Long Island has one of the highest concentrations of residential underground oil storage tanks in the country. If you’re buying a home here, especially one built before 1990, the question isn’t whether you should ask about an oil tank — it’s whether the property has one and what its status is.
Why Oil Tanks Are a Problem
Steel underground tanks corrode over time. When they leak, heating oil seeps into the surrounding soil and groundwater. Environmental remediation — the professional cleanup required when contamination is confirmed — can cost anywhere from $20,000 to well over $100,000 depending on the extent of contamination and proximity to neighboring properties or water supply.
What Sellers Are Required to Disclose
Sellers in New York must disclose known underground storage tanks on the Property Condition Disclosure Statement. “Known” is the operative word. Many sellers genuinely don’t know an abandoned tank is on the property — particularly when a home converted from oil to gas heat years ago and the tank was simply left in the ground.
What to Do Before You Close
Request any available records from the DEC database (NYDEC tracks registered tanks). Ask your inspector about visible evidence of a tank — fill pipes, vent pipes, disconnected oil lines. Consider ordering a tank sweep — a scan using ground-penetrating radar or metal detection — if the records are incomplete or the history is unclear. Never close without knowing the tank status on a Long Island property.
The Inspection Boys inspect for visible oil tank evidence as part of every Long Island home inspection. Book at homeinspectionsli.com.
