Heating Oil Tank Scan
A heating oil tank scan locates a buried tank the Oregon home inspection cannot report on. DEQ holds the record of what was done about it.
A heating oil tank scan searches for an underground tank, which Oregon home inspections exclude twice. Underground items are excluded by OAR 812-008-0204(1)(h), and the plumbing standard covers only above-ground oil storage. DEQ keeps an address-searchable record of decommissioned tanks and leaks.
Excluded twice by rule
OAR 812-008-0204(1)(h) excuses the certified inspector from underground items. OAR 812-008-0208(1)(d), the plumbing standard, covers only above-ground oil storage.
A buried tank therefore sits outside the standard inspection by rule, not by custom. The scan is a separate engagement, and the decommissioning that may follow is a DEQ-regulated activity.
Check the record before paying for a scan
DEQ keeps an online public records portal searchable by house number and street name. Clean decommissioning certificates and leaking tank projects both appear there.
Projects started after 2024-04-03 are mostly online. Earlier records may need a public records request, which DEQ also handles. A certificate on file changes what the scan is for.
What DEQ charges, and what it does not set
DEQ publishes its own fees: 104 dollars for a clean decommissioning certificate and 260 to 468 dollars for cleanup certificates by complexity, effective 2024-04-16.
Those are agency fees. No Oregon agency publishes what a provider charges for the scan or the decommissioning work. DEQ states it does not recommend contractors.
Asked and answered
In Oregon the home inspection cannot answer the tank question. Underground items are excluded by OAR 812-008-0204(1)(h), and the plumbing standard reaches only above-ground oil storage. Before paying for a sweep, search the DEQ Online Public Records Portal by address. A clean decommissioning certificate on file means the work was done and documented.
In the DEQ Online Public Records Portal, searchable by street address. Select permits, licences and certificates, set the type to HOT Clean Decommissioning, and enter the house number and street. Leaking tank projects sit under projects. Records started after 2024-04-03 are mostly online; earlier ones may need a public records request to DEQ.
Questions are taken verbatim from live Google People Also Ask results for this inspection type. Answers rest on Oregon rule text and the records cited above.