# Minnesota State Patrol, District 4700 — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation **Citation:** 11-0077 **Type / status:** guidance / guidance **Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration **Effective:** Not stated **Published:** 2011-07-07 11-0077 response to Minnesota State Patrol, District 4700 concerning 172.519. ## Document text <<>> U.S. Department 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington. DC 20590 of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration JUL 7 2011 Jay K. Sletten CVI Sargent DataQs Administrator Minnesota State Patrol, District 4700 1110 Centere Pinte Curve, Suite 410 Mendota Heights, MN 555120 Ref. No. 11-0077 Dear Sgt. Sletten: This responds to your March 23,2011, request for clarification on placarding under the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180). Specifically, you ask ifthe enclosed photos ofplacards represent placards in compliance with the color tolerance requirements in the HMR. Section 172.519 (d) requires that the background color, symbol, text, numerals and inner border on aplacatd must be as specified in §§ 172.521-172.560 ofthe HMR, as appropriate. Black and any color on a placard must be able to withstand without substantial change (1) a 72-hour fadeometer test and (2) a 30-day exposure to open weather test. Upon visual examination, color on a placard must fall within the color tolerances on the approved Hazardous Material Label and Placard Color Tolerance Chart (see §§ I 72.407(d)(4)). As an alternative, the P ANTONE formula guide coated/uncoated as specified for colors in § 172.407(d)(5) may be used. Ifyou choose to use PANTONE colors, the placards must be an exact match to the color in the P ANTONE formula guide coated/uncoated. Color charts conforming to Appendix A of Part 172 are on display in the Standards and Regulations Division, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590. You may also order these charts from a commercial source, Hale Color Charts, Inc., 3709 Ocean View Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90066; or you may call them at 800-777-1225. The fading ofthe color on the placards indicates the placards are not in compliance. Therefore, it is the opinion ofthis office that the placards in the enclosed photos are not in <<>> compliance with the color tolerance requirements in the HMR. I hope this answers your inquiry. If you need additional assistance, please contact this office at 202-366-8553. Sin~ :5:~ Ben Supko Chief, Standards Development Standards and Regulations Division <<>> MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Minnesota State Patrol-District 4700 1500+he. Commercial Vehicle Section 1110 Centre Pointe Curve Suite 410, Mendota Heights, Mn 55120 ~ 111.. . 517(d) Phone: 6511405-6196 • Fax: 651/405-6199· TTY: 6511282-6555 www.dps.state.mn.us/patrollcomveh/index.htm PiaCQ rC{fI? q March 23, 2011 H-O()17 Office of Hazardous Materials Safety Office of Hazardous Materials Standards Room 8422 Nassif Building 400 i h St SW Washington, DC 20590-0001 Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement ARMERl911 Program Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Driver and Vehicle Services Homeland Security and Emergency Management Minnesota State Patrol Office of Communications Office of Justice Programs Office of Traffic Safety State Fire Marshal and Pipeline Safety To whom it may concern: Enclosed are two digital photographs of a placard submitted by a motor carrier in Minnesota. The carrier's vehicle was inspected and a violation of 172.517(d) was recorded. The carrier replaced the placard, but does not feel the old placard was in violation or unserviceable. Since we do not have a copy ofthe Pantone formula guide or any other guides relating to acceptable fading or discoloring ofplacards, I am hopeful you will provide your guidance on this matter. Is this an acceptable placard or was our inspector correct in recording it as a violation? I thank you in advance for your quick reply. Respectfully, . Sletten CVI Sergeant DataQs Administrator 651-405-6198 jay .sletten@state.mn.us EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER <<>> 1075 <<>> 1075 ## Provenance - Official: Yes - Source: - Source ID: `phmsa` - SHA-256: `103248aa470123427d2df5d6f3049ab757d755466bbc84c06b2448770001c7a6` - Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z - Exported: 2026-08-22T10:07:33.538Z - Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-11-0077` ### Source metadata ```json { "materialSubtype": "interpretation", "interpretationArea": "hazardous_materials", "representation": "full_text_from_official_pdf", "companies": [ "Minnesota State Patrol, District 4700" ], "individuals": [ "Sgt. Jay K. 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