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.

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.

Residential heating oil tanks in Tacoma's established neighborhoods were predominantly installed between the 1940s and 1970s, well within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies covered pollution liabilities without an effective pollution exclusion. The petroleum contamination now suspected at this property traces to a heating oil system whose installation and decades of operation predate 1986. As investigation and cleanup costs accrue — groundwater assessment, potential tank removal, and site remediation — historical CGL policies issued during the tank's operating era may provide a viable path to fund those expenditures.

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.