The 2015 federal UST rule ended the era when a tank could sit untested for a decade. Every regulated system in Alabama now runs on interlocking clocks, and ADEM inspectors check the dates first.
The clocks
Every 3 years: spill prevention equipment (spill buckets) tested for liquid tightness; overfill prevention equipment inspected for proper operation; cathodic protection surveyed on steel systems.
Every year: release detection equipment — line leak detectors, probes, sensors — function tested.
Every 30 days: documented walkthrough inspections of spill buckets and release detection equipment.
Why owners miss deadlines
Nobody misses on purpose. The pattern is a tester who came through once, left a report, and never calendared the next date — three years later the deadline passes silently until an inspector asks for the report. Our model is the opposite: every test we run schedules its own successor, and you get the reminder before the date, not the violation after it.
What to do if you are already past due
Call before ADEM visits. Testing performed and filed before an inspection reads very differently from testing performed under a notice of violation.