Governing Law and Regulations
Regulatory Agencies
Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE)
Maryland State Fire Marshal
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3
Local governments and fire departments
See ADDRESSES & CONTACTS for addresses and telephone numbers.
See national section for basic information and federal regulations.
Comparison: State vs. Federal
• Rules. "Hazardous substances" is a broad classification that includes hazardous wastes, toxic pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and certain hazardous chemical substances or mixtures. Maryland's regulations for hazardous substance storage generally follow EPA's federal regulations, with additional state provisions related to USTs and oil-contaminated soil storage. For additional information, see the national section HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE STORAGE.
Maryland regulates aboveground storage tanks (ASTs) under the state fire code, which has adopted National Fire Protection Association Code 30 and Code 30A, which cover AST storage of flammable and combustible liquids. Local authorities may adopt ordinances that are more stringent than the state fire code. For a discussion of AST rules in Maryland, see the state section ABOVEGROUND STORAGE TANKS.
Maryland's UST regulations exceed the federal UST regulations in both stringency and scope. See the state section UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS for additional information.
Maryland follows the U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for the storage and packaging of ...