the date is)
• BUSTR Acronym List
• Search BUSTR Database
• Public Records Request (PRR) & Database Search
• Contact Information