Underground Storage Tanks

Fuel leaks from underground storage tanks can pose a risk of fire and explosion, contaminate drinking water supplies, and may be extremely costly to clean up. 

The State of California has enacted a series of laws designed to prevent such leaks. The statutes, Health & Safety Code Chapter 6.7, and regulations, California Code of Regulations, Title 23, Division 3, Chapter 16, governing the UST program may be downloaded from www.leginfo.ca.gov and www.calregs.com respectively. The Certified Unified Program Agency enforces these requirements, which include:

  • Plan review for installation or modification of existing UST to ensure equipment compliance
  • Inspection of installation or modification of UST systems to ensure construction compliance
  • Issuance of permits to install, operate, repair, modify, and remove USTs
  • Annual certification and inspection of leak monitoring equipment
  • Testing of secondary containment systems every 36 months. LG Letter 160.
  • Post-installation UST testing (enhanced leak detection). LG Letter 162.3
  •  New UST construction standards, including requirement for a continuous monitoring system capable of detecting the entry of the hazardous substance stored in the primary containment into the secondary containment." LG Letter 162-3.
  • UST systems with a single-walled component located within 1,000 feet of a public well must perform Enhanced Leak Detection testing within 18 months following receipt of notification from the SWRCB UST Program, and every three years thereafter. LG Letter 161-5.

All UST "owners" must submit a signed statement which includes:

  • Owner understands and is in compliance with all applicable UST requirements.
  • Owner notifies the local agency of the Designated UST Operator for each facility owned
  • The owner shall notify the local agency of any change of designated UST operator(s) not later than 30 days after the change. Designateded UST Operator must be certified by this date.

The Designated UST Operator means one or more individuals designated by the UST owner to have responsibilities for training facility employees and conducting a monthly visual inspection at the UST facility. The Designated UST Operator must:

  • Possess a current "California UST System Operator" certification issued by the International Code Council (ICC). Certification must be renewed every 24 months
  • Perform monthly visual inspections and record results on an inspection report, which must be provided to the owner/operator.

The Designated UST Operator for each UST facility must provide initial on-the-job training for the facility employee(s) within 30 days of their date of hire, and every twelve months thereafter. "Facility employee" means an individual who is employed on-site at a UST facility, and who may be called upon to respond to spills, overfills, or problems associated with the operation of the UST system.

The training for facility employee must include, but is not limited to:

  • The operation of the UST system in a manner consistent with the facility's best management practices
  • The facility employee's role with regard to the monitoring equipment as specified in the facility's monitoring plan
  • The facility employee's role with regard to spills and overfills as specified in the facility's response plan
  • The name of the contact person(s) for emergencies and monitoring equipment alarms.


Additional information:  Leaking Underground Storage Tank Program