Check for known underground storage tanks before excavating using EPA's UST Finder

Steps

1. If an unknown underground storage tank may be present, check EPA's UST Finder web map (epa.gov/land-research/underground-storage-tank-ust-finder, hosted at gispub.epa.gov/ustfinder) for known active/closed USTs and LUST (leaking UST) release records near the site.
2. Understand UST Finder is a state-sourced, aggregated national map — data currency varies by state (per EPA's own documentation, some state data reflects 2018-2019, territories 2020-2021, tribal lands as of 2025), so absence from the map does not guarantee no tank exists.
3. For authoritative, current records, contact the relevant state UST regulatory agency directly — EPA maintains a List of State Underground Storage Tank Agencies (epa.gov/epcra/list-state-underground-storage-tank-agencies) as the per-state jump-off point.
4. On unexpectedly striking a tank, stop work in the area, follow the site's spill/emergency response plan, and report to the state UST agency per that state's release-reporting timeline rather than assuming a single federal reporting rule applies.