The NHDES Safetank Grant for New Hampshire Oil Tanks
New Hampshire runs a grant that pays a chunk of the cost of dealing with an old home heating oil tank. Most people who qualify for it have never heard of it, which is the main reason this page exists.
It is called Safetank, it is run by the Department of Environmental Services, and the single most important thing about it is the order of operations. Get the work approved first and the money is available. Do the job and apply afterward and it is not.
What It Pays
Safetank reimburses up to $4,000 to upgrade, or remove and replace, an aboveground home heating oil tank. That covers indoor basement tanks and outdoor ones.
It reimburses up to $4,500 to remove an underground home heating oil tank.
These are ceilings rather than flat payments, and they are reimbursements against approved work rather than a check that arrives in advance. On most projects the tank installation or removal professional is reimbursed directly, so the homeowner is not paying the contractor in full and then waiting on the state.
NHDES, as of August 13, 2026
Who Qualifies
The program is for income-qualified homeowners. NHDES sets and applies that test, and it is the part we cannot answer for you.
The tank side is more straightforward. It covers substandard home heating oil tank systems, indoor or outdoor, aboveground or underground. In the state's language these are on-premises-use fuel oil tanks, usually shortened to OPUF.
One thing worth saying plainly, because people assume the opposite: the program is still open to you if the tank has already leaked. NHDES would rather deal with a tank before it fails, and says so, but a release does not lock you out.
NHDES, as of August 13, 2026
The Order You Have to Do It In
Work has to be pre-approved by NHDES before it starts. This is where most people lose the money. A tank that fails on a cold Friday feels like an emergency, someone comes out on Saturday, and by Monday the job is finished and the grant is gone.
If your tank is old but still holding, that is the good position to be in, because you have time to apply. If it has already failed, call us anyway and we will tell you what your options actually are rather than what we would prefer to sell you.
The application is a form to NHDES. We prepare it alongside the quote, because the two need to describe the same job.
NHDES, as of August 13, 2026
What Happens If It Has Already Leaked
Cleanup is a different pot of money. The New Hampshire Petroleum Reimbursement Fund provides excess insurance coverage for NHDES-required corrective action, for eligible owners who do not have private insurance covering it.
It is authorised by RSA 146-D, the Oil Discharge and Disposal Cleanup Fund, and administered under administrative rules Odb 400. Eligible categories include OPUF, which is the home heating oil case, alongside leaking aboveground and underground tank facilities.
The same rule about sequence applies, and harder. All corrective action work has to be pre-approved by NHDES for both scope and budget before it is carried out. Digging first and submitting receipts later is how people end up paying for their own cleanup.
NHDES, RSA 146-D, as of August 13, 2026
The Compliance Condition Nobody Mentions
To be eligible for reimbursement through the Fund, a tank has to be in compliance with all federal, state and local rules, and NHDES names two things specifically: the NFPA 31 standard for the installation of oil-burning equipment, and its own Best Management Practices for the Installation and Upgrading of On-Premises-Use Heating Oil Tanks, 2008 edition.
This is the practical argument for having a replacement done properly rather than cheaply. An install that does not meet NFPA 31 can sit there working fine for years and then cost you the cleanup claim on the day it matters.
NHDES, as of August 13, 2026
Where to Check for Yourself
We would rather you verified this than took our word for it. The program page is on the NHDES site, and the Petroleum Reimbursement Fund has its own page covering eligibility and the forms.
NHDES publishes contacts for both. The Safetank program manager is Genevieve Al-Egaily on (603) 271-3577, and the Fund Management section supervisor is Jeremy Slayton on (603) 271-2570. Those are the state's numbers for homeowner questions about the programs, not ours.
NHDES, as of August 13, 2026
Common Questions
- How much is the Safetank grant worth?
- Up to $4,000 toward upgrading or replacing an aboveground tank, and up to $4,500 toward removing an underground one. Both are ceilings on reimbursement for approved work rather than fixed payments.
- Does Safetank pay me or the contractor?
- On most projects the tank installation or removal professional is reimbursed directly for pre-approved work. That is the point of it. You are not fronting the whole bill and waiting.
- Can I apply after the work is done?
- No, and this is the thing that catches people out. Work has to be pre-approved by NHDES. If your tank has already been replaced, the grant is not available for that job.
- Is the grant still available if my tank leaked?
- Yes. NHDES states the program remains available to a homeowner after a petroleum release. Cleanup costs are handled separately through the Petroleum Reimbursement Fund, which has its own pre-approval requirement.
- Are home heating oil tanks covered by Env-Or 300 or Env-Or 400?
- No. On-premises-use fuel oil tanks fall outside both, which is why they have their own program rather than sitting inside the aboveground and underground storage facility rules. Other obligations still apply, including NFPA 31 and local permits, and grant eligibility depends on meeting them.
- Do you decide whether I qualify?
- No. NHDES applies the income test and approves the work. We prepare the application with the quote and tell you honestly whether we think it is worth submitting.
Related
Reviewed August 13, 2026. Every figure on this page is dated and listed on our sources page.