January 2025

By December 31, 2025, all regulated underground storage tanks (USTs) designed and constructed before January 1, 1984, and that do not meet the requirements outlined in Health and Safety Code (HSC) section 25291(a)(1)-(6), as well as those designed and constructed before January 1, 1997, under HSC section 25291(a)(7), must be permanently closed.

Closure refers to the process of emptying and cleaning (and often removing and disposing of) a tank, or a combination of tanks, along with their connected piping, that is used for storing hazardous substances and does not meet HSC requirements. Non-compliant tanks lack primary and secondary levels of containment, meaning they are not double-walled and do not have a continuous leak detection system. A proper leak detection system would be capable of identifying any leaks of hazardous substances into the tank’s interstitial space, as well as detecting any water entry from the environment into that space. Simply emptying USTs by the deadline does not constitute “closure.”

In 2014, legislation went into effect, changing the design and construction requirements for USTs. It mandated that all USTs failing to comply with the new requirements be closed by the end of 2025. Local agencies known as Unified Program Agencies (UPAs) regulate USTs.

Regulators anticipate that all “single-walled” USTs will be permanently closed by the end of 2025. However, state directives require local UPAs to progressively act against any remaining “single-walled” UST facilities that are out of compliance until the end of that year. State regulators strongly encourage UPAs to enforce actions against UST owners and operators who do not meet the closure deadline. These facilities could face civil penalties ranging from $500 to $5,000 per day for each tank and each violation.

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