# Notice of Probable Violation

**Citation:** COMAR 20.57.02.05  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** Maryland Public Service Commission  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** Not stated

Maryland pipeline-safety provision COMAR 20.57.02.05, Notice of Probable Violation.

## Document text

A. General.

(1) The Division may issue a NOPV upon finding good cause to believe a violation of the federal Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. §1671 et seq., as amended, which is incorporated by reference, or Public Utilities Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, has occurred.

(2) The NOPV may contain a proposed compliance order.

(3) A gas company or gas master meter operator shall respond in writing within 30 days after receipt of a NOPV.

(4) The Commission may waive the requirements of §A(3) of this regulation upon written request from a gas company or gas master meter operator demonstrating sufficient cause.

B. Contents of Notice of Probable Violation. A NOPV shall include:

(1) A statement of the statute, regulation, or rule allegedly violated by a gas company or gas master meter operator;

(2) A description of the evidence indicating a possible violation;

(3) Notice of response options available to the gas company or gas master meter operator;

(4) If appropriate, the amount of the proposed civil penalty and the maximum civil penalty applicable under law; and

(5) If appropriate, a statement of the remedial action being sought in a compliance order.

C. Response Options. A gas company or gas master meter operator shall respond to the NOPV as follows:

(1) If a NOPV contains a proposed compliance order, a gas company or gas master meter operator may:

(a) Agree to the proposed compliance order,

(b) Request the execution of a consent order,

(c) Object to the proposed compliance order and submit written explanations, information, or other materials in answer to the allegations in the notice, or

(d) Request a hearing under Public Utilities Article, Annotated Code of Maryland; and

(2) If the NOPV contains a proposed civil penalty, a gas company or gas master meter operator may:

(a) Pay the penalty,

(b) Submit an offer in compromise of the proposed civil penalty,

(c) Object to the proposed civil penalty and submit a written explanation, information, or other material to mitigate the proposed civil penalty, or

(d) Request a hearing under Public Utilities Article, Annotated Code of Maryland.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/20.57.02.05>
- Source ID: `maryland-comar`
- SHA-256: `f6e1df1d4d7dbfd8faa3b04241a74418e8f8601192d0f3ca750649f9e3281058`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T08:47:37.108Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T23:13:20.249Z
- Document slug: `md-comar-20-57-02-05`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "jurisdiction": "US-MD",
  "commodity": [
    "gas",
    "pipeline-enforcement"
  ],
  "legalScope": "Bounded Maryland PSC pipeline-safety rules in COMAR 20.55-20.57.",
  "applicabilityCaveat": "Maryland PSC enforcement under PHMSA certification is limited to intrastate gas and hazardous-liquid pipeline operators and applicable LPG systems. PHMSA retains inspection and enforcement responsibility for interstate gas and hazardous-liquid pipelines. Coverage also depends on operator class, gas-company or master-meter status, facility and commodity definitions, exemptions, waivers, and federal preemption.",
  "incorporationCaveat": "Maryland provisions use both fixed editions of private or federal guidance and prospective phrases such as 'as amended' for federal statutes and 49 CFR. This connector preserves the consolidated Maryland text retrieved on the stated date but does not infer that every later federal amendment is incorporated for every legal purpose. Verify the controlling Maryland incorporation rule, federal edition, and event date.",
  "publicationCaveat": "The Library of Maryland Regulations is the official consolidated access system, but the Maryland Register and filed rulemaking record control adoption history. Administrative-history notes are evidence aids, not substitutes for the promulgation record. The PSC program description is dated September 2011 and is used only to corroborate program scope, not current rule text.",
  "rightsCaveat": "Official Maryland and federal legal-source captures are preserved with attribution and hashes. State presentation, seals, site software, and incorporated private standards may carry separate rights; incorporated standards are referenced but not reproduced by this connector.",
  "references": [],
  "region": "MD"
}
```