This property has a documented history as a property with a heating oil tank predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.
This residential property in Tacoma was built in 1961 and contains an underground heating oil tank installed by a prior owner before 1971, when the current owners purchased the home. A petroleum diesel release from the tank was identified after a strong odor was reported inside and outside the residence and oil was discovered floating in standing water beneath the crawl space. Initial response work included locating, pumping, and decommissioning the tank in place and removing approximately 3,000 gallons of diesel-contaminated water from the crawl space; further soil and groundwater remediation was declined due to cost, with monitoring continuing through 2015 and 2016. Contamination in the soil and groundwater beneath the property remains unaddressed. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
The heating oil tank at this Tacoma residence was installed and operated by prior owners before 1971 — more than a decade before 1986, when occurrence-based liability policies still carried no effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum diesel contamination documented in soil and groundwater here stems directly from that historical infrastructure, and the remediation it requires has not yet been funded. Historical insurance policies in effect during the years that tank was in operation may be available to cover the cleanup costs the property owner now faces.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
