Cost estimator
Both tiers use 2025–2026 market figures and output ranges, never single false-precision numbers. Neither is a quote: only a licensed contractor standing on your property can price the job. The full cost model is in the cost guide.
The ballpark
Tank size and whether it's buried. That's enough to know which order of magnitude you're in.
Assumes no contamination and ordinary access. A leak, a driveway over the tank, or rocky ground all move this — which is what step 2 accounts for. Figures reflect 2025–2026 market data.
The detailed estimate
Add your site conditions and we'll itemize every driver — access, depth, county soil and groundwater, residual contents, sampling, and the separate remediation tier if a leak is in play. This version is specific enough to act on, which is why we ask for a way to reach you: a person here reads it and comes back to you within one business day. We are not contractors and we don't set prices — the number you can act on comes from someone who has stood on your property.
You get the full itemized breakdown on this page, immediately. We ask for a name, a phone number, and your permission to reply. We don't charge homeowners and we don't sell your details. Nobody contacts you at all unless the box below is ticked.
If contamination is confirmed, remediation in NJ typically runs $3,000 – $15,000, with most residential cases at $8,000 – $10,000; severe cases with groundwater impact exceed $100,000. This tier requires assessment — no honest contractor prices it before soil data exists. See the leak and remediation guide.
Figures reflect 2025–2026 market data; your actual quote depends on site conditions. Outputs are informational estimates, not quotes.
A person here reads every request and replies within one business day with the real number for this job. In the meantime, the question checklist is what keeps that conversation honest.
How the estimate is built
The base range for an underground removal with clean soil is $1,500 – $3,500. The calculator adds documented drivers on top: under-slab access adds $500 – $1,500 in cutting and restoration; rocky or compact soil (common in Morris, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties) and high groundwater (coastal Monmouth, low-lying Hudson) each add 10–25%; residual contents add extraction and disposal labor; the municipal permit adds $50 – $500. The excavation itself is capped at $5,000 — however those access and soil drivers stack, a clean removal tops out around there, and the estimator says so on the line where the cap applies. Sampling, residual contents and the permit sit on top of that figure, so a difficult site with sampling and sludge can still total more.
What the estimator will not do is fold a leak into the number. A confirmed or suspected leak is a different scope under state environmental oversight, so it appears as its own flagged tier. If that's your situation, read the suspected-leak page and run the leak-likelihood estimator first.
See what you're paying to remove
The interactive cross-section shows the tank these numbers describe: how deep it sits, what the fill and vent pipes are, and what four decades in wet soil do to bare steel. It's the clearest way to understand why access and soil condition — not gallons — drive the price.