Removing oil tanks in private land

An oil or fuel tank in the ground may rust or leak. This can contaminate the soil. If there is an oil tank or fuel tank under the ground in your yard, you must report it to the municipality.

  • If you no longer use the tank then you must have it removed by a licensed company. Always have a soil test done.
  • If you are still using the tank, you must have the tank inspected every year.

How does it work?

  • The disposal obligation does not apply to tanks that were remediated (cleaned) by a Kiwa-approved company before January 1, 1999.
  • The disposal requirement also does not apply to tanks remediated before March 1, 1993.

The municipality may still require you, the owner, to take additional measures. In fact, in the past, tanks were not always remediated thoroughly.

What to do

The Omgevingsdienst Haaglanden regulates a number of executive soil tasks for the municipality of Wassenaar.

Additional information

Sometimes it is difficult to determine if an oil tank is present.

  • Clues in your yard include a manhole cover, a copper cap, a vent pipe or strange subsidence. Oil tanks are never more than 1 meter deep.
  • In the basement or crawl space, an unused pipe indicates oil supply. Old oil lines are easy to spot: they are at least twice as thick as gas lines and about 6 inches in diameter.
  • Sometimes your neighbors or former residents know if there is a tank in the yard.
  • Oil dealers usually know which houses used to have oil fires.

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