Oregon
Aboveground Storage Tanks
Oregon Aboveground Storage Tanks
Aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) sit mostly outside the tank programs of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). DEQ says the Office of the State Fire Marshal has primary responsibility for regulating and tracking aboveground storage tanks in Oregon, and that DEQ has not adopted rules regarding the installation or removal of ASTs storing petroleum or listed hazardous substances.
In a Phase I ESA
ASTM E1527-21 lists state registered storage tank records as a standard source, and the general reading of a registered tank listing is on the UST / AST page. In Oregon the DEQ tank lists are of underground tanks; see the Underground Storage Tank Program page. For an aboveground tank, the pages read point to these other DEQ records.
- A spill record. DEQ says a spill or release of a reportable quantity of petroleum or hazardous substances from an AST must be reported to its Emergency Response Program.
- A spill contingency plan. Transferring 10,000 gallons or more of petroleum or liquefied natural gas from a facility or a vessel over waters of the state requires a DEQ-approved spill contingency plan. Separately, DEQ's Emergency Response page says its Oil Spill Contingency Planning program reviews plans from petroleum facilities, pipelines, commercial ships larger than 300 gross tons and high hazard railways for an approval period of five years, and posts a reviewed plan for public comment for 30 days. The pages read do not say that the two are the same plan.
- An air permit or notice. DEQ says dispensing gasoline from ASTs may need an Air Contaminant Discharge Permit, and installing a new tank may need a Notice of Intent to Construct application.
- A federal plan. DEQ notes that EPA's Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Rule regulates certain ASTs.
- No decommissioning record, for a heating oil tank. DEQ's heating oil tank FAQ says aboveground heating oil tanks are not regulated by DEQ, so decommissioning and certification are not necessary for them.
What the record shows
One group of large tank facilities has a DEQ program of its own. The Fuel Tank Seismic Stability program regulates the large-capacity oil and fuel storage and distribution facilities located in Lane, Multnomah and Columbia counties. DEQ says Senate Bill 1567 of 2022 gave it the authority to develop the program, and that the Environmental Quality Commission adopted the rules on September 14, 2023. The program's page cites Oregon Revised Statutes 468B.510 to 525. The pages read do not say whether the tanks at these facilities are above or below ground.
Each regulated facility owes two documents, both prepared by the facility and submitted to DEQ for review and approval:
| Document | What DEQ says it covers |
|---|---|
| Seismic Vulnerability Assessment | Vulnerability to shaking from the Cascadia Subduction Zone and other earthquake sources, and the secondary effects after an earthquake |
| Risk Mitigation Implementation Plan | How the facility will minimize risk to people and the environment |
DEQ says the purpose of the rules is to protect public health, life safety and environmental safety against fires and release of fuel products. Its page lists the current regulated facilities, each with a DEQ page, and posts program status reports dated July 2024, November 2024, July 2025 and July 2026. DEQ is also writing rules for the Certificate of Financial Responsibility required of large bulk fuel or oil facilities by House Bill 4100 of 2026.
Where to look a site up
- The pages read give no DEQ list of aboveground tanks. DEQ's Aboveground Storage Tanks page links the Office of the State Fire Marshal; that office's pages were not read for this handbook.
- DEQ's Fuel Tank Seismic Stability page, for the regulated facilities and a link to its Regulated Facilities Map.
Getting the file
DEQ's Emergency Response page says a reviewed spill contingency plan is posted there for public comment for 30 days. Beyond that, the pages read give no route of their own to a plan or a seismic assessment. DEQ's general route is described on the Your DEQ Online and public records requests page.
Sources
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality pages, read October 7, 2026, no modified date shown: