Oklahoma environmental records for a Phase I ESA
A Phase I records review in Oklahoma draws on two state agencies. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission regulates petroleum storage tanks and oil and gas activity, so tank registrations, tank releases, and oil and gas spills are its records. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) keeps the cleanup, waste and chemical reporting records. This page maps each kind of record ASTM E1527-21 asks for to the Oklahoma program that holds it, and links a page on each program.
The standard record types, in Oklahoma
| ASTM record type | Oklahoma program | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| State Superfund equivalent | The pages read name no separate state list. See Superfund sites and the Site Cleanup Assistance Program. | DEQ |
| State hazardous waste facilities | No single Oklahoma list is paired here. DEQ's permitted and notified facilities are on the hazardous waste facilities page. | DEQ |
| Landfills and solid waste sites | Solid waste facilities | DEQ |
| Leaking storage tanks | Petroleum storage tank release cases | Corporation Commission |
| Registered storage tanks | Petroleum storage tank registrations | Corporation Commission |
| Institutional and engineering controls | DEQ's Brownfields Program pages link an Institutional Controls Database. The pages read do not say which DEQ programs it covers or whether it lists engineering controls. | DEQ |
| Voluntary cleanup sites | Voluntary Cleanup Program | DEQ |
| Brownfields sites | Brownfields Program and Corporation Commission Brownfields | DEQ and Corporation Commission |
How far each search reaches is on the ASTM search distances page.
Other Oklahoma records worth reading
These are not on ASTM's standard list, but each answers a question an Oklahoma Phase I runs into.
- Oil and gas spills and incidents: which spills are reported, and when an incident closes.
- Oil and gas well records: finding the wells on or near a property.
- Underground injection wells: which agency has which wells.
- Spill reports and environmental complaints: DEQ's hotline, complaint records, and the written follow-up to a spill report.
- Tier II chemical reporting: chemical storage reports and how to tell whether a facility filed.
Two agencies, two records offices
A search that stops at one agency leaves the other agency's records unread. For a gas station, the tank registration and any release case are at the Corporation Commission. For a former industrial site, the cleanup and waste records are at DEQ. For a property with oil and gas history, the well records, spill incidents and injection well records are at the Corporation Commission, and it has its own brownfields program.
Getting a file from DEQ
A listing says a record exists. The reports and letters are in the file. DEQ's Central Records office fills open records requests under Oklahoma Statute Title 51, starting at section 24A.1. Requests go through its online request form, in person at 707 N. Robinson in Oklahoma City, or by phone at 405-702-1188. Its hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. DEQ asks that a request be as specific as possible and include:
- the start and end dates of the records wanted;
- the facility ID number, or the name of the facility or company;
- any permit number;
- whether the records are land, air, water, or environmental complaints and local services documents;
- the document types wanted, such as permits or applications, if only some are needed.
DEQ notes that it cannot guarantee providing records on the day an in-person form is filled out.
Getting a file from the Corporation Commission
The Commission takes records requests through the form on its Open Records Requests page, and says most requests are answered within 24 hours. It also says most records about underground or aboveground petroleum storage tanks at fueling stations are available through its Petroleum Storage Tank portal, which is open to the public.
The Commission's search tools are linked from its program pages: the Petroleum Storage Tank (PST) Finder and PST Portal for tanks, and the Well Data Finder, the Oil and Gas Incident App and the imaged documents directory for oil and gas. The Petroleum Storage Tank Division is at 405-521-4683. The Oil and Gas Conservation Division's Well Records and Pollution Abatement offices are at 405-521-2331.
Sources
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 1, 2026:
- Central Records, last modified July 31, 2026.
- Superfund, last modified September 14, 2026.
- Brownfields, last modified September 18, 2026.
- Voluntary Cleanup Program, last modified September 22, 2026.
- Hazardous Waste, last modified September 23, 2026.
- Solid Waste, last modified September 23, 2026.
- Tier II Reporting, last modified September 18, 2026.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission pages, read October 1, 2026:
- Petroleum Storage Tank, last modified July 8, 2026.
- Open Records Requests, last modified July 8, 2026.
- Petroleum Storage Tank Finder, last modified February 14, 2025.
- Brownfields Department, last modified July 29, 2026.
- Database Search and Imaged Documents, last modified August 19, 2026.
- Pollution Abatement Department, last modified January 30, 2024.
- Oil and Gas FAQ, last modified July 22, 2026.