UNDERGROUND TANK REMOVAL · LAKE OCONEE & SINCLAIR
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Underground tank removal means emptying a buried tank, excavating it, hauling it away and backfilling the hole. Which rules apply depends on the tank. Georgia EPD regulates commercial fuel USTs and wants 30 days' notice before closure; home heating oil tanks are exempt from its rules; retired septic tanks must be pumped and filled or removed.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| What counts as a federal UST | A tank and its connected underground piping with at least 10 percent of their combined volume underground, storing petroleum or certain hazardous substances. | US EPA — Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) |
| Home heating oil tanks | Exempt from the Georgia UST rules; EPD sends questions on heating tanks to the local fire department, city or county, or US EPA. | Georgia EPD — Underground Storage Tanks (UST Management Program, GUST Rule 391-3-15) |
| Farm and residential fuel tanks | Federal UST rules exclude farm and residential motor fuel tanks of 1,100 gallons or less used for noncommercial purposes. | US EPA — Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) |
| Regulated tank closure notice | Georgia's Closure Activity Form (GUST-29) is due at least 30 days before closure. | Georgia EPD — UST Tank Closures (GUST-29 Closure Activity Form, Closure Report Template) |
| Removal or closure in place | Georgia's UST program recommends closing tanks by removing them from the ground. | Georgia EPD — UST Facility Owners |
| Retired septic tanks | Must be pumped and filled with sand, soil or rock, or removed (511-3-1-.17(5)). | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.17, Maintenance and Operation (LII) |
| Underground oil tank removal cost | $1,000 to $3,500 (typical market range, Bob Vila, 2023). | Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023), 2023 |
| Active petroleum USTs nationwide | About 534,000. | US EPA — Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs) |
Plain definitions
The whole story
Most buried tanks we are asked about in this region fall into three groups. The first is fuel: oil tanks that once fed a furnace in an older farmhouse or early lake cabin, and gasoline or diesel tanks that fueled tractors and trucks on a farm. Federal rules exclude residential and farm motor fuel tanks of 1,100 gallons or less used for noncommercial purposes, and both federal and Georgia rules exclude heating oil tanks, but excluded does not mean harmless. A rusted tank still holds whatever fuel is left in it.
The second is septic tanks left behind. When a house connects to sewer, gets a new system in a different spot, or is torn down for a new build, the old tank stays in the ground unless someone deals with it. Georgia's on-site sewage rule requires a discontinued tank to be pumped and filled or removed, because an empty tank with a failing lid is a collapse hazard.
The third is commercial: tanks at former country stores, marinas, shops and fleet yards. Those are the ones Georgia EPD's UST Management Program regulates, and they come with notice, sampling and reporting requirements that a homeowner's heating oil tank does not. Near Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair any leaking tank is a bigger worry than inland, because fuel that reaches groundwater can travel toward the lake.
How the job runs
Fill pipes, vent pipes, old fuel lines in a basement wall, or a probe that hits steel are the usual clues. What the tank held and how it was used decides whether EPD's UST rules apply.
For a regulated UST, the GUST-29 Closure Activity Form goes to EPD at least 30 days ahead, and closure follows EPD's guidance and report template. For heating oil tanks, check with the local fire department or county, which EPD names as the contacts.
Georgia EPD — UST Tank Closures (GUST-29 Closure Activity Form, Closure Report Template)
Tank excavation is mechanized digging, so the locate request goes in first. Old fuel and electric lines near a tank are common.
Georgia 811 — Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act (O.C.G.A. 25-9) summary
Remaining fuel or septage is pumped out by a qualified hauler before excavation. Bob Vila lists leftover oil disposal at $10 to $70 per pound in its cost breakdown.
We dig around the tank, cut and cap lines, and lift it out with the excavator. In Piedmont clay the hole is benched or sloped so the walls stay put.
Stained or fuel-smelling soil is a sign of a release. Soil testing, typically $500 to $1,800, tells you whether cleanup is needed; regulated releases are reported to EPD.
Clean fill goes in lifts and is compacted so the spot will not settle, then the surface is graded and stabilized.
Permits & the Georgia rules
Commercial petroleum UST (store, marina, fleet): follow GUST Rule 391-3-15; file GUST-29 at least 30 days before closure and complete the closure report.↗
Residential heating oil tank: exempt from the Georgia UST rules; ask the local fire department, city or county about any local requirement.↗
Farm or residential motor fuel tank of 1,100 gallons or less, noncommercial: excluded from federal UST rules; state and local authorities may still regulate it.↗
Retired septic tank: pump it, then fill it with sand, soil or rock or remove it, per 511-3-1-.17(5).↗
Any tank: request a Georgia 811 locate before excavating.↗
Georgia rule GA EPD, UST Tank Closures
“You must submit the Closure Activity Form at least 30 days in advance.”
Georgia rule GA EPD, UST Facility Owners
“The Georgia UST Management Program recommends closing tanks and other UST components by removing them from the ground.”
Georgia rule 511-3-1-.17(5)
“If the use of a septic tank is discontinued,”
What it costs
Underground oil tank removal
$1,000–$3,500
per tank
Typical market range — Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023), 2023
Oil tank abandonment (clean and fill in place)
$1,000–$3,000
per tank
Typical market range — Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023), 2023
Soil test for oil
$500–$1,800
per test
Typical market range — Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023), 2023
Remediation of contaminated soil
$500–$10,000
per job
Typical market range — Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023), 2023
Local removal permits
$30–$160
per permit
Typical market range — Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023), 2023
These are typical third-party market ranges, not A Class Septic Services prices. We provide free estimates.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: You plan to sell, build over the spot, or want the question closed for good. Georgia's UST program recommends this route.
OPTION 02
When it fits: The tank sits under a structure or where digging would endanger the foundation.
OPTION 03
When it fits: An old septic tank is being retired after a sewer connection or a new system.
Both options are allowed under 511-3-1-.17(5).
Warning signs
Found a pipe you can't explain? Call (678) 863-5620
Where we do this
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Not by Georgia's UST rules. EPD lists tanks used for heating oil and for operating heating equipment, boilers and furnaces among the most common exemptions, and refers questions to the local fire department, city or county government, or US EPA. Federal rules also exclude heating oil used on the premises where it is stored. Local requirements can still apply.
Source: Georgia EPD — Underground Storage Tanks (UST Management Program, GUST Rule 391-3-15)
Bob Vila's 2023 guide puts underground oil tank removal at about $1,000 to $3,500, with soil testing at $500 to $1,800 and contamination cleanup at $500 to $10,000 if needed. Contamination is the swing factor. A clean, accessible tank is a modest dig; a leaking one turns into a soil project.
Source: Bob Vila — Oil Tank Removal Cost (updated May 31, 2023)
Removal is usually better. Georgia's UST program recommends closing tanks by removing them, and warns that tanks left in the ground, even if closed in place, can cause delays and added expense when selling a property. Closing in place makes sense mainly when the tank sits under a structure that digging would put at risk.
Source: Georgia EPD — UST Tank Closures (GUST-29 Closure Activity Form, Closure Report Template)
Georgia's on-site sewage rule gives two choices for a tank that is no longer used: have it pumped out and filled with sand, soil or rock so nobody can fall in, or have the empty tank removed. Removal makes sense when the space is needed for something else. Either way, the old tank cannot simply be left empty.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.17, Maintenance and Operation (LII)
For tanks under Georgia's UST program, such as those at stores, marinas and fleet yards, the Closure Activity Form GUST-29 must be submitted at least 30 days before closure. Closure then follows EPD's closure report guidance and template. Residential heating oil tanks are exempt from this process.
Source: Georgia EPD — UST Tank Closures (GUST-29 Closure Activity Form, Closure Report Template)
Federal UST rules exclude farm and residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less that store motor fuel for noncommercial purposes. Larger farm tanks, or tanks used commercially, may fall under the rules. EPA notes that state and local authorities may still regulate excluded tanks, so check before closing one.
Source: US EPA — Learn About Underground Storage Tanks (USTs)
Often, yes. Georgia's abandonment rule specifically allows an empty septic tank to be removed to make room for a new system component. Any new drain field still has to meet the state setbacks, such as 100 feet from wells and 50 feet from the normal water level of a lake or stream, and be permitted through county Environmental Health.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
Keep going
Excavation & Site Work
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
Buried heating oil tanks, farm fuel tanks and retired septic tanks are liabilities you can't see. We dig them out, haul them off and backfill the hole, and we start by finding out which rules apply to your tank.
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