Understanding LUST: What Underground Storage Tank Records Mean for Your Property

Leaking underground storage tanks, known as LUSTs in regulatory shorthand, are one of the most frequently encountered environmental issues in commercial real estate. The EPA estimates there are over 500,000 underground storage tank systems currently regulated in the United States, and tens of thousands of known releases awaiting cleanup.

• What causes LUST records to appear:
• Former gasoline stations (even those demolished decades ago)
• Fleet fueling facilities at warehouses and industrial yards
• Heating oil tanks at commercial and mixed-use properties
• Chemical storage at dry cleaners, manufacturers, and farms

• Why old sites still matter:
• Petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents can persist in soil and groundwater for decades after a tank is removed. A property that operated as a gas station in 1965 and was redeveloped in 1990 may still have residual contamination beneath it today. State LUST databases track both active releases and those under cleanup, and a "closed" status doesn't always mean clean.

• What the database records show:
• State UST and LUST registries include facility name, address, tank type, leak status, cleanup status, and responsible party information. Geoscope pulls and maps all UST and LUST records from state and federal databases within standard search radii and presents them ranked by distance from your subject property.

• When to investigate further:
• If a LUST record appears within 500 feet of your subject property, particularly upgradient in groundwater terms, a Phase I ESA with a recommendation for Phase II soil and groundwater sampling should be considered before closing.

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