# 255.361 Service lines: installation. **Citation:** 16 NYCRR 255.361 **Type / status:** regulation / current **Agency:** New York State Public Service Commission **Effective:** Not stated **Published:** Not stated Transmission and Distribution of Gas. (a) Each buried service line shall be installed with at least 18 inches (457 millimeters) of cover. However, where an underground structure prevents installation at those depths, the service line must be able to withstand any anticipated external load and suitable protection must be provided. Also, if service inserts of existing service lines are installed t ## Document text (a) Each buried service line shall be installed with at least 18 inches (457 millimeters) of cover. However, where an underground structure prevents installation at those depths, the service line must be able to withstand any anticipated external load and suitable protection must be provided. Also, if service inserts of existing service lines are installed this requirement is not applicable. (b) Each service line must be properly supported on undisturbed or well-compacted soil, and material used for backfill must be free of materials that could damage the pipe or its coating. (c) Where condensate in the gas might cause interruption in the gas supply to the customer, the service line must be graded so as to drain into the main or into drips at the low points in the service line. (d) Each service line must be installed so as to minimize anticipated piping strain and external loading. (e) Each underground service line installed below grade through the outer foundation wall of a building must: (1) be encased in a rigid sleeve with suitable protection from shearing action or backfill settlement; (2) in the case of a metal service line, be protected against corrosion; and (3) be sealed at the foundation wall to prevent leakage into the building. (f) When an underground service line is installed under a building, the following requirements apply: (1) It must be encased in a gas-tight conduit. (2) The conduit and the service line must, if the service line supplies the building it underlies, extend into a normally usable and accessible part of the building. (3) The space between the conduit and the service line must be sealed to prevent gas leakage into the building and, if the conduit is sealed at both ends, a vent line from the annular space must extend to a point where gas would not be a hazard, and extend above grade, terminating in a rain and insect resistant fitting. (g) All service lines shall be constructed with a clearance of not less than four inches (102 millimeters), whenever practical, from any subsurface structures not directly associated with the pipeline. If it is not practicable to achieve this clearance, a minimum clearance of two inches (51 millimeters) shall be maintained and the pipeline shall be protected from damage that might result from the proximity of the other structure. (h) When steel or plastic pipe is to be installed as a service line in a bore, care shall be exercised to prevent damage to the coating or pipe during installation. Each underground nonmetallic service line that is not encased must have a means of locating the pipe that complies with section 255.321(e) of this Part. ## Provenance - Official: Yes - Source: - Source ID: `ny-dps-nycrr` - SHA-256: `61f4cbbf0d3c0dc74a786a54633bb4b26ea278f84bcc2c7ae769163e6b05fea4` - Retrieved: 2026-08-12T06:20:40.894Z - Exported: 2026-08-25T01:07:44.013Z - Document slug: `ny-nycrr-255-361` ### 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", "Customer Meters, Service Regulators, and Service Lines" ], "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 255.361", "identityAnomaly": null, "references": [ { "citation": "16 NYCRR 255.321", "referenceType": "new-york-administrative-code", "url": "https://govt.westlaw.com/nycrr/Document/I505ce50dcd1711dda432a117e6e0f345?viewType=FullText&originationContext=documenttoc&transitionType=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)" } ], "region": "NY" } ```