Rhode Island Oil Tank Regulations For Homeowners

Tanks of 1,100 gallons or less holding heating oil and serving a one, two or three unit dwelling are outside the regulation, except as noted. The noted sections are 1.11(B), 1.14 and 1.15. Farm tanks of the same capacity sit alongside them.

This is the hinge the whole site turns on, and it is the reason a Rhode Island answer is never a straight yes or no.

Abandonment of any tank or tank system is prohibited, and a tank out of service more than 180 days without approved temporary closure is considered abandoned. Removal, filling or other permanent closure needs prior approval from the Director.

Closure in place is permitted where removal would affect structural integrity, utilities or sensitive areas, and it requires product removal, capping and a concrete slurry fill.

Two closure assessment paragraphs are disapplied for tanks storing fuel oil consumed on site solely for heating. That is the sampling step, and it is why routine soil testing is not a Rhode Island requirement on a residential removal.

The DEM instruction sheet for the closure application states the same exemption in ordinary words.

All persons shall immediately report all confirmed and suspected leaks or releases. The report goes to the Director, to the appropriate local fire official, and to the local public water supplier where the property is within a watershed or wellhead protection area.

The regulation gives the DEM UST Section number as (401) 222-2797 for working hours.

No person shall commence construction of a new tank system or a replacement tank system without prior written notification to and approval by the Director. The section also prohibits siting in wellhead protection areas and bare steel without corrosion protection.

It reaches a residential tank because 1.4(E) names it, so a homeowner putting a replacement back in the ground needs approval first.

RIDEM certifies UST operators in Class A, Class B and Class C for regulated facilities. The Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board licenses Underground Utility, Water Filtration, Well Drilling and Pump Installers, and Rhode Island does not license general contractors.

There is no RIDEM oil tank removal license. Ask a contractor for CRLB registration and evidence of insurance, and check the closure application names them.

The mandatory seller disclosure form names underground tanks inside the heating system item, and the disclosure goes to the buyer no later than before signing any agreement to transfer real estate.

Failing to provide it does not void the agreement and does not create a defect in title. It carries a civil penalty of $100 per occurrence.

RIGL 23-23.7-4 has required No. 2 distillate heating oil sold in Rhode Island to meet a B20 standard since July 1, 2025, rising to B50 by July 1, 2030, unless suspended under section 23-23.7-7.

The earlier steps were B5 in 2021 and B10 in 2023, so the blend in a Rhode Island tank has moved four times in five years.