Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permits

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has primary jurisdiction over the routing-siting of hazardous liquids pipelines in Iowa. The IUB does not have safety jurisdiction over hazardous liquids pipelines. The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has that authority. Before a pipeline for the transportation of hazardous liquids can be built in Iowa, the company proposing the pipeline must obtain a permit from the IUB under Iowa Code chapter 479B, Hazardous Liquid Pipelines and Storage Facilities. Hazardous liquids include crude oil, refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gases, anhydrous ammonia, liquid fertilizers, liquefied carbon dioxide, alcohols, and coal slurries. For additional information, review the hazardous liquids pipelines process and frequently asked questions about eminent domain.

Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permit Forms and Information

One Call Underground Locate Service, Damage Prevention, One Call Complaints and Violation Enforcement by the Attorney General

To avoid a potential pipeline accident caused by excavation, have the location of all utility lines marked before excavating by hand or with equipment. To comply with Iowa law, in accordance with Iowa Code chapter 480, Underground Facilities Information, a person must contact Iowa One Call at 811 or 800.292.8989 a minimum of two days (excluding Saturday, Sunday and state holidays) before excavation commences. After Iowa One Call is contacted, the following will happen:

  • Operators with underground facilities in the area where the excavation is planned are notified. This includes natural gas and power utilities, communications companies, and cities and towns.
  • Within 48 hours after being contacted, utilities either mark their underground facilities with color-coded paint marks or flags, or tell the excavator they have no lines in the area.

If a contractor is performing the excavation work, a person should make sure that the contractor calls Iowa One Call two days prior to the commencement of excavating.

Visit the Iowa One Call webpage for more information about damage prevention and the law.

The Office of the Attorney General enforces the One Call Law. See more information about One Call Complaints and enforcement through the Attorney General's Office.

Ongoing Filing Requirements and Company Record Updates

Companies are required to keep their company and contact information up-to-date with the IUB on an annual basis. Companies are required to submit and maintain a company profile in IUB 24/7, the web application for companies to manage and update their individual and company information with the IUB. For more information about IUB 24/7, visit Information About IUB 24/7.

Companies are required to file a copy of all reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation pursuant to 49 CFR Part 195 in the IUB’s electronic filing system (EFS),  as detailed in 199 Iowa Administrative Code 13.15.

Searching for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permit Filings

All public filings and IUB orders regarding specific hazardous liquid pipeline permit filings (HLP-Docket) are available on the IUB's electronic filing system (EFS). To search for documents related to hazardous liquid pipeline permits, click the EFS link, select Search from the top navigation menu, and scroll down to Document Search. This will open a document search screen. Enter the docket number (HLP-YYYY-XXXX) relating to the permit for which you would like more information and click the Search button. This will provide a list of all documents filed online with the IUB in that proceeding.

If you do not know the specific docket number, you must do a docket search to determine the docket number. To start, click the EFS link, select Search from the top navigation menu and scroll down to Docket Search. This will open a docket search screen. Select HLP - Hazardous Liquid Pipeline from the Docket Type drop down box and then select the company name from the Participants drop down box. Be sure to click the Add button to add the company to the search parameters. After entering the search terms, click the Search button to display a list of all documents filed in all HLP-dockets for that company.

For more information

Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permits

Sanel Lisinovic
IUB Safety and Engineering 
iub@iub.iowa.gov

Media Inquiries 

Don Tormey
Communications Director 
Iowa Utilities Board
515-725-7347
don.tormey@iub.iowa.gov

Printed from the website on March 27, 2023 at 5:26am.