UST Testing Intervals: The Federal Baseline
What the federal rules require, how often, and where it is written. Your state can require more and several do, so treat this as the floor rather than the answer.
Read from the regulator's own text and checked on 28 August 2026.
Recurring requirements
| Requirement | Interval | Section | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walkthrough inspection: spill prevention and release detection equipment | Every 30 days | 280.36(a)(1)(i) | Spill equipment may instead be checked before each delivery where deliveries are more than 30 days apart. |
| Walkthrough inspection: containment sumps and hand held release detection equipment | Annually | 280.36(a)(1)(ii) | |
| Release detection monitoring, tanks | Every 30 days | 280.41(a) | Tanks installed after 11 Apr 2016 have no tightness testing alternative. |
| Release detection equipment operability test | Annually | 280.40(a)(3) | Covers controllers, probes and sensors, line leak detectors, vacuum pumps and pressure gauges, and hand held sampling equipment. |
| Line tightness test, pressurized piping | Annually | 280.41(b)(1)(i) | Or monthly monitoring instead. An automatic line leak detector is required as well, not instead. |
| Line tightness test, suction piping | Every 3 years | 280.41(b)(1)(ii) | Or monthly monitoring. Safe suction meeting the five design conditions needs no release detection at all. |
| Automatic line leak detector, operation test | Annually | 280.40(a)(3)(iii) | Tested by simulating a leak. Must detect 3 gph at 10 psi within 1 hour, per 280.44(a). |
| Spill prevention equipment, liquid tight test | Every 3 years | 280.35(a)(1)(ii) | Not required while double walled and both walls are monitored at least as often as the walkthroughs. Stop monitoring and a test is due within 30 days. |
| Containment sumps used for interstitial monitoring of piping, liquid tight test | Every 3 years | 280.35(a)(1)(ii) | Same double walled exemption as above. |
| Overfill prevention equipment, inspection | Every 3 years | 280.35(a)(2) | Must establish it is set to the correct level AND will activate at that level. |
| Cathodic protection, periodic test | Every 3 years | 280.31(b)(1) | Plus within 6 months of installation. By a qualified cathodic protection tester. |
| Cathodic protection, impressed current equipment check | Every 60 days | 280.31(c) | Impressed current systems only. |
| Notification of a new tank system | Within 30 days of use | 280.22(a) | Event driven. There is no federal annual notification. |
| Notification of a change of ownership | Within 30 days of acquisition | 280.22(b) | |
| Portable fire extinguishers, visual inspection | Monthly | 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2) | OSHA, not the UST rules. |
| Portable fire extinguishers, maintenance check | Annually | 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(3) | |
| Stored pressure dry chemical extinguishers, emptied and serviced | Every 6 years | 29 CFR 1910.157(e)(4) | Applies to units requiring a 12-year hydrostatic test. Clock restarts on recharge. |
| Fire extinguisher training for employees | Annually | 29 CFR 1910.157(g)(2) | Plus on initial employment. |
How long each record is kept
| Record | Keep for | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Walkthrough inspections | 1 year | 280.36(b) |
| Spill, sump and overfill testing | 3 years | 280.35(c)(1) |
| Double walled equipment under the monitoring exemption | Life of the equipment | 280.35(c)(2) |
| Release detection performance claims | 5 years from installation | 280.45(a) |
| Site assessments for groundwater and vapour methods | As long as the method is used | 280.45(a) |
| Sampling, testing or monitoring results | 1 year | 280.45(b) |
| Annual operation test results | 3 years | 280.45(b)(1) |
| Tank tightness test results | Until the next test | 280.45(b)(2) |
| Calibration, maintenance and repair of on-site equipment | 1 year after the work | 280.45(c) |
| Manufacturer calibration and maintenance schedules | 5 years from installation | 280.45(c) |
| Cathodic protection equipment checks | The last three | 280.31(d)(1) |
| Cathodic protection periodic tests | The last two | 280.31(d)(2) |
| Fire extinguisher annual maintenance | 1 year after the last entry, or life of shell | 1910.157(e)(3) |
| Fire extinguisher hydrostatic test certification | Until retested or out of service | 1910.157(f)(16) |
Sources
Longer write-ups at FastDragon
Fuel Data Portal is published by FastDragon Software, which sells compliance software to fuel operators. It publishes a longer piece on each of these requirements.