# American Gas Association — Pipeline Safety Interpretation

**Citation:** PI-92-047  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 1992-09-16

PI-92-047 response to American Gas Association concerning 192.513.

## Document text

<<<PAGE 1>>>

September 16, 1992
Mr. Michael Baly, III
American Gas Association
1515 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22209
Dear Mr. Baly:
This responds to requests by members of your staff regarding the status of Petition P-43. Petition
P-43 proposes that § 192.513, Test Requirements for Plastic Pipelines, be amended to exempt
new plastic pipe, 10 feet or less in length, from pressure testing requirements. To quality for
exemption, the pipe would have to be visually checked, leak tested at operating pressures, and
contain no joints.
The fundamental issue for consideration in this petition is whether visual inspection of new plastic
pipe, 10 feet or less in length, coupled with leak testing at the operating pressure, would
sufficiently provide pipeline safety. The petition asserts that pipe flaws that could rupture in field
pressure tests would be detected by visual inspection, and that safety is further assured by the
manufacturer's quality assurance testing and the absence of connecting joints in the pipe.
The petition does not reference or provide test data or other information to substantiate that
relaxation of the pressure test requirement, as proposed, would provide an acceptable level of
public safety. So, for guidance on this issue, we examined the 1989 edition of the ASME B31.8
Code. It establishes the industry standard for minimum test requirements of plastic pipe used in
gas pipelines. Section 842.5 requires "all plastic piping" (except tie-in sections) to be pressure
tested after construction and before being placed in operation to prove its strength. The code
makes no exceptions based on pipe length or any of the other conditions described in the petition.
Lacking information to verify the safety of the rule the petition proposes, and in view of the
current industry standard for testing of plastic piping, we must dent the petition.
Sincerely,
/signed/
Cesar De Leon
Director,Regulatory Programs
Office of Pipeline Safety
DB
C:\WP51\INTERPRT\192\513\92-09-16
1

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92047.pdf>
- Source ID: `phmsa`
- SHA-256: `1d24ec4a0d9231cbc57d0c337d5fa8acf3912faf4598633724fb3c85b42e7dd5`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T00:59:31.977Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T22:29:02.232Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-047`

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