Your Michigan manual should connect the site's permit file to the decision to deliver. Cover application dates, inspections, violation notices and closure. Staff should be able to find the record for the next job. Start with the Bureau of Fire Services rules.
Open a permit file before the proposed installation date
Apply at least 30 days before a covered tank setup. Check both sizes under R29.6152. The single-container trigger is over 2,000 gallons of water. The combined trigger is over 4,000 gallons. Any place that fills containers also triggers the rule. The plot plan must show the listed surroundings. Those include buildings, roads, railroads, power lines, drains and needed nearby tanks. Use the full list when writing the plans.
The bureau's rule provides for a plan examination report. The time is within 30 days of receiving the application. Once the work is done, plan for bureau inspection and certification. Tell the bureau the proposed service date at least seven calendar days ahead. Keep the drawing review and completed-work records distinct in the file.
Check whether an old approval still describes the project
Resubmit plans if construction has not started within one year once approved. R29.6152 sets that rule. Check the approval date and whether work began before booking a delayed project.
Michigan adopts NFPA 58–2014 for storage and handling. It excludes transportation from that adoption. Keep the state changes with the edition reference. The newest book does not replace the adopted rule.
Make a bureau notice visible to everyone who can release a delivery
The bureau can give a violation notice by voice, writing or a posted tag. R29.6151 bars delivery once the supplier is notified of the violation. Do not tamper with, remove or disregard a written notice fixed to the storage system. You can use a site-specific delivery hold with the bureau's real notice attached.
Michigan places jurisdiction with the bureau. Send a variance request there with the reason compliance is not possible. File its real decision. Closing a site for good requires a 30-day advance-notice process. Check the same rule if a site has gone unused for over 12 months. Deleting a route entry does not complete that process.
Use the national manual page for the product overview. The Michigan plan page covers the transport review. This page focuses on site work steps.
Questions for a Michigan installation coordinator
When should the bureau get our permit application? At least 30 days before the proposed covered tank setup under R29.6152. Plan from that date, rather than the first delivery.
Can we use an approval after a year with no work? Resubmit the plans if construction has not started within one year once approved. R29.6152 requires it.
How much notice is needed before service starts? Tell the bureau at least seven calendar days ahead of the planned start of service. The rule provides for inspection and certification.
Does closing an account complete closing a site for good? R29.6156 requires notice to the bureau 30 days before closing a site for good. It also addresses sites unused for more than 12 months. An account change does not complete those steps.
Propane Safety Pro offers a Policies & Procedures manual. Keep permits, inspection records, notices and closure files within reach. Staff need them before releasing a job.
Bill Stomp built Propane Safety Pro. He is a war veteran who personally ran over 87 propane branch offices across 12 states, and he has helped more than 200 propane companies improve their profits, sales, safety and operations.
Propane Insider is published by the makers of Tank Spotter, Custom Fuel App, Blink Fuel, PIMS and Propane Safety Pro; some links go to advertisers. Propane Safety Pro is published by the makers of the DOT Hazmat Security Plan and the Policies & Procedures manual described on this page.
General information, not legal advice.