Tank removal in Lake Charles
Old underground fuel and heating-oil tanks found on lots in Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish, taken out before a teardown, grading or a sale. Describe what you found; independent local contractors quote you directly.
How a tank comes out
The general sequence. Contractors will tell you what testing and paperwork their job involves.
Locate
Find the tank. Clues are a capped fill or vent pipe at the surface, a patch in a slab or an old paper record. Tell the contractor everything you have.
Empty
Anything left in the tank is pumped out before the tank is touched.
Remove
The ground above is excavated and the tank is lifted out. The work is done with machines, a hand crew and trucks.
Dispose
The tank and anything taken out of it go to disposal, with the paperwork the contractor says applies.
Backfill and grade
The hole is filled and the lot graded, so the next step, a teardown, new construction or a sale, can go ahead.
When owners call for one
- A tank turns up during a teardown or grading, and work has to stop until it is dealt with.
- An owner or buyer wants the lot clear of a known tank before a sale.
- Developers and builders who want tanks gone before foundations go in.
- Heirs and owners of old lots where an oil or fuel tank is suspected.
Machines and methods
What usually turns up on a tank job. The contractor picks the kit for your lot.
- ExcavatorDigs down to the tank and lifts it out.
- Pump or vacuum truckTakes out anything left inside the tank before it moves.
- Hand crewWorks around the tank, cuts and cleans, and spots what a machine could damage.
- TrucksHaul the tank and contents away, and bring in fill.
- Skid steerBackfills and does the rough grading.
Rules and teardowns
Check before work starts.
Tank removal is listed among the services of local demolition firms, and a published Lake Charles cost guide names an old oil tank among the things that raise the price of a teardown. If you know or suspect a tank, say so when you ask for quotes on a house demolition so it is priced from the start.
Louisiana has its own rules for underground tanks. We have not summarized them here, so ask each contractor which testing, notifications and paperwork apply to your tank and who files them. Check the Louisiana license and insurance of each contractor, and get more than one written quote.
What to prepare
None of this is needed to ask for quotes. All of it makes the quotes sharper.
- The address or parcel number, and who owns the lot. If you inherited it, say so.
- Why you think there is a tank: a fill or vent pipe, an old heating system, a paper record, or a tank already uncovered.
- Photos of any pipes, patches or exposed tank, and a sketch of where it sits.
- Whether the tank is fuel, heating oil or unknown, and whether it is empty.
- What happens next on the lot: teardown, grading, new construction or a sale.
- Access for an excavator and trucks, and your target date.
Tank questions
How do I know if there is a tank on my lot?
Common signs are a capped fill or vent pipe, a patch in a slab, an old heating system or an old record. A contractor can look at the lot; photos and anything you know help.
Does an old oil tank change the price of a teardown?
A published Lake Charles cost guide lists an old oil tank among the things that raise a teardown price. We publish no tank numbers. Ask for the tank as a separate line in each quote.
Can the tank come out with the house demolition?
Yes. Mark "Fuel or oil tank" under known hazards in the request, so contractors can price it with the teardown or separately.
What paperwork does tank removal need?
Louisiana has rules for underground tanks, and we have not summarized them here. Ask each contractor which testing, notifications and paperwork apply to your tank, and who files them.
How much does tank removal cost in Lake Charles?
We have no reliable local price range for tank removal, so none is published here. Ask each contractor for a written quote after they see the lot.
Does Lake Charles Demolition remove the tank?
No. Lake Charles Demolition is a quote-request service. We pass your request to independent local demolition contractors, who quote you directly and do the work under their own license and insurance.
Get tank removal quotes
Tell us what you found. We pass your request to independent local demolition contractors, who contact you directly with their own quotes. Free, with no obligation to hire anyone.
Related work
Often quoted together with tank removal. See every town we take requests from on the service areas page.