Codes and standards
The fuel oil storage and system design are regulated by the city, state, and federal authorities due to its fuel nature and the detrimental impact on the environment following a leakage. During design careful consideration of a multitude of factors is essential. For example, the Illinois State Fire Marshal ‘s Office allows a 10,000-gal AST to be at least 25 ft from the adjacent property line, while the Chicago Building Code demands that the property line be at least 30 ft. away. Compliance with the worst-case scenario is vitally necessary.
There are also code-mandated criteria for overall allowable fuel storage on the premises, tank construction, spill control, location relative to buildings and property lines, fire protection, high-rise building restrictions, and much more. The specifications for applications requiring indoor storage of fuel due to inherent fire hazards are strictly stringent. The specifications specified in various codes and standards are often substantially different.