# 255.327 Cover.

**Citation:** 16 NYCRR 255.327  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** New York State Public Service Commission  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** Not stated

Transmission and Distribution of Gas. (a) Except as provided in subdivisions (d), (e) and (f) of this section, each buried transmission line, or distribution main operating at 125 psig (862 kPa) or more in a Class 3 or 4 location, must be installed with a minimum cover as follows:

Normal
Soil
Inches | Consolidated
(Millimeters) | Rock
Location
Class 1 locations | 30 (762) | 18 (457)
Class 2, 3,

## Document text

(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (d), (e) and (f) of this section, each buried transmission line, or distribution main operating at 125 psig (862 kPa) or more in a Class 3 or 4 location, must be installed with a minimum cover as follows:

Normal
Soil
Inches | Consolidated
(Millimeters) | Rock
Location
Class 1 locations | 30 (762) | 18 (457)
Class 2, 3, and 4 locations | 36 (914) | 24 (610)
Drainage ditches of public
roads and railroad crossings | 36 (914) | 24 (610)

(b) Except as provided in subdivisions (c), (d), (e) and (f) of this section, each buried distribution main, other than those specified in subdivision (a) of this section, must be installed with at least 24 inches (610 millimeters) of cover.

(c) Where a new distribution main is being inserted into an existing pipeline, the minimum depth of cover may be 18 inches (457 millimeters) provided openings are properly bridged to provide protection from shearing action and external damage.

(d) Where an underground structure prevents the installation of a transmission line or main with the minimum cover, the transmission line or main may be installed with less cover if it is provided with additional protection to withstand anticipated external loads.

(e) All pipe which is installed in areas actively cultivated for commercial farm purposes in at least two out of the last five years, as identified by the farmland operator, shall be installed with a minimum cover of 40 inches (1,016 millimeters) unless the farmland operator agrees to or requires a different depth.

(f) All pipe which is installed in a navigable river, stream, or harbor must have a minimum cover of 48 inches (1,219 millimeters) in soil or 24 inches (610 millimeters) in consolidated rock between the top of the pipe and the underwater natural bottom, (as determined by recognized and generally accepted practices). However, less than the minimum cover is permitted in accordance with subdivision (d) of this section.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://govt.westlaw.com/nycrr/Document/I505ce516cd1711dda432a117e6e0f345?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)>
- Source ID: `ny-dps-nycrr`
- SHA-256: `b513e11b765b43520c5c7d23ba31bc24cce219275fca4b6bbdf0fb869dc0fa0a`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-12T06:20:40.894Z
- Exported: 2026-08-25T22:18:21.608Z
- Document slug: `ny-nycrr-255-327`

### 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",
    "General Construction Requirements for Transmission Lines and Mains"
  ],
  "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 255.327",
  "identityAnomaly": null,
  "references": [],
  "region": "NY"
}
```