GUIDE · UNDERGROUND TANK REMOVAL
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Home heating-oil tanks and farm or residential fuel tanks of 1,100 gallons or less are generally exempt from Georgia's underground storage tank program; EPD points owners to the local fire department or county. Regulated tanks need a GUST-29 closure form filed 30 days ahead. Removal typically costs $1,000 to $3,000 nationally.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Who does the work
One crew, raw ground to a working system
Key facts
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Federally excluded tanks | Heating-oil tanks for use on the premises; farm and residential motor-fuel tanks of 1,100 gallons or less for noncommercial use; tanks on or above a basement floor | US EPA: Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) |
| Georgia EPD's view | Heating-oil tanks are among the most common exemptions; questions go to the local fire department, city or county government, or EPA | Georgia EPD: Underground Storage Tanks (Land Protection Branch) |
| What counts as a UST | A tank plus its underground piping with at least 10% of the combined volume underground | US EPA: Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) |
| Regulated tank closure | GUST-29 Closure Activity Form sent to EPD at least 30 days before removal; removal within 90 days of the proposed date | GA EPD: GUST Closure Activity Form (GUST-29) |
| EPD UST program line | 404-362-2687 if you are unsure whether a tank is regulated | Georgia EPD: Underground Storage Tanks (Land Protection Branch) |
| Oil tank removal (national) | Average $1,357; normal range $593 to $2,153 | HomeAdvisor: Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026 |
| Underground tank removal (national) | Typically $1,000 to $3,000, plus about $500 for soil testing | Same source as above |
| Abandoned septic tank | Pumped by a certified pumper and filled with sand, soil or rock, or removed | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.17, Operation and Maintenance (LII) |
Plain definitions
Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: A fill pipe and vent near an older house, copper lines into a crawlspace or basement, an oil furnace now replaced with a heat pump.
EPD sends heating-tank questions to the local fire department, city or county, or EPA.
OPTION 02
When it fits: A gas or diesel tank by a barn, shop or equipment shed on a farmstead.
Call EPD's UST program if you are not sure which side of the line it falls on.
OPTION 03
When it fits: Fuel tanks at a former store, marina fuel dock, shop or business, or any tank above the exemption limits.
OPTION 04
When it fits: The house moved to sewer, or a new system replaced the old tank.
Covered by Georgia's on-site sewage rules, not the UST program.
How the job runs
Fill and vent pipes, old fuel bills and the house's age are the clues. A private locator can trace the tank and its lines; Georgia 811 will not mark a tank you own.
Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
Heating-oil and small noncommercial farm tanks are generally exempt; commercial and larger motor-fuel tanks are not. When in doubt, call EPD's UST program at 404-362-2687 before anything is dug.
Georgia EPD: Underground Storage Tanks (Land Protection Branch)
For a regulated tank, the GUST-29 closure form goes to EPD at least 30 days before removal. For an exempt heating tank, ask the local fire marshal and county building office what they want.
File a locate request at least three business days ahead. Leftover oil and sludge are removed before the tank is cut loose so nothing spills when it moves.
Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
Tank pits often run deeper than 5 feet, and OSHA requires sloping, shoring or shielding at that depth unless the cut is entirely in stable rock. Spoil stays at least 2 feet back from the edge.
Once the tank is out, the pit is checked for stained or oily soil. HomeAdvisor puts soil testing at about $500 for an underground tank; if there are signs of a leak, report it through EPD's release page.
Clean fill goes back in lifts and is compacted, then the surface is seeded or graveled. Keep every receipt, sample result and photo with the deed for the next buyer.
What it costs
Oil tank removal (normal range)
$593–$2,153
per tank
Average $1,357.
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
Underground tank removal
$1,000–$3,000
per tank
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
Soil testing, underground tank
$500
average
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026), 2026
Excavation (normal range)
$1,659–$6,713
per job
Relevant when a pit has to be opened wide or deep.
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Excavation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Dirt removal / clean fill haul
$8–$25
per cubic yard
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Excavation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Typical third-party market ranges, not our prices. A Class Septic Services gives free estimates.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620The whole story
Lake country is full of second lives. A 1950s farmhouse outside Madison becomes a weekend place, a Sinclair fishing cabin from the lake's early years becomes a full-time home, a crossroads store on a county highway becomes a shop. Each of those can come with a buried tank nobody has thought about since the furnace was swapped out.
The lake raises the stakes. Petroleum that reaches a ditch or a feeder creek is headed for state waters, and Georgia's definition of state waters includes lakes, reservoirs, streams and drainage systems. On Lake Oconee, Georgia Power also restricts digging and contour changes inside its project boundary and the 25-foot buffer, so a tank close to the shoreline needs that line located before a machine goes near it.
The other tank people find is an old septic tank left behind when a house tied into Piedmont Water, EPWSA or city sewer. Georgia's rule is short: once a tank is out of use, the owner has it pumped by a certified pumper and filled with sand, soil or rock so nobody falls in, or has it removed.
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Georgia EPD lists heating-oil tanks used for furnaces and boilers among the most common exemptions from its underground storage tank rules, and federal rules exclude them too. That means no state UST closure form, but local fire or county rules may still apply, and a leaking tank is still a problem. EPD directs heating-tank questions to the local fire department, city or county, or EPA.
Source: Georgia EPD: Underground Storage Tanks (Land Protection Branch)
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 national figures put oil tank removal at an average of $1,357, with a normal range of $593 to $2,153, and underground tank removal generally at $1,000 to $3,000. Soil testing for an underground tank averages about $500. Contaminated soil, deep pits and tanks under structures push costs higher.
Source: HomeAdvisor: Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated Jun 19, 2026)
GUST-29 is Georgia EPD's Closure Activity Form for regulated underground storage tanks. EPD asks for it at least 30 days before a tank is removed, and the removal must happen within 90 days of the proposed closure date. Exempt heating-oil tanks generally do not go through this process.
Federal rules exclude farm and residential motor-fuel tanks of 1,100 gallons or less used for noncommercial purposes, though state or local authorities may still regulate them. Larger tanks or tanks used for a business are a different story. EPD's UST program at 404-362-2687 can tell you which side of the line a specific tank is on.
Source: US EPA: Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)
For an exempt heating-oil tank there is no state closure requirement, but buyers, lenders and insurers often ask about buried tanks, and the local fire marshal may have rules on abandoning one in place. An empty, cleaned and removed tank ends the question. Ask the local fire department before deciding.
Source: Georgia EPD: Underground Storage Tanks (Land Protection Branch)
Stained, oily or fuel-smelling soil in the pit is a sign of a release. Georgia EPD runs a reporting page for petroleum product releases, and EPD's UST program can tell you what applies to your tank. Do not backfill over contaminated soil and hope; it tends to come up again at sale time.
Source: Georgia EPD: Report a petroleum product release (USTMP)
Georgia's on-site sewage rule says that when a septic tank's use is discontinued, the property owner must either have it pumped out by a certified pumper and fill it with sand, soil or rock to prevent entrapment, or have the empty tank removed to make room for a new system component.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.17, Operation and Maintenance (LII)
Keep going
Sources
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Ready when you are
Most old heating-oil and small farm fuel tanks sit outside Georgia's underground storage tank program, but they still have to come out cleanly. Regulated tanks and abandoned septic tanks each follow their own rules.
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