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Boiler Licensing

A Guide to Houston's General Boiler Regulations:

Operators must be licensed, and boiler fees are required annualy for all boiler sites within the city limits.

Click any of the topics in the list below for additional information:

• Annual Boiler Operation Inspection
• Annual Boiler Fee
• Basic Compliance Process
• Requirements for Stationary Engineer's Licenses
• Minimum Building Heat and Process Boilers Requirements/ Boiler Operator License Requirements

About Boiler Operator Licensing

A boiler used to heat a building or that is used in for commercial processing is subject to Houston's boiler regulations. This includes all boilers except those used exclusively for producing domestic (potable) hot water.

The Uniform Mechanical Code regulations require that regulated boilers are operated by duly licensed or permitted operators. There are two types of boiler operator licenses:

1. Stationary Engineer License (1st Grade or 2nd Grade) is required to operate Power Boilers (high pressure steam or water) of over thirty (30) horsepower
2. Boiler Operator Permit is required to opperate Low-pressure boilers and power boilers up to 1,004,400 BTU. These boilers may be operated by either a stationary engineer or by permitted boiler operator.

These licenses are issued to individuals who have passed the required examination. Licenced boiler operators then post the license in the boiler room as evidence that they are qualified to supervise the boiler(s).

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Annual boiler operation inspection
A City inspector will perform a annual general review of the boiler installation,and he or she will verify that appropriate operator licenses are posted. These licences must be displayed and the boiler and its appurtenances kept in safe condition in order to receive an "approved" inspection result.

Annual boiler fee
An annual boiler fee is charged for each subject boiler within the city limits of Houston.

• $25.00 per boiler
• $5.00 processing fee

An itemized Invoice/statement is mailed to the owner/operator of each boiler site once per year, indicating the type and quantity of boilers and each boiler's fee.

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Basic Compliance Process

To comply with the regulations, a business/operator must:

• Pay the Annual Boiler fee when invoiced. An invoice/statement will be mailed on a quarterly basis.
• Post Boiler Operator Permits and/or Stationary Engineer Licenses in the boiler room.
• Attach renewal or issuance receipts to the license or permit.
• Perform corrections to the boiler facility if so indicated in the City Inspector's annual inspection report.

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Minimum Boiler Operator License Requirements Building Heat and Process Boilers

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