If you offer or haul placarded propane by bobtail or transport, PHMSA registration is an annual DOT filing with a fee. For the 2026–2027 year, the agency moved the process fully online.
What changed for 2026–2027
PHMSA's Registration Overview page (last updated September 8, 2026) states that early registration for 2026–2027 opened on June 1, 2026. It was not available before that date.
Starting the 2026–2027 registration year, the same page says the agency will no longer accept paper registration forms. It will no longer accept payments by checks. All registrations and payments must be completed electronically through the new system. The Overview says that change aligns with White House Executive Order 14247 on modernizing payments to and from America's bank account.
The Overview also warns that, starting the 2026–2027 year, partial refunds will no longer be issued. Review the statement before you hit pay.
Separately, a final rule in the Federal Register (August 4, 2026; effective September 3, 2026) revises 49 CFR 107.616. Persons subject to registration in 49 CFR 107.601 must submit the statement and payment electronically in full. They file through DOT's e-Commerce site. Payment is by credit card or other electronic means acceptable to DOT. ACH remains an electronic option under that rule.
Who must register
PHMSA's Registration Information page lists who must register. You must register if you offer or transport in commerce a shipment in any of these categories, including hazardous wastes:
- A highway route controlled quantity of a Class 7 (radioactive) material, as defined in 49 CFR 173.403.
- More than 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of a Division 1.1, 1.2, or 1.3 explosive in a motor vehicle, rail car, or freight container.
- More than one liter (1.06 quarts) per package of a material extremely toxic by inhalation (hazard zone A).
- A hazardous material in a bulk packaging with capacity equal to or greater than 13,248 liters (3,500 gallons) for liquids or gases, or more than 13.24 cubic meters (468 cubic feet) for solids.
- A non-bulk shipment of 2,268 kilograms (5,000 pounds) gross weight or more of one class of hazardous materials for which placarding is required for that class.
- A quantity of hazardous material that requires placarding (with a farmer exception for placarded material used only in direct support of farming operations; farmers still register for categories A–E).
For propane retail and wholesale fleets, the practical trigger is usually placarding or bulk capacity. The Information page notes a placarding rule for bulk packagings. Any quantity of hazmat other than Division 6.2 and Class 9 in a bulk packaging requires placarding. That trigger also requires registration. Exceptions listed by the agency include federal, state, and political-subdivision agencies, Indian tribes, and certain employees in official duties. Owner-operators leased 30 days or longer to a registered motor carrier under 49 CFR Part 376, or equivalent, are also excepted. Registration is per separate legal entity. A separately incorporated subsidiary registers even when the parent also registers.
An unregistered placarded trip puts you on the road without the annual filing the agency requires. You also owe the fee for each past year you should have filed.
Deadlines, year window, and fees as the agency prints them
The 2026–2027 registration year covers July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The agency says submit the completed statement and payment before July 1, 2026. That covers 2026–2027 or the two- or three-year options. If you begin a covered activity after that date, submit before that activity. Use whichever deadline is later.
If you are still running placarded loads and have not filed for this year, file before the next covered trip. Companies that failed to register for past years when they owed registration must still file those years. Pay the fee for each year owed.
Fees on the Registration Overview table (amounts include a $25 processing fee):
| Registration period | Small business or non-profit | Not small business |
|---|---|---|
| 2026–2027 (1 year) | $275 | $2,600 |
| 2026–2028 (2 years) | $525 | $5,175 |
| 2026–2029 (3 years) | $775 | $7,750 |
Payment online is by credit/debit card or ACH (electronic check). A certificate can be printed when payment is verified. Card payment is normally immediate. ACH typically takes around eight days.
Keep copies of the registration statement and certificate for three years at the principal place of business.
Motor carriers must also keep a copy of the current certificate on board each truck or truck tractor used for covered hazmat. Another document showing the current year's registration number as the "U.S. DOT Hazmat Reg. No." also meets that onboard rule.
Small-business status follows SBA size standards by NAICS code. If you are unsure of your code or size, check the SBA size standards page. The Overview also points to local SBA help.
Tie registration to your security plan and training records
The Registration Information page states that companies required to register may also need written security plans. Those plans include a risk assessment and measures for personnel security, unauthorized access, and en route security. Companies required to have security plans must also provide security training to all hazmat employees. That security training is one element of the hazmat employee training required in 49 CFR 172.704.
When your office manager renews the registration online, use the same week to confirm three files are current and findable. Pull the registration certificate and statement, plus the written DOT hazmat security plan. Pull hazmat employee training records that show security awareness and in-depth security training where required. Keep a written DOT hazmat security plan with the registration certificate. Pair it with a Policies and Procedures manual the office can find. Keep driver training records matched to the people who currently drive placarded loads.
Registration with the agency does not replace state hazmat registration or permitting programs. Some highway carriers also need an FMCSA Hazardous Materials Safety Permit. The Information page notes every company that needs that permit must also hold this federal registration. Some carriers need only the federal registration.
What to do this week
Have your office manager open the Registration Overview page. Confirm whether 2026–2027, or a multi-year block, is on file. Check every legal entity that offers or hauls covered propane. Print or save the certificate. Then have that same person pull the security plan and training records for each active hazmat driver. Mark gaps before Friday.
Common questions
Do I still need PHMSA registration if I only run propane bobtails?
If your shipments require placarding under 49 CFR Part 172 Subpart F, or you offer or transport hazmat in bulk packagings at the capacities listed on the Information page, you must register. Propane in a bulk packaging that requires placarding falls under the placarding category. Confirm against the six categories on the Registration Information page for your exact loads.
Can I mail a paper form or send a check for 2026–2027?
File online through the DOT e-Commerce path linked from the Registration Overview. Pay by credit/debit card or ACH (electronic check). Print the certificate once payment is verified.
What if July 1, 2026 already passed and I am still hauling?
If you still engage in covered activities, register before the next covered offer or transport. Past unpaid years must also be filed and paid when you owed registration in those years.
Sources
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Registration Overview, last updated Tuesday, September 8, 2026 — www.phmsa.dot.gov
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Registration Information, last updated Friday, August 28, 2026 — www.phmsa.dot.gov
- Federal Register / PHMSA, Hazardous Materials: Modernizing Payments To and From America's Bank Account (final rule; 91 FR 49295; Docket PHMSA-2025-0096), publication date August 4, 2026 (effective September 3, 2026) — www.federalregister.gov
This page is general information for propane marketers in the United States. It is not legal advice and it does not certify compliance. Confirm the current rule text, your state's adopted code, and your insurer's requirements before you rely on any example here.
Propane Safety Pro writes the written programs linked above, built to how your company actually runs. Call 610-228-0887 and ask for the written program. We sell to propane companies, not homeowners.