Land Use & Environmental

Underground Storage Tank

A regulated tank system below ground whose release can contaminate soil or groundwater and create cleanup obligations.

An underground storage tank, or UST, stores regulated substances beneath the ground. Releases from gasoline, heating-oil, or chemical tanks can contaminate soil, groundwater, and vapor.

Federal petroleum UST rules are primarily authorized by RCRA Subtitle I and implemented in 40 CFR Part 280, with states handling much of the program. CERCLA generally excludes petroleum from its hazardous-substance definition.

On the exam

For a leaking gasoline tank, think petroleum exclusion, RCRA Subtitle I, and the state UST program.

Exam trap

Petroleum exclusion does not mean no cleanup liability. It means CERCLA may not be the primary legal route.

Tested in

Disclosures & Environmental (8% of the exam)

From definition to recall

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This definition is Texas real estate exam-prep education, not legal, tax, or professional advice. Verify current rules against the official source before relying on them for a real transaction. Back to the full glossary.