Pipeline Fees
- Companies with names beginning with letters A through C shall file in Febraury;
- Companies with names beginning with letters D through E shall file in March;
- Companies with names beginning with letters F through L shall file in April;
- Companies with names beginning with letters M through P shall file in May;
- Companies with names beginning with letters Q through T shall file in June;
- Companies with names beginning with letters U through Z and companies with names beginning with numerical values or other symbols shall file in July.
Amendments to 16 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §3.70, relating to Pipeline Permits Required, were adopted by the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) Commissioners on June 5, 2018 to establish an annual mileage fee, a permit processing fee for new permits and annual permit renewals and the procedure by which pipeline operators will pay both fees. The rule amendments are in accordance with House Bill 1818 (85th Legislature, Regular Session, 2017) which mandated the creation of provisions to fund the RRC’s Pipeline Safety Program. The number of permitted miles assigned to each operator in RRC records on December 31st will be the number used in the online payment portal to calculate the mileage fee that each operator must pay by April 1st of the following year. To calculate the mileage fee, the RRC will categorize pipeline operators into two groups.
- Group A Per TAC §3.70 this includes transmission and gathering pipelines that are required by RRC rules to have a valid T-4 permit to operate and are subject to the regulations in 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 192 and 195. Group A pipelines include natural gas transmission and storage pipelines, natural gas gathering pipelines, hazardous liquids transmission and storage pipelines, and hazardous liquids gathering pipelines.
- Group B Per TAC §3.70 this includes gathering pipelines that are required by RRC rules to have a valid T-4 permit to operate but are not subject to the regulations in 49 CFR Parts 192 and 195. Group B pipelines include intrastate production and gathering pipelines leaving a lease.
Pipeline Mileage Fee
Pipeline Groups |
Fee per Mile |
Group A |
$20 |
Group B |
$10 |
Pipeline Mileage Late Fee for 50 Miles or Less
1-30 Days Late |
31-60 Days Late |
Greater than 60 Days Late |
$125 |
$250 |
$350 |
Pipeline Mileage Late Fee for More Than 50 Miles
1-30 Days Late |
31-60 Days Late |
Greater than 60 Days Late |
$250 |
$500 |
$700 |
Initial Permit/Renewal Fee
Pipeline Permit Renewal Fees and Renewal Late Fees
Renewal Type |
Permit Fee |
1-30 Days Late |
31-60 Days Late |
Greater than 60 Days Late |
Permit Renewal |
$500 |
$250 |
$500 |
$700 |
Initial Permit |
$500 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
* There are no pipeline fees for interstate pipelines.
For questions about pipeline permit fees or pipeline permits, contact the RRC at [email protected].