USTIF Fees for Diesel Tanks on Farms
Farmers who have registered their underground diesel tanks with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are subject to one of two types of Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund (USTIF) fees, based on the facility kind.
- Gallon fee (also known as throughput fee)
- If the facility is registered with DEP with the Farm facility kind, the farmer must pay $0.011 per gallon of diesel delivered.
- For example, the gallon fee for a 1,000-gallon delivery is $11.00 ($0.011 × 1,000).
- This fee is normally paid to the distributor, which remits the fee to USTIF.
- Capacity fee
- If the facility is registered with a different facility kind (e.g., Transportation or Retail/Commercial), the farmer must pay $0.0825 per gallon of diesel tank capacity per year.
- For example, the capacity fee for an 8,000-gallon tank is $660.00 ($0.0825 × 8,000).
- This fee is paid directly to USTIF.
Your Responsibilities
| Farmers | |
| Contact DEP (717-772-5599) to check your facility kind and revise it if desired.
| Note: For a facility to use the Farm facility kind, more than 50% of the crops / livestock / livestock products must be produced by the facility operator.
|
| If your facility kind is Farm, make sure that your diesel distributor collects the $0.011 per gallon fee. Save your invoices.
| Note: If your distributor does not collect the fee, contact USTIF (717-783-8093) to pay the fee.
|
| If your facility kind is not Farm, watch for USTIF capacity fee invoices in the mail.
| Note: The capacity fee is billed in December and can be paid in full or in monthly installments. Also check your diesel delivery invoices to ensure you are not charged the $0.011 per gallon fee in error. |
| Distributors | |
| Contact DEP (717-772-5599) to check whether your customer’s facility kind is Farm. | |
| If your customer’s facility kind is Farm, collect $0.011 per gallon of diesel delivered to an underground storage tank. | |
| Remit the fee on a monthly basis using USTIF’s online system (https://ustif.pa.gov). | |
| If your customer’s facility kind is not Farm, do not collect a fee on diesel deliveries. | |
Examples
- A farmer has registered their 8,000-gallon underground diesel tank with DEP using the Farm facility kind. They receive regular deliveries of 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. They pay $11.00 in gallon fees to their distributor for each delivery. The distributor then remits the fees to USTIF.
- A farmer has registered their 8,000-gallon underground diesel tank with DEP using the Retail/Commercial facility kind. They pay a $660.00 capacity fee each year directly to USTIF.
Please contact USTIF at 717-783-8093 or ra-ustif@pa.gov with any questions.
Fees apply regardless of whether on-road diesel or off-road diesel is used.
Unpaid USTIF fees may result in claim denial.