Spills, leaks, and accidental discharges of petroleum products have contaminated soil at thousands of sites in the United States. One remedial action technique for treating petroleum contaminated soil is the use of thermal desorption technologies. The paper describes the types, mechanical and operating characteristics of thermal desorption technologies that are commercially available to treat petroleum-contaminated soils. It also provides step-by-step procedures to rate the critical success factors influencing the general applicability of thermal desorption at a particular site. Key factors that determine process economics are identified, and estimated cost ranges for treating petroleum-contaminated soils are presented. Spreadsheets are provided that can be used for performing cost analyses for specific applications.