Aboveground Storage Tank Program

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) keeps an inventory of aboveground storage tanks in the state. Registration forms go to the Aboveground Storage Tank Program of DEM's Office of Emergency Response, which DEM says updates the list. DEM says the inventory gives it information to better respond in the event of a spill or release, and that the information provided will also serve as a database for DEM when reviewing the mandatory annual facility inspection reports that tank owners and operators submit under section 10(d) of the Oil Pollution Control Regulations. DEM's Office of Land Revitalization and Sustainable Materials Management also lists aboveground tank registration under its tank program, and links the same page.

In a Phase I ESA

DEM's aboveground tank list is the Rhode Island 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. Underground tanks are a separate record; see the Underground Storage Tank Management Program.

Three Rhode Island details shape the search.

• The size at which registration is asked. DEM requests its forms from owners or operators of tanks with a single or combined capacity greater than 500 gallons. It says owners of tanks with a combined capacity equal to or less than 500 gallons are exempt, and that at this time registration is free.
• The list runs behind. DEM says the Office of Emergency Response updates the list annually on July 1 for all updates filed during the previous calendar year. The file linked when this page was written is titled 2024 Online AST Info Spreadsheet. A registration filed this year will not show until a later update, so ask the program about a recent change.
• New tanks register before work starts. DEM says construction of a new facility or replacement tank system should not commence until an application of registration has been filed, and that the registration information should be signed by a local Fire Department official.

DEM's Emergency Response page says the office is responsible for the registration and oversight of over 700 aboveground tanks. The page gives no date for that number.

What a tank file can hold

The program page posts an AST registration form, a monthly tank inspection report, an annual tank inspection report and a template for an AST spill prevention and emergency plan. Because DEM says owners and operators submit mandatory annual facility inspection reports, ask for those reports along with the registration.

Where to look a site up

• The Aboveground Storage Tank List is posted as a spreadsheet at the bottom of DEM's Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs) page.
• Questions about the program go to dem.ast@dem.ri.gov or (401) 537-4533.
• DEM asks that all spills be reported immediately to 401-222-3070, its 24-hour number, or to (401) 537-4533 during normal business hours.

Getting the file

DEM's file review route covers emergency response files, which DEM describes as responses to oil spills and aboveground storage tank registrations; see DEM File Reviews. Submit DEM's Request to Inspect and/or Copy Public Records form. DEM says file reviews are scheduled within 10 business days after the request is received and are conducted in its Office of Customer and Technical Assistance on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To schedule a review, DEM gives the mailbox Dem.filereview@dem.ri.gov.

Sources

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management pages, read October 13, 2026:

• Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs), last modified November 10, 2025.
• Emergency Response, last modified March 25, 2025.
• Office of Land Revitalization and Sustainable Materials Management, last modified October 6, 2026.
• DEM File Reviews, last modified September 24, 2026.