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Underground Storage Tank Program

UST Program Overview

Gas pump at a station with visible internal components, including hoses and meters, under a white and yellow shelter.

The Ventura County Environmental Health Division regulates the installation, operation, repair, and closure of Underground Storage Tank (UST) systems within Ventura County, with the exception of the City of Oxnard and the City of Ventura.

The goal of the UST Program is to protect public health and safety, the environment, including groundwater from releases of petroleum and other hazardous substances. This is accomplished through plan check and inspection activities that ensure UST facilities are properly permitted and meet the release detection and monitoring requirements applicable to their type of equipment. Each UST system is inspected annually to determine compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and local ordinances.

UST Laws and Regulations

UST Testing Notifications and Results

Workers in rain gear inspecting underground storage tanks at a gas station in wet weather.

To notify this Agency of an upcoming Release Detection Equipment Testing, Spill Containment Testing, Secondary Containment (SB989) Testing, Overfill Prevention Equipment Testing, or other required test, submit your notification by email to ustnotifications@venturacounty.gov at least 72 hours prior to the test.

Note: Any change in the test procedure utilized compared to previous testing must be submitted for evaluation prior to conducting the test.
Tests results must be submitted on the following State forms:

*Supporting documentation must be attached to State test and inspection report forms where applicable. For example, manufacturer tank charts and technician calculations shall be attached to Overfill Prevention Equipment Testing reports, and test printouts shall be attached to Secondary Containment (SB989) Testing reports.

Test results are due within 30 days from the date testing was performed and may be submitted directly to ustnotifications@venturacounty.gov.

UST Guidance Documents

Applying for or Renewing UST Operating Permits

Logo of the California Environmental Reporting System, featuring the acronym 'CERS' in bold green letters next to a stylized green leaf and the full name written underneath.

The Ventura County Environmental Health Division requires that businesses operating USTs apply annually for a UST operating permit. Submittal into the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) satisfies the requirement to submit a UST permit application. To obtain or renew your UST operating permit, a complete submittal, including all permit-required UST compliance documents, must be submitted at least once per calendar year into CERS in addition to remitting the required permit fees.

To access the CERS Business Portal, visit https://cers.calepa.ca.gov.

CERS Required UST Forms

For more information on acceptable mechanisms to demonstrate Financial Responsibility, see 40 CFR Part 280, Subpart H.

Other Required UST Forms

UST Installation, Removal, Modification, and Repair (Plan Check)

Underground utility conduits with measurement equipment.

Refer to the UST Plan Check Guidelines to determine whether your proposed scope of work requires plan check and an approved permit prior to starting.

The Ventura County Environmental Health Division utilizes an electronic plan check process. Submit your completed plan check permit application, scope of work, PDF scaled plot plan (Max. Size: 11×17 inches), and supporting documentation to ustplancheck@venturacounty.gov.

To determine what supporting documentation is required, refer to the instructions within each of the following plan check permit applications.

*For best use, download and save the application form before completing.

UST Plan Check Fees and Payment

The UST installation plan check permit fee covers ten (10) hours of project time, while the UST modification/repair and closure plan check permit fees cover five (5) hours of project time. Project time includes plan review, inspections, test and analytical results review, report writing, and any additional activities required to approve and complete the permit. Additional time required is billed at the current contract hourly rate.

Current UST plan check permit fees can be found in the Environmental Health Underground Hazardous Materials Storage Tanks Fee Chart (fees updated annually).

Pay by Mail

Plan check permit fees can be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Ventura County Environmental Health Division
800 S. Victoria Ave.
Ventura, CA 93009-1730

*To avoid delays, please include a copy of the permit application with payment.

Pay Online

To make a payment online, contact us at ustplancheck@venturacounty.gov to request credit card payment information. An invoice will then be created in the electronic payment system, and you will be provided account information and an invoice number to apply your payment on the Online Payment Portal

Closure of Single-Walled USTs (SB445)

Large cylindrical tank being lifted by an excavator at a construction site, with caution tape around the area.

On September 25, 2014, the Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 445, requiring the removal of all single-walled USTs in California with a deadline of December 31, 2025. Loans and grants are available through the RUST program to assist eligible small businesses in removing single-walled USTs and replace them with double-walled USTs which meet current standards.

Click HERE to access the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) single-walled UST closure website.

Information on eligibility requirements for RUST grants and loans can be found at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ustcf/rust.shtml.

Information on eligibility requirements for reimbursement for corrective action by the UST Cleanup Fund can be found at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/ustcf.

The deadline for submittal of a claim application to the UST Cleanup Fund for reimbursement of eligible costs for corrective action is December 31, 2024. The UST Cleanup Fund sunsets on January 1, 2026. Do not delay!

Reporting Unauthorized Releases

Unauthorized Release: When is Reporting Required?

An unauthorized release that escapes from the secondary containment or from the primary containment, if no secondary containment exists, increases the hazard of fire or explosion, or causes deterioration of the secondary containment of the underground tank system shall be reported by the owner or operator to the local agency within 24 hours.

Unauthorized Release: When is Only Recording Sufficient?

Any unauthorized release from the primary containment (into the secondary containment), which the operator is able to clean up within eight hours after the release was detected or should reasonably have been detected, and which does not escape from the secondary containment, does not increase the hazard of fire or explosion, and does not cause any deterioration of the secondary containment of the underground storage tank, shall be recorded on the operator’s monitoring reports.

Submit your unauthorized release notification within 24 hours to ustnotifications@venturacounty.gov.

UST Archived Records and Search Requests

The Ventura County Environmental Health Division maintains its most commonly requested files in electronic format on the internet as a service to the public. Electronic files may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from the website free of charge. While this Division strives to maintain accurate electronic copies of records, it has not verified that every electronic file is complete.

Use the Online Records Search tool, then select the category of UST records based on record year and current active/inactive tank status.

For Leaking Underground Fuel Tank (LUFT) records, visit the California GeoTracker Database.

For records not available online, use the Records Search Request form and follow the instructions for submitting a request.

Ventura County CUPA Contacts

View the interactive district map, to locate contact information for your assigned UST inspector

Luis Romero
Supervisor
LuisJ.Romero@venturacounty.gov
(805) 654-2823

Diane Wahl
Technical Lead
Diane.Wahl@venturacounty.gov
(805) 662-6553

Other Regulatory Contacts

Oxnard CUPA
cupa@oxnard.org
(805) 385-7722

City of Ventura PA
Brett Reed
breed@cityofventura.ca.gov
(805) 320-8337

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