# Tracer Wire

**Citation:** RCSA § 16-280b-A37  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority  
**Effective:** 2025-06-11  
**Published:** 2025-06-11

(a) For purposes of this section and the Federal Regulations, "Tracer Wire" means an electrically conductive wire used for the purpose of locating a below-ground Pipeline. (b) Plastic Pipe shall have a Tracer Wire installed, except when inserted into steel pipe. (c) When plastic Pipe is inserted in steel pipe, the stee

## Document text

(a) For purposes of this section and the Federal Regulations, "Tracer Wire" means an electrically conductive wire used for the purpose of locating a below-ground Pipeline. (b) Plastic Pipe shall have a Tracer Wire installed, except when inserted into steel pipe. (c) When plastic Pipe is inserted in steel pipe, the steel pipe may be used in lieu of Tracer Wire if it is electrically continuous with the Tracer Wire installed for the non-inserted plastic Pipe. (d) Where installed, Tracer Wire shall be: (1) coated, solid copper wire with a minimum thickness of 12 gauge; (2) installed with at least 2 inches, but not more than 6 inches of separation from the Pipeline, except in trenchless excavations; (3) accessible from each valve box used for any purpose and each Service Line riser; (4) accessible not greater than 1,000 feet from any point along the Pipeline; and (5) tested for operation prior to the Pipeline Facility being Placed In Service. (e) If a Tracer Wire is found inoperable in the test required by subsection (d)(5) of this section, it shall be made operable prior to the Pipeline Facility being Placed In Service.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Search/getDocument?guid=%7BE04F6097-0000-CC1C-9D68-25A0BA411C82%7D>
- Source ID: `ct-sots-rcsa-16-280b`
- SHA-256: `e9de59acd242ff35d64b22a5a3d1707ae7423f5174d1c6f2a375264f15965389`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-12T07:07:58.041Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T18:09:33.027Z
- Document slug: `ct-rcsa-16-280b-a37`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "jurisdiction": "US-CT",
  "subtitle": "16-280b",
  "series": "A",
  "sectionNumber": 37,
  "secretaryFileNumber": 6446,
  "trackingNumber": "PR2023-019",
  "effectiveDateEvidence": "Secretary of the State confirmation states that the regulation became effective June 11, 2025.",
  "scopeCaveat": "This corpus contains all 117 dedicated pipeline-safety sections newly codified as RCSA 16-280b-A1 through A75, B1 through B32, and C1 through C10 by Connecticut Secretary of the State File Number 6446. The filing also amends four adjacent legacy utility provisions and repeals eleven obsolete 16-11 provisions; those actions are retained as provenance and inventory rather than mixed into the dedicated searchable corpus.",
  "applicabilityCaveat": "Applicability varies by natural-gas or petroleum-gas operator, public-service-company status, pipeline facility, master-meter or petroleum-gas distribution system, activity, waiver, and federal jurisdiction. PURA states that Connecticut has no intrastate transmission or gathering lines and that hazardous-liquid pipelines remain under PHMSA jurisdiction.",
  "incorporationCaveat": "The rules supplement and repeatedly incorporate federal pipeline requirements, generally as amended from time to time, and rely on Connecticut statutes and external standards. References are recorded without reproducing incorporated material or deciding federal preemption or facility-specific legal effect.",
  "publicationCaveat": "The authenticated final filing was posted to the Connecticut eRegulations System and became effective June 11, 2025. It is used instead of the older browse pages, some of which still display pre-2025 text and stale update labels.",
  "rights": "Official Connecticut legal and agency materials are retained with attribution and cryptographic provenance. State marks, site presentation, forms, annotations, and incorporated federal or privately authored material require separate review.",
  "rightsReviewRequired": true,
  "region": "CT"
}
```