Licensing Overview

Any organization that performs any of the compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG) activities described below in Texas is required to be a licensee of the Railroad Commission.

Click on this link for information about licensing or truck registration, or call the License and Permit Section at (512) 463-7118.

Click on this link to request information about enforcement, safety inspections and related matters, or call the Safety Division at (512) 463-6692.

CNG License Categories and Authorized Activities

Category 1.  Manufacturer of CNG cylinders.  License authorizes the manufacture, assembly, repair, testing, sale, installation or subframing of CNG cylinders. 

Category 2.  General installers and repairmen.  Authorizes the sale, installation, service, or repair of CNG systems, including cylinders. 

Category 3.  Retail and wholesale dealer.  Authorizes the sale, storage, transportation for delivery, or dispensing of CNG for use other than by an ultimate consumer, and the sale, installation, service, or repair of CNG systems as set out in Categories 2, 5, and 6. 

Category 4.  Testing laboratory.  Authorizes the testing of CNG cylinders.

Category 5.  Service station or cylinder exchanger.  Authorizes the operation of a CNG service station, including filling CNG cylinders, or the operation of a cylinder exchange dealership, including filling CNG cylinders, the sale of CNG in cylinders, the sale of CNG cylinders and the replacement of cylinder valves. 

Category 6.  Equipment dealer.  Authorizes the sale of CNG cylinders or systems.

LNG License Categories and Authorized Activities

Category 15.  Container manufacturer and/or fabricator.  Authorizes the manufacture, fabrication, assembly, repair, installation, testing and sale of LNG containers, including LNG motor or mobile fuel containers and systems, and the repair of transport and transfer systems for use in Texas.

Category 20.  Transport Outfitter.  Authorizes the subframing, testing, and sale of LNG transport containers; testing of LNG storage containers; installation, testing, and sale of LNG motor or mobile fuel containers and systems; and the installation and repair of transport systems and motor or mobile fuel systems for use in Texas.

Category 25.  Carrier.  Authorizes the transportation of LNG by transport, including the loading and unloading of LNG. 

Category 30.  General installers and repairmen.  Authorizes the sale, repair, service, and installation of stationary containers and LNG systems.

Category 35.  Retail and wholesale dealer.  Authorizes the storage, sale, transportation, and distribution of LNG and all other activities included in this section except the manufacture, fabrication, assembly, repair, subframing and testing of LNG containers. 

Category 40.  General public dispensing station.  Authorizes the storage, sale, and dispensing of LNG into motor- and mobile fuel containers.

Category 45.  Motor fuel.  Authorizes the sale and installation of LNG motor or mobile fuel containers, and the sale, repair, and installation of LNG motor or mobile fuel systems.

Category 50.  Testing laboratories.  Authorizes the testing of LNG containers, LNG motor fuel systems or mobile fuel systems, transfer systems, and transport systems for the purpose of determining the safety of the containers or systems for LNG service, including the necessary installation, disconnection, reconnection, testing, and repair of LNG motor fuel systems or mobile fuel systems, transfer systems and transport systems involved in the testing of containers.

Certification Requirements—Management Level

A licensee must employ at least one company representative who has passed the applicable management-level qualifying examination. A company representative applicant may not perform work or be employed in any capacity requiring contact with CNG or LNG before these requirements are met.

An outlet is defined as a site operated by a CNG or LNG licensee at which any regulated CNG or LNG activity is performed.  An operations supervisor is the individual who is certified by the Railroad Commission and authorized by the licensee to actively supervise a licensee’s CNG or LNG operations at an outlet.  An operations supervisor is required to hold the required Railroad Commission management-level certification.

Certification Requirements—Employee Level

No individual may perform work or be employed in any capacity requiring contact with CNG or LNG until he or she has passed the required Railroad Commission qualifying examination.

Click on this link to view the examinations applicable to each category of CNG license.

Click on this link to view the examinations applicable to each category of LNG license.

Study Guides; Publications

Click on this link to view a study guide for all CNG qualifying examinations.

Click on this link to view a study guide for all LNG qualifying examinations.

Click on this link to view or download a copy of the Railroad Commission CNG and LNG Safety Rules.

Click on this link to order a printed copy of the CNG and LNG Safety Rules.

Examination Fees

CNG or LNG Management-Level Examination Fee
All categories: $70 per person. This fee is due each time an exam is taken.

CNG or LNG Employee-Level Examination Fee
All categories: $40 per person. This fee is due each time an exam is taken.

All Railroad Commission examination and renewal fees are nonrefundable.

Annual Certification Renewal; Renewal Fees

On or before March 1 each year AFRED mails each CNG or LNG licensee a renewal notice for the licensee’s certified employees.  Renewal notices are also mailed to certified individuals who are not employed by a licensed company.

The annual fee to renew an individual’s CNG or LNG certification is $25, payable by May 31.  Applicants for certification who pass an initial examination between March 1 and May 31 have until May 31 of the following year to renew their certification.

Certified individuals who retire or leave the industry may maintain their CNG or LNG certification by paying the $25 annual certification renewal fee. In such cases, please make sure the Railroad Commission knows your current mailing address.

Replacement Railroad Commission certification cards are issued free of charge.

Late Fees

Annual certification renewals paid online or postmarked after May 31 are subject to a nonrefundable $20 late fee.

Transfer Fees

CNG/LNG certified individuals who transfer their employment from one licensee to another are required to submit CNG Form 1016A or LNG Form 2016A, Certified Employee Transfer Form, and pay a nonrefundable $10 transfer fee. 
 
Taking an Examination in Austin

CNG and LNG examinations are available on a walk-in basis in Austin from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon every business day at the Railroad Commission’s Alternative Fuels Training Center, 6506 Bolm Road.  Click on these links for a map to the Training Center or a list of nearby hotels.

Registering To Take an Examination Outside Austin

If you plan to take an examination outside of Austin, you must register at least two business days in advance.  After you register, if the schedule changes for any reason, AFRED will call or e-mail you ahead of time and notify you of the changes.  If you arrive at an examination site outside of Austin without registering, the proctor may not have any CNG or LNG examinations to administer.

Click on this link to register for an exam.  Please consider the examinees registered as soon as you submit the form.

Examination Schedule

Click on this link to view a current schedule of the next three months’ examination dates and locations outside Austin.  If the schedule does not include an examination site near you, please consult future postings for examinations available in your region.

Exam schedule notes:

Exams scheduled outside Austin may be canceled up to two business days before the scheduled date.

NO EXAMS means no exams will be administered at the class location that day.

STUDENTS ONLY means exams will be administered only to students in that day’s class.

EXAMS ONLY means no class at the exam location that day.

When the exam start time is listed as 8:00 a.m., no exams will be started after 8:30 a.m. All exams must be turned in by 4:45 p.m.

When the exam start time is listed as 5:00 p.m., no exams will be started after 5:30 p.m. All exams must be turned in by 6:45 p.m.

Contact Us

AFRED welcomes your comments about our programs. To e-mail the certification program manager or the division director, click on one of these links.

Rayfield Hearne, Certification Manager
Dan Kelly, Division Director