Which oils are not covered by the Oil Storage Regulations?

The Oil Storage Regulations do not apply to oil you store on premises used wholly for distributing oil onto other places .

In England the regulations also do not apply to oil you store:

  • in any container with a storage capacity of 200 litres or less
  • in a container situated within a building
  • in a container situated wholly underground
  • on premises used to refine oil
  • on a farm, where the oil is used to produce heat or power for agriculture.
In England if you store mineral-based lubricating or industrial waste oil it is exempt from the Oil Storage Regulations but you will have to comply with the Environmental Permitting Regulations.

In Scotland the regulations do not apply to oil you store:

  • in a container situated wholly underground, unless the container is in an underground building room, when they do apply
  • in accordance with a pollution prevention and control (PPC) Part A permit.

Even if the Oil Storage Regulations do not apply to you, you should still store your oil responsibly. Good practice guidance to help you store your oil to minimise the risk of pollution is available in Pollution Prevention Guidline (PPG) 2: Above ground oil storage.

In this guideline: