# 255.161 Supports and anchors.

**Citation:** 16 NYCRR 255.161  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** New York State Public Service Commission  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** Not stated

Transmission and Distribution of Gas. (a) Each pipeline and its associated equipment must have enough anchorage or support to:

(1) prevent undesigned-for strain on connected equipment;

(2) resist longitudinal forces caused by a bend or offset in the pipe; and

(3) prevent or damp out excessive vibration.

(b) Each exposed pipeline must have enough support or anchorage to protect the exposed pi

## Document text

(a) Each pipeline and its associated equipment must have enough anchorage or support to:

(1) prevent undesigned-for strain on connected equipment;

(2) resist longitudinal forces caused by a bend or offset in the pipe; and

(3) prevent or damp out excessive vibration.

(b) Each exposed pipeline must have enough support or anchorage to protect the exposed pipe joints from the maximum end force caused by internal pressure and any additional forces caused by temperature expansion or contraction or by the weight of the pipe and its contents.

(c) Each support or anchor on an exposed pipeline must be made of durable, non-combustible material and must be designed and installed in compliance with the following:

(1) Free expansion and contraction of the pipeline between supports or anchors may not be restricted.

(2) Provision must be made for the service conditions involved.

(3) Movement of the pipeline may not cause disengagement of the support equipment.

(d) Each support on an exposed pipeline operated at a stress level of 50 percent or more of SMYS must comply with the following:

(1) A structural support may not be welded directly to the pipe.

(2) The support must be provided by a member that completely encircles the pipe.

(3) If an encircling member is welded to a pipe, the weld must be continuous and cover the entire circumference.

(e) Each underground pipeline that is connected to an unyielding line or other fixed object must have enough flexibility to provide for possible movement, or it must have an anchor that will limit the movement of the pipeline.

(f) Each underground pipeline that is being connected to new branches must have a firm foundation for both the header and the branch to prevent lateral and vertical movement.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://govt.westlaw.com/nycrr/Document/I505c96decd1711dda432a117e6e0f345?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)>
- Source ID: `ny-dps-nycrr`
- SHA-256: `045e90c40327e297281bb28bd1c4361e85c31c140ed2c8ae9ad7fe87813ab01e`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-12T06:20:40.894Z
- Exported: 2026-08-24T03:28:52.079Z
- Document slug: `ny-nycrr-255-161`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "jurisdiction": "US-NY",
  "title": 16,
  "part": "255",
  "partTitle": "Transmission and Distribution of Gas",
  "scopeKind": "gas-pipeline-safety",
  "tocPath": [
    "Part 255 Transmission and Distribution of Gas",
    "Design of Pipeline Components"
  ],
  "legalScope": "Complete current terminal legal unit exposed by the DPS-designated Title 16 NYCRR pipeline-safety part inventory.",
  "applicabilityCaveat": "Applicability depends on the part and section, Commission jurisdiction, commodity and facility type, intrastate or interstate status, operator and activity, exemptions, waivers, federal preemption, Commission orders, and incorporated law. DPS inspects portions of interstate systems for PHMSA, but PHMSA retains federal enforcement authority. DPS states that all jurisdictional Part 256 gas-holder and Part 257 LPG-plant facilities have been decommissioned even though those regulations remain unrepealed.",
  "incorporationCaveat": "These parts incorporate or rely on federal pipeline regulations, federal and New York statutes, Commission rules and orders, and privately authored technical standards. Part 10 supplies incorporation details. References metadata preserves explicit citations but does not reproduce external material, determine licensing rights, or decide whether a particular incorporation is static or dynamic.",
  "publicationCaveat": "The New York Department of Public Service identifies these eleven Title 16 NYCRR parts as its state pipeline-safety regulations and links to the public DOS/Westlaw NYCRR reading copy. That site labels the online text unofficial and directs users needing evidentiary accuracy to the Official NYCRR maintained by the Department of State Division of Administrative Rules. Each section's 'Current through' date is the most recent official NYCRR supplement covering that section, not a uniform corpus-wide amendment date.",
  "rights": "New York government-edict text is preserved with DPS, Department of State, and publisher attribution. The public reading site's presentation and enhancements, agency marks, forms, annotations, and incorporated federal or privately authored standards require separate rights review; this connector does not claim rights in those materials.",
  "rightsReviewRequired": true,
  "currentThrough": "2024-05-31",
  "historyEvents": "No event is emitted because the section reading copy does not supply an explicit adoption, filing, or effective-date history.",
  "publisherCitation": "16 CRR-NY 255.161",
  "identityAnomaly": null,
  "references": [],
  "region": "NY"
}
```