Alternative Fuels Safety Training FAQs

Yes.

No. Master plumbers can file LPG Form 16B, "Application for Examiniation Exemption by a Master or Journeyman Plumber or a Class A or B Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor," submit a $50 registration fee, a legible photocopy of a current Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor or Master of Journeyman Plumber certificate, and a state-issued photo ID card or driver's license to the Railroad Commission, and receive a card that exempts you from the Category D licensing, examination, training and continuing education requirements.

Applicants who pass a new employee-level DOT portable cylinder filler, service and installation, motor/mobile fuel dispenser, bobtail, appliance service and installation, or RV technician examination must complete an 8-hour class related to their job duties by the next May 31. If you pass a new exam between March 1 and May 31, you have until May 31 of the following year to complete your 8-hour training requirement.

Yes, but your employer cannot conduct any LP-gas activities until you are certified and the company is properly licensed. Your certification will not be issued until you complete the required 16-hour class and pass the Category J management-level examination.

Click here to view the tables in 16 TAC 9.52(g), which covers the applicable courses for each different type of certification.

Yes. This information is public under Texas' Public Information Act, with the exception of your Social Security Number, which is confidential under state and federal law and will, therefore, be withheld from the public. Access to or copies of this information will be provided in response to a request after the requestor pays any applicable statutory copying charges.

No.  For example, if an employee is currently certified as a bobtail driver and becomes an operations supervisor, he or she is not required to complete the Category E Management Course prior to supervising the outlet.

Yes.  All applicants for new Category E management-level certificates must complete the 80-hour course. 

No.  Persons who were Category E certified prior to February 1, 2001, are not required to take the 80-hour course to retain their certification.

Yes. This course is offered monthly in Austin.

Yes. This course is offered monthly in Austin.

Yes.  You are not currently Category I certified, so your Category I certification will be a new certification.

The fee for this 10-day, 80-hour class is a break-even amount based on the actual cost of putting on the class.  The fee for all Railroad Commission site-based classes is $75 a day.

New schedules are posted monthly. If no classes are currently posted in your area, please check later.

Alternative Fuels Safety offers classes statewide between March 1 and November 30. A limited number of classes are held during December, January and February, to allow LP-gas companies to serve their customers during the busy heating season. Extra classes are scheduled in Austin in May to accommodate last-minute demand.

Registration is required prior to the class start date.  Click here to register online now.

The sooner the better. Classes are limited to 20 students, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority is given to persons with a due date of the next May 31. If seven or fewer students have registered one week before a scheduled class, the class will be canceled.

No. Register online.

Eight-hour classes are free to currently certified individuals who have complied with all applicable training or continuing education requirements. The fee is $75 for new applicants for LP-gas certification other than Category E, F, G, I and J; persons whose certificates have expired; and current certificate holders who are adding a new certification that requires first-year training. The fee for the 80-hour Category E Management Course is $750. The fee for the 16-hour Category F, G, I and J Management Course if $150. Class fees do not include the $70 LP-gas examination fee.

Registration for classes is generally handled on a first-come, first-served basis.  However, priority is given to persons who must complete their continuing education requirement by the next May 31 deadline.

Possibly, if you have 10 or more students confirmed to attend, a suitable classroom and schedules permit. To request a class at your location, please contact training-exams or call (512) 463-2682.

Yes. Click here for a list of Railroad Commission-approved outside instructors.

No. The only non-RRC classes acceptable for RRC credit are classes conducted by Commission-approved outside instructors.

Click here for complete information.

"Training" means a class taken to obtain a new certification. "Continuing education" means a class taken to maintain a current certification. The classes are the same.

All applicants for new bobtail, DOT portable cylinder filler, service and installation, motor/mobile fuel dispenser, appliance service and installation, and RV technician certificates must complete 8 hours of training related to their job duties by the next May 31 after they pass their written exam. If you pass a new exam between March 1 and May 31, you have until May 31 of the following year to complete your 8-hour training requirement.

All applicants for new Category D, K and M certificates must complete an approved 8-hour training course and pass the applicable management-level examination prior to becoming certified.

All 8-hour courses include AFT, except 1.1, Introduction to Propane, and 6.1, Regulatory Compliance for Managers

An authorized company representative, operations supervisor (branch manager) or RRC-approved outside trainer can certify AFT.

All management-level Category D, E, F, G, I, J, K and M certificate holders and all employee-level bobtail, DOT portable cylinder filler, service and installation, motor/mobile fuel dispenser, appliance service and installation, and RV technician certificate holders must complete 8 hours of job-related continuing education every 4 years.

No. Regardless of the number of LP-gas certifications, a certificate holder is only required to complete 8 hours of continuing education within each 4-year period.  Employees with multiple certifications should attend a course that pertains to their primary job duties.  Please refer to the table in §9.52(g) of the LP-gas safety rules.

AFT materials can be e-mailed to you in .pdf version or mailed to you. They are too long to fax. Please contact the Alternative Energy Division at training-exams@rrc.texas.gov. Please allow two weeks for mailing.

The AFT checklist must be properly completed within 30 calendar days of attending the class. All AFT qualification tasks included in the checklist must be completed. The AFT material, including the qualification checklist and the certification page, is required to be readily available at the licensee's Texas business location for review by an authorized Railroad Commission representative during normal business hours. Please refer to 9.52 for additional AFT requirements.

To increase public safety. The 16-hour course promotes safe handling of propane by people whose jobs involve operating a refueling facility, filling LPG cylinders and motor/mobile fuel containers on vehicles, motor homes, recreational vehicles and catering trucks and related activities.

If you pass a new exam between March 1 and May 31, you have until May 31 of the following year to complete your training requirement.

Under Railroad Commission rules, after your due date you will be out of compliance.  You will no longer be certified by the Railroad Commission to perform the applicable LP-gas activities.

You must comply with all applicable Railroad Commission LP-Gas safety rules. If you missed your continuing-education deadline, you must register for a class, pay the $75 fee required for uncertified individuals, pay any required fees, including late fees, and complete the class.

If your certification lapsed more than two years ago, you will need to start over as a new applicant.

Yes. To become Category D certified, you must pass the Category D examination and complete an 8-hour class. The class fee is $75, and does not include the $70 management-level examination fee. Click on these links to view the class schedule, list classes that full the requirement, or register for a class.

No. Only the certification you added will expire, unless the training due date you missed happened to also be your four-year continuing-education deadline. If you miss a continuing-education deadline, all your certifications expire.

Please e-mail or fax the contact person's name, telephone number or e-mail address, the student's full name and Social Security number, and a detailed explanation, including any dates of class attendance, to training or fax to (512) 475-2532. The reported information will be evaluated and you will be informed accordingly. Please allow adequate time to research questions before the May 31 deadline.