IUC jurisdiction and federal authority
The IUC has authority over the routing and siting of hazardous liquid pipelines in Iowa. Hazardous liquids include:
- crude oil
- refined petroleum products
- liquefied petroleum gases
- anhydrous ammonia
- liquid fertilizers
- liquefied carbon dioxide
- alcohols
- coal slurries
The IUC does not have safety jurisdiction over hazardous liquid pipelines. The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has that authority.
When a company wants to build a pipeline to transport a hazardous liquid, it must get a permit from the IUC. Please reference Iowa Code chapter 479B, Hazardous Liquid Pipelines and Storage Facilities for requirements.
Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permit forms
- New Permit Form
- Renewal Permit Form
- Form for Filing Comments, Objections or Letters of Support in an Open Docket
Additional resources
- Instructions for Filing a Comment, Objection or Letter of Support
- Permit Process - HLP Information Meeting Presentation Handout
- Instructions for County Inspectors (manual)
- County's Role in Pipeline Projects (presentation)
- IUC Pipeline Procedures
- Common Questions about Eminent Domain
Contacting Iowa One Call
To avoid a potential pipeline accident caused by excavation and to comply with Iowa's One Call law, a homeowner or excavator must go online to IowaOneCall.com or call 811 or 800-292-8989 to schedule underground utility lines to be located and marked. This will create a ticket for the location to be visited.
The request should be made at least two days before starting any digging or excavating project, excluding Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays. Iowa One Call is a free service.
Iowa One Call manages:
- underground location service
- damage prevention
- One Call complaints
- violation enforcement by the Office of the Attorney General
After you contact Iowa One Call, the following will happen:
- Operators with underground facilities in the area where the excavation is planned will be notified. This includes natural gas and power utilities, communications companies, and cities and towns.
- Within 48 hours after being contacted, utilities will either mark their underground facilities with color-coded paint marks or flags, or tell the excavator they have no lines in the area.
Review Iowa Code chapter 480, Underground Facilities Information for more information, or visit the Iowa One Call webpage to learn about damage prevention and the law.
Additional information about One Call Complaints and enforcement is available through the Attorney General's Office.
One Call complaints can be filed online using the One Call complaint form.
Company Record Updates, Filing Requirements
Companies are required to provide up-to-date company and contact information with the IUC. The web application IUB 24/7 allows companies to manage their individual and company information. Learn more about IUB 24/7 at Information About IUB 24/7.
Companies must file a copy of all reports submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation pursuant to 49 CFR Part 195 in the IUB’s electronic filing system (EFS). See rules at 199 Iowa Administrative Code 13.15.
Searching for Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permit Filings
All public filings and IUC orders regarding hazardous liquid pipeline permit filings (HLP dockets) are available in EFS. To find documents related to a hazardous liquid pipeline permit proceeding:
- click the EFS link
- select Search from the top navigation menu
- scroll down to Document Search to open a document search screen
- enter the docket number (HLP-YYYY-XXXX) relating to the permit for which you would like more information
- click the Search button to see a list of filings
If you do not know the specific docket number, go to EFS and then:
- select Search from the top navigation menu
- scroll down to Docket Search
- on the docket search screen select HLP - Hazardous Liquid Pipeline from the Docket Type drop-down box
- select the company name from the Participants drop-down box
- click the Add button to add the company to the search parameters
- click the Search button to display a list of all documents filed in all HLP-dockets for that company
Contacts
Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Permits
Sanel Lisinovic
IUC Safety and Engineering
iuc@iuc.iowa.gov
Media Inquiries
Don Tormey
Communications Director
Iowa Utilities Commission
515-725-7347
don.tormey@iuc.iowa.gov