OWNER AND OPERATOR FEES

The USTIF bills the annual capacity fee each December. The fee may be paid via a single payment or monthly installments. Monthly statements are sent until the fee is paid in full.

Distributors are required to collect the gallon fee from tank owners and operators. The fees are then remitted to the USTIF with a delivery report each month. If the distributor does not collect the fee, the owner or operator is responsible for remitting it directly to the USTIF.

Credit card and e-check payments are preferred and are immediately applied to your account. They can be made via the USTIF website (https://ustif.pa.gov). Paper checks are discouraged because mailing errors or delays can lead to untimely payments, which may cause a gap in USTIF participation.

It depends on whether you own a UST or an HOT. Participation in the USTIF program is mandatory for owners and operators of regulated underground storage tanks. Participation is optional for owners and operators of nonregulated underground heating oil tanks with a capacity of 3,000 gallons or greater used for storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises where stored.

The USTIF regulations define underground storage tank (UST) as any one or a combination of tanks (including underground pipes connected thereto) which are used to contain an accumulation of regulated substances, and the volume of which (including the volume of underground pipes connected thereto) is 10% or more beneath the surface of the ground.

The term does not include:

(A) Farm or residential tanks of 1,100 gallons or less capacity used for storing motor fuel for noncommercial purposes.
(B) Tanks used for storing heating oil for consumptive use on the premises where stored unless they are specifically required to be regulated by Federal law.
(C) A septic or other subsurface sewage treatment tank.
(D) A pipeline facility (including gathering lines) regulated under:
  (i)The Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968 (49 U.S.C.A. App. § § 1671—1687).
  (ii)The Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Safety Act of 1979 (49 U.S.C.A. § § 2001—2015).
(E) An interstate or intrastate pipeline facility regulated under state laws comparable to the provisions of law in subparagraph (iv).
(F) Surface impoundments, pits, ponds or lagoons.
(G) Stormwater or wastewater collection systems.
(H) Flow-through process tanks.
(I) Liquid traps or associated gathering lines directly related to oil or gas production and gathering operations.
(J) Storage tanks situated in an underground area (such as a basement, cellar, mine working, drift, shaft or tunnel) if the tank is situated upon or above the surface of the floor.
(K) Except for tanks subject to the requirements of 40 CFR Part 280 (relating to technical standards and corrective action requirements for owners and operators of UST), tanks regulated under the Solid Waste Management Act (35 P. S. § § 6018.101—6018.1003), including piping, tanks, collection and treatment systems used for leachate, methane gas and methane gas condensate management.
(L) A UST whose capacity is 110 gallons or less.
(M) Tanks containing radioactive materials or coolants that are regulated under The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C.A § § 2011—2297).
(N) A wastewater treatment tank system.
(O) Equipment or machinery that contains regulated substances for operational purposes such as hydraulic lift tanks and electrical equipment tanks.
(P) A UST that contains a de minimis concentration of regulated substances.
(Q) An emergency spill or overflow containment UST system that is expeditiously emptied after use.
(R) A UST that is part of an emergency generator system at nuclear power generation facilities regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix A (relating to general design criteria for nuclear power plants).

To change a tank status or owner information, please submit a registration amendment form to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

To change a billing address or to make changes to an opted-in heating oil tank account, please contact the USTIF at 717-783-8093 or ra-ustif@pa.gov.

It depends. Under Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations, tank owners must amend their registration for temporary or permanent closure or removal of a tank. Where the tank status has been updated with the DEP and all prior fees have been paid, no capacity fees will be imposed following the change in tank status. For assistance with updating the tank status, please contact the DEP at 717-772-5599 or tanks@pa.gov.

A new owner has several options for bringing a facility with unpaid fees into compliance. The options range from paying the fees and associated penalties to requesting a fee waiver and conducting a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment. Please submit a New Underground Storage Tank Owner Fee Compliance or Waiver Application to proceed with one of these options.

If a tank owner or operator has an out-of-state distributor that does not collect the gallon fee, then the owner or operator must pay the gallon fee directly to the USTIF. However, some out-of-state distributors do collect the gallon fee. To confirm whether the fee is being collected, please check the delivery invoices. For assistance with paying the fee directly, please contact the USTIF at 717-783-8093 or ra-ustif@pa.gov.