Many homeowners assume oil tank removal is a major ordeal — excavators in the yard, weeks of work, enormous bills. That’s often true for underground tanks, which require digging, heavy equipment, and more extensive soil sampling. Above ground tanks are a different story.
Because your tank is already accessible — in the basement, the garage, or along an exterior wall — there’s no excavation involved. The job is more straightforward, the timeline is shorter, and the cost is significantly lower than underground removal. Most residential above ground tank removals can be completed in a single day.
That said, “simpler” doesn’t mean unregulated. Pennsylvania still requires a DEP-certified tank handler to do this work legally. Hiring someone without that certification — a general contractor, a handyman, or an unlicensed hauler — leaves you holding the liability if something goes wrong. The certification exists for a reason, and we carry it.
