Environmental

Underground storage tanks (USTs) are a concern in real estate transactions primarily because:

AThey reduce the property's square footage

BThey may contain hazardous petroleum products or chemicals that can contaminate soil and groundwater✓ Correct

CThey are required to be disclosed only in commercial transactions

DThey automatically trigger a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment

Explanation

Underground storage tanks (USTs) that have leaked can contaminate soil and groundwater with petroleum products or hazardous chemicals, creating significant environmental liability and cleanup costs. Pennsylvania DEP regulates USTs under the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act.

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Key Terms to Know

Zoning

Local government regulations that control land use by dividing areas into zones specifying permitted uses, building sizes, and densities.

Variance

Official permission to use land in a way that does not conform to the applicable zoning ordinance, granted by a zoning board when strict enforcement would cause undue hardship.

Eminent Domain

The power of government to take private property for public use, with the requirement to pay the owner just compensation.

Adverse Possession

A doctrine by which a person can gain legal title to another's land by openly, continuously, and adversely occupying it for a statutory period.