A compiled reference of 80 verified statistics on US boiler and pressure vessel inspection, taken from each program's own rule, statute or published fee schedule: the statutory inspection interval and the actual dollar fee for 21 jurisdictions side by side, the late fees and grace periods that differ far more than the fees do (Texas $25 to $100 per day with no grace period, New York triple the invoice at 180 days, Georgia 60 days free), how far the National Board synopsis the trade relies on has drifted from the rules it describes, what the US Chemical Safety Board found at the 2017 Loy-Lange explosion that killed four people, how many objects the programs carry, and what a county actually pays per boiler once the certificate is bought.
Key statistics
7 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Power boilers are annual almost everywhere. Everything else about boiler inspection, what a heating boiler costs, how long you get before a penalty, whether the state or your insurer looks, and whether a home-rule city has exempted itself entirely, changes at the state line.
There is no national boiler inspection interval and no federal one either: OSHA's 1989 guidance publication points to the National Board Inspection Code and API 510 instead of setting a standard.
Power boilers are annual almost everywhere, but heating boilers are not: biennial in Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan, Georgia and Florida, triennial for hot water supply boilers in Texas and Michigan, and one external or internal inspection every 36 months in Wisconsin.
The published state charge for the largest routine boiler class ranges from nothing in Ohio to $600.00 in North Carolina and $630.00 in Wisconsin, and for the largest band each state publishes, Florida's $90.00 top-band charge sits against North Carolina's $600.00.
Every state that grants a longer interval sells it for the same price: documented water treatment and documented inspection history. Washington caps the extension at five years, Pennsylvania at 24 or 60 months, California at 36 or 72, Texas at 60 or 144.
Late costs differ more than fees do. Texas charges $25 to $100 a day from the day after expiration, New York triples the invoice by 180 days, Colorado can assess $1,000 per object per day, and Georgia and Virginia grant a 60-day and a two-month grace period instead.
The National Board synopsis is the reference the trade uses, and each jurisdiction supplies its own review date; several are years old, and Texas's predates the late-fee rule verified on this page by more than seven years.
The jurisdictional fee is not the cost of a boiler inspection. In the only public per-boiler pricing found here, Dallas County paid $5,380.00 a year on one boiler where the state's charges came to $140.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in September 2026 from the jurisdiction's own rule, statute, fee schedule or program page, or from that jurisdiction's own entry in the National Board synopsis, and verified against the original before publishing.
- Primary rule text first, synopsis second
Where a state's own rule or statute was readable (Washington, Texas, Illinois, Colorado, California, Tennessee, DC, Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina), the primary text governs and is cited. Where it was not, the figure is the jurisdiction's own entry in the National Board synopsis, labeled as such, with that entry's review date carried into the table. The three Texas Administrative Code sections and Maryland's penalty statute were re-read on the Texas Secretary of State's own Texas Administrative Code viewer and the Maryland General Assembly's statute site on September 5, 2026.
- Every fee traced to a schedule, not a vendor page
No figure here comes from a contractor's price guide. Each is a published jurisdictional fee with a rule or schedule behind it, or, in the contract section, a line item from a public bid tabulation.
- Repealed and malformed figures dropped, not smoothed
California's widely cited Title 8 fee appendix rests on a section repealed in 1982, so no California dollar figure is published here. Michigan's synopsis certificate line reads $7500, an apparent typo, so no Michigan certificate fee is published. Both are listed among the unverified claims rather than quietly rounded.
- Arithmetic shown, never implied
The computed cards each state their inputs and the division. The Texas late-fee totals are recomputed day by day from the rule's own daily rates rather than repeated from any summary.
- Classes named, because they are not comparable
States price by square feet of heating surface, BTU input, boiler horsepower or a flat rate. Every fee on this page names the class and size band it applies to, and the fee-contrast strip says plainly that the bars compare what an owner is billed, not identical equipment.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
Scope caveat: this is 21 jurisdictions, not 50. Fees and intervals change, and rows sourced to the National Board synopsis are only as current as the review date shown in the staleness strip. Home rule is the larger trap: Missouri's boiler act does not apply in a city or chartered county that regulates boilers by its own ordinance, which is precisely why the vessel that killed four people in St. Louis had never been inspected by anyone. Check the rule for the building, not the state. Related compilations: elevator inspection statistics and commercial HVAC inspection statistics.
Boiler inspection intervals and fees, 21 jurisdictions
Each row from that program's own rule or published schedule, or from the jurisdiction's own entry in the National Board synopsis| Jurisdiction | Power boiler interval | Heating boiler interval | Inspection or certificate fee | Late fee or penalty | Insurer inspectors | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | Annual internal and external | Low pressure: external biennial, internal every 4 years | Inspection $45.70 to $114.60 by class; certificate $33.80 per object | Late fee possible past 90 days (amount unpublished) | Yes, and special inspectors must perform all inservice inspections of objects their employer insures | WAC 296-104-100; L&I fee schedule |
| California | Annual internal and external; 36 months by grant | Low pressure, miniature and high-temperature water boilers exempt from annual inspection | No current published schedule (see unverified) | No current published schedule | Yes, inspectors holding a division Certificate of Competency, in lieu of a Pressure Vessel Unit engineer | 8 CCR 770, 771 |
| Colorado | Annual internal | External every 2 years | State inspector $35 to $100 by class and BTU input; insurance inspector $15; certificate $25 | Up to $1,000 per object per day of violation | Yes, commissioned Special Inspectors | 7 CCR 1101-5, Art. 2, 4, 7 |
| Oregon | Annual internal and external | Low pressure steam 2 years; hot water heating internal every 6 years | Flat $110.00 operating permit, plus 12 percent surcharge | Reinspection at $75.00 per hour when deviations are found | Yes, special boiler inspectors holding an Oregon Certificate of Competency | ORS 480.595, 480.607 as reported in NB-370 |
| Illinois | Annual internal | Low pressure every 2 years; pressure vessels every 3 | Certificate $70; state inspection $30 or $60; capped at $130 per boiler per year | Not published in the fee rule | Yes, but only for objects they insure, and never the first inspection | 41 Ill. Adm. Code 2120.30 |
| Ohio | Annual internal | Low pressure internal every 3 years, annual external | No state inspection fee; certificate $65 annual, $130 biennial, $195 triennial, plus $3.25 | Not published in the synopsis | Yes | NB-370 Ohio entry, reviewed 12/31/2024 |
| Michigan | Annual certificate inspection plus 6-month external | Low pressure biennial; hot water heating and supply triennial | Power boiler $85.00 to $200.00 by heating surface | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, except newly installed and secondhand boilers | NB-370 Michigan entry, reviewed 11/13/2023 |
| Wisconsin | Annual internal | Low pressure steam and hot water: one external or internal inspection every 36 months | $35.00 to $630.00 internal by size; Permit to Operate $50.00 | Not published in the synopsis | No. Insurance company inspections are not accepted in lieu of a department inspection | NB-370 Wisconsin entry, reviewed 12/19/2013 |
| Minnesota | Annual | Not stated separately; boilers and steam generators annual | Boilers $55.00; pressure vessels $35.00; over 2,000 sq ft billed at $80.00 per hour | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, but the first inspection is a state inspector's | NB-370 Minnesota entry, reviewed 01/12/2024 |
| Texas | Annual certificate and annual external; internal extendable to 60 months | Steam and hot water heating biennial; hot water supply triennial | Inspection $40 or $70; certificate $70; special inspection $1,700 | $25 per day to day 30, $50 days 31 to 60, $100 from day 61 | Yes, and the insurer's agency must do it whenever the boiler is insured | Tex. Health & Safety Code 755.025, 755.026; 16 TAC 65.300 |
| Tennessee | Not stated in the fee schedule | Not stated in the fee schedule | High pressure internal $60, external $35; high pressure certificate $50; low pressure inspection fees fall to $30 and the low pressure certificate rises from $60 to $80 on July 1, 2026 | Not published in the fee schedule | Yes, insurance and owner-user inspectors, except initial inspections | TN Boiler Unit fee schedule, effective 7/1/2021 |
| Georgia | Certificate valid 12 months (certificate validity; the synopsis states no separate interval) | Low pressure and water heater certificate valid 24 months (certificate validity; the synopsis states no separate interval) | Inspection $30.00 to $150.00 by boiler horsepower; certificate $50.00 or $30.00 | Installation fee doubles if installed without a permit | Yes | NB-370 Georgia entry, reviewed 2/23/2022 |
| Florida | Annual certificate inspection | Heating and hot water supply biennial; internal every 4 years | $60.00 to $90.00 power; $40.00 or $70.00 heating; $30.00 certificate without inspection | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, and insurers are required to inspect insured boilers in areas of public assembly | NB-370 Florida entry, reviewed 02/13/2023 |
| North Carolina | Annual internal and external | Low pressure and pressure vessels external every 2 years | Internal $85.00 to $600.00 by heating surface; $50.00 certificate after a special inspector | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, but state deputies conduct all first inspections | NB-370 North Carolina entry, reviewed 11/03/2025 |
| New York | Internal and external annual for high-pressure steam | Low pressure steam internal every 3 years; hot water internal every 5 | Internal $200, external $75, capped at $275 per boiler per year; $100 report fee | 1x the fee at 45 days, 2x at 60, 3x at 180 | Yes, insurers issue the certificate for insured boilers | NY Labor Law art. 7 sec. 204, as published by NYSDOL |
| Pennsylvania | Annual internal and external; 24 months by extension | Low pressure and hot water every 2 years; pressure vessels every 3 | Internal $66.43 to $214.62; boiler certificate $44.97; vessel certificate $73.58 | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, insurance company and owner-operator inspectors commissioned by the section | Act 40 of 2017, as reported in NB-370 |
| Massachusetts | Annual internal plus 6-month external under steam | Hot water heating annual, internal every 3 years | Steam internal $100.00; cast iron or hot water external $50.00; certificate $50.00 | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, except first inspections | NB-370 Massachusetts entry, reviewed 12/19/2023 |
| New Jersey | Annual internal and external for steam | Hot water: annual external, biennial internal; pressure vessels triennial | $160.00 to $300.00 per object; $100.00 certificate paid by the insurer | Not published in the synopsis | Yes, commissioned inspectors of a licensed authorized inspection agency; the insurer pays the certificate fee | NB-370 New Jersey entry, reviewed 11/4/2021 |
| Maryland | Certificate valid 12 months for power boilers (certificate validity; the synopsis states no separate interval) | 24 months for low pressure boilers and pressure vessels (certificate validity; the synopsis states no separate interval) | $250.00 certificate inspection; first inspection free; follow-up $50.00 | Civil penalty up to $5,000 per violation; willful and persistent operation without a certificate is a misdemeanor carrying up to five years or a $5,000 fine (Md. Code, Public Safety 12-916, 12-917) | Yes, special inspectors employed by insurance companies and commissioned by the division | NB-370 Maryland entry, reviewed 11/03/2025 |
| Virginia | Certificate valid not more than 14 months (certificate validity; the synopsis states no separate interval) | 26 months for low pressure boilers and pressure vessels (certificate validity; the synopsis states no separate interval) | High pressure $135.00; low pressure $70.00; vessels $50.00; certificate $20.00 | Two-month grace period; state may inspect and bill past 90 days expired | Yes, and the state performs no routine inspections at all | NB-370 Virginia entry, reviewed 11/19/2024 |
| District of Columbia | At least once a year | At least once a year, same as power boilers | $50.00 annual certificate per boiler and air compressor | Not published on the program page | Yes, insurers licensed by the District | DC Dept. of Buildings boiler inspections page |
Fees are the published figures for routine jurisdictional inspection and certification only, not the market price of the inspection work. Classes and size bands differ between states, so the ranges are not like-for-like across rows; the fee-contrast strip below compares one class at a time. "Not published" means the program's own schedule states no figure, not that no penalty exists. Rows sourced to the National Board synopsis carry that entry's review date, and several are years old. Minnesota's unfired pressure vessels are inspected every two years; its entry states no separate heating-boiler interval. The full table is also published as a spreadsheet: download the 21-row CSV.
How long after the inspection the report is due
The nine jurisdictions in this research that publish a report-filing deadline, shortest first| Jurisdiction | Deadline | What must be filed | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 10 business days | Certificate inspections on insured boilers and pressure vessels, filed with the division on its own forms | NB-370 Illinois entry, reviewed 11/04/2025 |
| Massachusetts | 14 days | Report of Inspection, filed after each inspection in a department-approved format | NB-370 Massachusetts entry, reviewed 12/19/2023 |
| New York | 21 days | Filed on National Board forms or through the jurisdiction online system, with a $100.00 fee for each boiler inspected | NYSDOL published synopsis of New York State boiler laws, reviewed 12/17/2024 |
| Florida | 15 days | A written report on each certificate inspection, filed with the chief boiler inspector | NB-370 Florida entry, reviewed 02/13/2023 |
| Washington | 30 days | Reports of internal and external inspections, filed on approved forms | NB-370 Washington entry |
| Georgia | 30 days | Reports of inspections, filed on department forms | NB-370 Georgia entry, reviewed 2/23/2022 |
| Ohio | 30 days | Exact copies of the inspector's field reports, for inspections made by commissioned insurance company inspectors | NB-370 Ohio entry, reviewed 12/31/2024 |
| Michigan | 30 days | Reports of internal inspections, filed on department forms | NB-370 Michigan entry, reviewed 11/13/2023 |
| Wisconsin | 30 days | Reports of inspection, filed on department form SBD-10663 | NB-370 Wisconsin entry, reviewed 12/19/2013 |
The deadline runs from the inspection, not from the certificate date, and it governs the paperwork rather than the looking. Illinois is the tightest at ten business days and New York is the only one of the nine that attaches a fee to the filing itself. The other twelve jurisdictions on this page publish no filing deadline in the document cited here, which is not the same as having none.
What changes in 2026, and what just did
Every dated change this research found in a jurisdiction's own rule or schedule| Effective | Jurisdiction | Change | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2026 | Tennessee | Low pressure boiler inspection fees fall, certificate fees rise Low pressure internal drops from $60 to $30 and low pressure external from $35 to $30, while the low pressure certificate rises from $60 to $80 and the unfired pressure vessel certificate rises from $60 to $80. | Tennessee Boiler Unit fee schedule |
| December 1, 2025 | Texas | The late inspection fee reaches the insurer's inspection agency The daily late inspection fee applies to the Authorized Inspection Agency as well as the owner or operator, for boilers whose certificate of operation expires on or after this date, unless the agency was denied access and documented it on the inspection report. | 16 TAC 65.61(c), (e) |
| December 1, 2024 | Texas | The daily late inspection fee schedule took effect $25 per day through day 30 after certificate expiration, $50 per day for days 31 to 60, and $100 per day from day 61 onward. | 16 TAC 65.300, amended effective December 1, 2024 |
| September 1, 2025 | Texas | The residential exemption was last amended The exemption for heating boilers in buildings used exclusively for residential purposes with accommodations for not more than four families was last amended by Acts 2025, 89th Legislature, Regular Session, Chapter 28 (S.B. 1185). | Tex. Health & Safety Code 755.022 |
Only two states in this compilation publish a dated change on the face of their own schedule or rule. Tennessee's is the only one still ahead: on July 1, 2026 the state cuts what it charges to look at a low pressure boiler and raises what it charges to certify one. The Texas dates are the reason a compilation has to be checked against the rule: the National Board entry for Texas carries a jurisdiction review date of May 1, 2017, years before any of them.
How stale is the industry's reference?
The date each jurisdiction last reviewed its own entry in the National Board synopsis, against September 5, 2026Review dates are the "last updated or reviewed by jurisdiction" line the National Board prints at the head of each entry, read on September 4, 2026; elapsed time is RapidEye's arithmetic against September 5, 2026. Entries dated by year only (Connecticut, Indiana) are measured from July 1 of that year and shown as approximate. Only jurisdictions whose review date this research read are shown; the synopsis carries 58 in all. A stale entry is not necessarily a wrong entry, but it is the reason a state fee on any compilation, this one included, has to be checked against the state's own rule before it is relied on.
The largest boiler each state prices, nineteen ways
The published state charge for the largest routine boiler class each program prices, high to lowEach bar is the state's own published figure for the largest routine boiler class in its schedule, which is the closest like-for-like this data allows; states measure that class differently (square feet of heating surface in Washington, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida and Wisconsin, BTU input in Colorado, boiler horsepower in Georgia, flat in Texas, New York, Virginia and Oregon), so the bars compare what an owner is billed, not identical equipment. Certificate fees are named in each line where they are charged separately. California is absent because it publishes no current schedule.
Boiler inspection, by the numbers
All 86 figures, grouped by region and theme: 80 quoted from a jurisdiction's own rule, statute, fee schedule or synopsis entry and independently verified, plus 6 RapidEye computations that name their inputs, 86 in all, followed by the figures that circulate and could not be verified.
The comparisons the fee schedules imply
The 6 figures below are RapidEye arithmetic on the verified schedules that follow: the spread between the top published band in the cheapest and the most expensive state, the insurer-versus-state fee ratio in Colorado, the jurisdictional fee as a share of what a county actually spends, what a late Texas certificate costs by day, how far the National Board synopsis has drifted, and what a longer interval is worth. Each names its inputs.
Statistic 1
For the largest boiler band each state publishes, North Carolina charges $600.00 for an internal inspection at 5,000 square feet or more while Florida charges $90.00 for a certificate inspection at 10,000 square feet or more, a 6.7-fold spread between the two states' top-band charges. $600.00 divided by $90.00 is 6.67. The two bands are each state's own top band and are not the same boiler.
RapidEye Research, computed from the Florida and North Carolina fee schedules in the National Board synopsis
Statistic 2
In Colorado the identical statutory inspection costs the owner 4.7 to 6.7 times more when a state inspector performs it. The insurance company's Special Inspector fee is $15 in every row of the table; the state inspector fee runs $70 to $100 for an ASME Section I power boiler. $70 divided by $15 is 4.67 and $100 divided by $15 is 6.67.
RapidEye Research, computed from 7 CCR 1101-5, Article 4, Table 4-1
Statistic 3
Texas's statutory cost for a boiler is 2.6 percent of what a public owner actually spends on it. Dallas County's 2018 contract priced annual preventive maintenance on one Cleaver-Brooks fire tube boiler at $5,380.00; the state's own charges for that boiler are $70 for the inspection plus $70 for the certificate, $140. $140 divided by $5,380.00 is 0.026.
RapidEye Research, computed from the Dallas County 2018 bid tabulation and 16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.300
Statistic 4
Texas's late inspection fee reaches $2,350 on day 61 and passes $3,000 on day 68, on a $70 certificate. Thirty days at $25 is $750, thirty more at $50 is $1,500, and day 61 adds $100, for $2,350; seven further days at $100 bring the running total to $3,050 on day 68. At day 61 the penalty is already 33.6 times the certificate fee.
RapidEye Research, computed from 16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.300(k)
Statistic 5
The reference the trade treats as the state-by-state answer is 12.7 years out of date for Wisconsin and about 15 years out of date for Connecticut, measured to September 5, 2026. Texas is the case that matters: its entry carries a review date of May 1, 2017, and the Texas late inspection fee rule verified on this page took effect December 1, 2024, seven and a half years after the entry was last reviewed.
RapidEye Research, computed from the per-jurisdiction review dates in the National Board synopsis
Statistic 6
A longer inspection interval buys nothing in Ohio and halves the certificate cost in Georgia. Ohio's certificate annualizes to about $65 at every interval ($130.00 plus $3.25 once over two years is $66.63 a year); Georgia's low-pressure certificate annualizes to $25, but Georgia also bills $30.00 to $150.00 per inspection where Ohio bills nothing. The comparison is certificate cost only.
RapidEye Research, computed from the Ohio and Georgia certificate schedules in the National Board synopsis
What this means: Two numbers carry the page. The state fee is not the cost of a boiler inspection (in Dallas County it is 2.6 percent of the spend), and the state fee is not the same number twice. For the largest boiler band each state publishes, North Carolina charges $600.00 for an internal inspection at 5,000 square feet or more while Florida charges $90.00 for a certificate inspection at 10,000 square feet or more, a 6.7-fold spread between the two states' top-band charges.
West and Mountain: Washington, California, Colorado, Oregon
According to Washington Administrative Code 296-104-100 (wa.gov), power boilers are inspected externally under pressure annually and internally annually, low pressure boilers externally every two years and internally every fourth year. According to California Code of Regulations Title 8 Sections 770 and 771 (ca.gov), all covered boilers face annual internal and external inspection, but low-pressure boilers, miniature boilers and high-temperature water boilers are exempt from annual inspection entirely and need no permit to operate. According to 7 CCR 1101-5 (sos.state.co.us), Colorado publishes both a state-inspector fee and a $15 insurance-inspector fee for every row of its table. According to the National Board synopsis of Oregon's program (nationalboard.org), Oregon charges a flat $110.00 operating permit subject to a 12 percent surcharge and bills reinspection by the hour when deviations are found.
Statistic 7
Washington requires power boilers to be inspected externally under pressure annually and internally annually; low pressure boilers externally every two years and internally every fourth year; hot water heaters and unfired pressure vessels externally every two years.
Washington Administrative Code, WAC 296-104-100, Washington State Legislature
Statistic 8
A Washington power boiler in a National Board accredited owner-user inspection program may have its internal inspection interval extended to a maximum of five years, subject to six conditions including monitored water treatment and NDE; the extension never applies to a black liquor recovery boiler.
WAC 296-104-100, Washington State Legislature
Statistic 9
Washington charges a $78.70 boiler/pressure vessel installation permit fee and a $33.80 certificate of inspection fee per object inspected, on top of the inspection fee itself.
Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, boiler permits and fees page
Statistic 10
Washington's heating boiler inspection fees are $57.20 internal / $45.70 external for cast iron boilers of all sizes and other boilers under 500 sq ft, rising to $114.60 internal / $57.20 external for 500 to 2,500 sq ft.
Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, boiler permits and fees page
Statistic 11
Washington power boiler inspection fees run $57.20 internal / $45.70 external under 100 sq ft, $69.30 / $45.70 for 100 to under 500 sq ft, and $114.60 / $57.20 for 500 to 2,500 sq ft; pressure vessels run $45.70 / $33.80 under 15 sq ft up to $79.30 / $45.70 for 50 to 100 sq ft, and automatic utility hot water supply heaters are $10.00.
Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, boiler permits and fees page
Statistic 12
California subjects all covered boilers to annual internal and external inspection, but allows a maximum 36-month interval between internal inspections of fired boilers, and up to 72 months for process steam generators, for companies the Division judges to have superior preventive maintenance and examination programs.
California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 770, Dept. of Industrial Relations
Statistic 13
California exempts low-pressure boilers, miniature boilers and high-temperature water boilers from annual inspection entirely, and those units need no permit to operate; the same exemption covers boilers under 100 square feet of heating surface, 100 psi, 35 gallons and 400,000 BTU/hr input.
California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 771, Dept. of Industrial Relations
Statistic 14
Colorado's published fee table sets a state-inspector inspection fee of $100 for an ASME Section I power boiler at 5,000,000 BTU/hr or more, $85 from 1,000,000 to under 5,000,000, and $70 below 1,000,000, all inspected annually, plus a $25 certificate fee.
Code of Colorado Regulations 7 CCR 1101-5, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Regulations, Article 4, Table 4-1, Division of Oil and Public Safety
Statistic 15
In Colorado an inspection by an insurance company's Special Inspector costs the owner $15 instead of the $70 to $100 a state inspector charges, 4.7 to 6.7 times the insurer's charge for the identical statutory inspection.
7 CCR 1101-5, Article 4, Table 4-1
Statistic 16
Colorado inspects ASME Section IV heating boilers externally every 2 years ($65 to $85 by BTU input), water heaters inspected as boilers every 2 years at $35, direct-fired jacketed steam kettles every 2 years at $35, and historical boilers every 3 years at $85.
7 CCR 1101-5, Article 4, Table 4-1
Statistic 17
Colorado can assess monetary penalties of up to $1,000 per boiler or pressure vessel per day of violation when a boiler owner does not meet the enforcement schedule.
7 CCR 1101-5, Article 7, Division of Oil and Public Safety
Statistic 18
Colorado requires a boiler owner to notify the state within 24 hours of any boiler or pressure vessel explosion or any accident involving bodily injury or death, and forbids removing or disturbing the equipment before the Director permits it.
7 CCR 1101-5, Article 6, Sections 6-1 and 6-2
Statistic 19
When a Colorado inspector notes a deficiency or repair requirement on a certificated boiler, water heater or steam kettle, the inspector must re-inspect within 90 days; separately, if an insurance company has not filed its inspection report within 90 days after certificate expiration, Colorado may send a state inspector and bill the owner at the state rate.
7 CCR 1101-5, Sections 2-1 and 2-4
Statistic 20
Colorado's program describes itself as enforcing nationally adopted standards with inspections performed either by state inspectors or by insurance company inspectors commissioned by the program.
Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety, Boiler Inspection program page
Statistic 21
Oregon charges a flat $110.00 operating permit for boilers (one-year for power boilers, two-year for all others) and $100.00 for pressure vessel permits, all subject to a 12% surcharge, with reinspection billed at $75.00 per hour when deviations from minimum safety standards are found.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Oregon entry
Statistic 22
Oregon inspects power boilers internally and externally annually, low-pressure steam and vapor-heating boilers every 2 years, low-pressure hot-water heating and supply boilers internally every 6 years, pressure vessels subject to internal corrosion every 2 years, and fixed air-only vessels under 20 cubic feet at 200 psig or less every 6 years.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Oregon entry
What this means: These four states hold the two ends of the design space. California exempts the low-pressure heating boiler that Washington inspects and certificates; Oregon charges a flat permit and only bills more when the inspector finds something; Colorado prices the same statutory inspection at $15 or at $70 to $100 depending on who shows up.
Midwest and Great Lakes: Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota
According to the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal (illinois.gov), high pressure boilers are inspected internally every year, low pressure heating and potable hot water boilers every two years and pressure vessels every three, and every first-time inspection of new or used equipment must be done by a state inspector. According to 41 Ill. Adm. Code 2120.30 (ilga.gov), every Certificate of Inspection is $70 and no more than $130 may be charged for one boiler in any one year. According to the National Board synopsis entries for Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota (nationalboard.org), Ohio charges nothing for the inspection itself, Michigan reserves all inspections of newly installed and secondhand boilers for a department inspector, Wisconsin gives low-pressure boilers one external or internal inspection every 36 months, and Minnesota bills internal inspections of boilers over 2,000 square feet at an $80.00 hourly shop rate.
Statistic 23
Illinois inspects high pressure boilers internally every year, low pressure heating and potable hot water boilers every 2 years, and pressure vessels every 3 years; boilers in private residences or in multi-family buildings with fewer than 6 dwelling units are exempt.
Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, Division of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety, boiler FAQ
Statistic 24
In Illinois every first-time inspection of new or used equipment must be done by a state inspector; an insurance company inspector may only inspect equipment his company insures, and only after the object is registered.
Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, boiler FAQ
Statistic 25
Illinois charges $70 for every Certificate of Inspection, plus a state inspection fee of $30 for a boiler without a manhole or $60 with a manhole, and caps total charges at $130 for one boiler in any one year.
Illinois Administrative Code, Title 41, Section 2120.30, Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Rules, amended effective August 1, 2013
Statistic 26
Illinois pressure vessel inspection fees are $25 for 50 square feet or less, $50 for 51 to 150 square feet and $75 above 150 square feet, capped at $160 per vessel per year; owner-user annual statements cost $35 per vessel and a State Special Permit costs $1,000.
Illinois Administrative Code, Title 41, Section 2120.30
Statistic 27
Ohio charges nothing for the inspection itself and prices the certificate by interval instead: $65.00 for boilers on annual inspection, $130.00 for biennial and $195.00 for triennial, plus $3.25 per certificate issued.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Ohio entry
Statistic 28
Ohio inspects power boilers and high-pressure, high-temperature water boilers internally every year, low-pressure boilers internally every 3 years with an annual external under operating conditions, and process boilers every 3 years.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Ohio entry
Statistic 29
Michigan power boiler inspection fees are $85.00 at 150 square feet or less, $175.00 from 151 to 4,000 square feet and $200.00 from 4,001 to 10,000 square feet; a low-pressure installation permit application is $100.00 and a nuclear installation permit application is $1,500.00. No Michigan certificate fee is stated here; the synopsis certificate line is malformed and is listed among the unverified claims below.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Michigan entry
Statistic 30
Michigan gives power, process and high-pressure high-temperature water boilers an annual certificate inspection plus an annual external under pressure within six months of the internal, low-pressure steam or vapor heating boilers a biennial certificate inspection, and hot-water heating and supply boilers a triennial certificate inspection; all inspections of newly installed and secondhand boilers must be made by a department inspector.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Michigan entry
Statistic 31
Wisconsin inspects power boilers internally once a year but puts low-pressure steam and hot-water boilers, pressure vessels, and anhydrous ammonia storage and nurse tanks on one external or internal inspection every 36 months, the longest routine heating-boiler interval among the states in this pack. Wisconsin's synopsis entry was last reviewed by the jurisdiction on December 19, 2013, the oldest review date in this dataset.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Wisconsin entry
Statistic 32
Wisconsin's boiler internal inspection fees run $35.00 for a miniature boiler up to 20 square feet to $630.00 for a power boiler over 10,000 square feet, and a Permit to Operate costs $50.00; pressure vessels under 12 cubic feet and refrigeration systems under 3 tons carry no fee at all. Wisconsin's synopsis entry was last reviewed by the jurisdiction on December 19, 2013, the oldest review date in this dataset.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Wisconsin entry
Statistic 33
Minnesota inspects boilers and steam generators annually and unfired pressure vessels every two years, charges $55.00 for a boiler inspection and $35.00 for a pressure vessel, and bills internal inspections of boilers over 2,000 square feet of heating surface at the $80.00 per hour shop rate plus travel.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Minnesota entry
What this means: The Midwest is where the fee caps live: Illinois caps a boiler at $130 a year and a pressure vessel at $160, and Ohio caps by charging zero for the inspection and pricing the certificate by interval instead. It is also the only place in this compilation where an insurer cannot carry the inspection: Wisconsin states that inspections by insurance company inspectors are not accepted in lieu of a department inspection, against twenty jurisdictions here that accept them. And it is where the staleness problem bites hardest, since the Wisconsin entry has not been reviewed since 2013.
South and Southwest: Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina
According to Texas Health and Safety Code Section 755.025 (texas.gov), power boilers get an annual certificate inspection and an annual external inspection, steam and hot water heating boilers a biennial certificate inspection, and hot water supply boilers and potable water heaters a triennial one; Section 755.026 lets the internal interval stretch to 60 months for a power boiler and 144 months for a post-1970 process steam generator drum. According to 16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.300 (texas.gov), the certificate is $70 and the late inspection fee runs $25, $50 then $100 per day. According to the National Board synopsis entries for Georgia, Florida and North Carolina (nationalboard.org), Georgia prices the inspection by boiler horsepower, Florida by heating surface at $60 to $90, and North Carolina at $85 to $600.
Statistic 34
Tennessee's boiler inspection fees are $60 internal and $35 external for high pressure boilers, with a $50 high pressure certificate fee.
Tennessee Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development, Boiler Unit fee schedule
Statistic 35
Tennessee is cutting its low pressure boiler inspection fees but raising its certificate fees on July 1, 2026: low pressure internal drops from $60 to $30 and external from $35 to $30, while the low pressure certificate rises from $60 to $80, and the unfired pressure vessel certificate rises from $60 to $80 as well.
Tennessee Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development, Boiler Unit fee schedule
Statistic 36
Tennessee prices unfired pressure vessel inspections by heating surface, from $30 for 0-50 square feet up to $100 for 851 square feet and above.
Tennessee Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development, Boiler Unit fee schedule
Statistic 37
Texas law sets three inspection intervals by boiler type: power boilers, unfired steam boilers and process steam generator drums get an annual certificate inspection plus an annual external inspection; steam heating and hot water heating boilers are inspected every two years; hot water supply boilers and potable water heaters every three years.
Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 755.025, Texas Constitution and Statutes
Statistic 38
Texas allows the interval between internal inspections of a power boiler to be extended to as much as 60 months, unfired steam boilers to 84 months, and steam collection or liberation drums of process steam generators to 120 months (pre-1970 units) or 144 months (1970 and later), subject to continuous water treatment and other conditions.
Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 755.026
Statistic 39
Texas exempts heating boilers serving buildings used exclusively for residential purposes with accommodations for not more than four families from the inspection, certificate and related requirements.
Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 755.022
Statistic 40
Texas charges $70 for an initial or subsequent boiler certificate of operation, $70 for the inspection of a heating boiler with an inspection opening and $40 without one, $70 for boilers other than heating boilers, and $1,700 for a special inspection or non-standard boiler review.
16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.300, Texas Dept. of Licensing and Regulation
Statistic 41
Texas assesses an escalating late inspection fee when a boiler is inspected after its certificate of operation expires: $25 per day through day 30, $50 per day for days 31 to 60, and $100 per day from day 61 onward for each day of noncompliance. The daily schedule is the rule's own; the running totals it produces are computed below.
16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.300, TDLR
Statistic 42
Texas puts the late inspection fee on the insurer's inspection agency as well as the owner, and the exposure started with certificates expiring on or after December 1, 2025.
16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.61, TDLR
Statistic 43
Texas prices portable boiler inspections by ASME construction code: Section I boilers annually, Section IV "H" biennially, Section IV "HLW" triennially, and nonstandard boilers annually.
16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.63, TDLR
Statistic 44
In Texas the insurer's inspector, not the state, does the inspection whenever a boiler is insured: boilers must be inspected by the Authorized Inspection Agency that issued the policy covering the boiler, and only uninsured boilers are inspected by the department.
16 Texas Administrative Code Section 65.61, TDLR
Statistic 45
Georgia prices boiler inspections by horsepower, from $30.00 up to 30 boiler hp to $150.00 over 200 boiler hp, and charges $50.00 for a one-year high-pressure operating certificate, $50.00 for a two-year low-pressure certificate and $30.00 for a three-year unfired pressure vessel certificate.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Georgia entry
Statistic 46
Georgia doubles the installation fee, which ranges from $100.00 to $500.00 by horsepower, when a boiler or hot-water heater is installed without a permit, and charges $100.00 per hour plus travel for any special (non-routine) inspection.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Georgia entry
Statistic 47
Georgia gives every inspection certificate a 60-day grace period, and Virginia allows a two-month grace period beyond its stated intervals.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Georgia and Virginia entries
Statistic 48
North Carolina inspects high-pressure boilers internally and externally every year, low-pressure boilers and pressure vessels externally every 2 years, and hydropneumatic storage tanks every 4 years; state deputy inspectors conduct all first inspections.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, North Carolina entry
Statistic 49
North Carolina charges $85.00 for a boiler internal inspection under 500 square feet of heating surface, $235.00 from 500 to under 5,000, and $600.00 at 5,000 or more, plus a $50.00 certificate for each boiler or pressure vessel inspected by a special (insurance) inspector.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, North Carolina entry
Statistic 50
Florida gives power and high-temperature water boilers an annual certificate inspection and heating and hot-water supply boilers a biennial one, with an internal inspection of hot-water heating and supply boilers every four years where construction permits.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Florida entry
Statistic 51
Florida's certificate inspection fees are $60.00 for a power boiler with 4,000 square feet of heating surface or less, $70.00 from 4,000 to under 10,000, and $90.00 at 10,000 or more, with heating boilers at $70.00 with a manhole and $40.00 without, and $30.00 to issue a Certificate of Compliance without a department inspection.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Florida entry
Statistic 52
North Carolina first regulated high-pressure boilers in 1935 and enacted its Uniform Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act in 1975; its water heater threshold is 200,000 Btu/hr heat input or 120 gallons, and an air receiver needs inspection above five cubic feet (37.4 gallons) at more than 15 psi.
North Carolina Department of Labor, Boiler Safety Bureau overview page
What this means: This group holds the widest interval and the widest fee in the dataset. Texas can lawfully go twelve years between internal inspections of a process steam generator drum, and for the largest band each publishes, North Carolina charges $600.00 where Florida charges $90.00, a 6.7-fold spread between the two states' top-band charges. Georgia's 60-day certificate grace period sits next to Texas's zero, where the late fee starts the day after expiration.
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic: New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, DC
According to the New York Department of Labor's published synopsis of state boiler laws (ny.gov), high-pressure steam boilers are inspected internally and externally every year, low-pressure hot-water boilers internally every five years, the internal inspection is $200 and the external $75 with a $275 annual cap, and a delinquent invoice triples over six months. According to the National Board synopsis (nationalboard.org), Pennsylvania indexes its fees to the Consumer Price Index by statute, Massachusetts requires inspection reports within fourteen days, New Jersey charges $160.00 to $300.00 per object plus a $100.00 insurer-paid certificate, Maryland charges nothing for a first inspection and $250.00 thereafter, and Virginia's certificates run 14 and 26 months. According to the DC Department of Buildings (dc.gov), everything is inspected at least once a year for a flat $50.00 certificate.
Statistic 53
New York inspects high-pressure steam boilers internally every year and externally every year (about six months after each internal), high-pressure hot-water boilers internally every 3 years, low-pressure steam boilers internally every 3 years and externally every 2 years, and low-pressure hot-water boilers internally every 5 years and externally every 2 years.
New York Department of Labor, published synopsis of New York State boiler laws (reviewed 12/17/2024)
Statistic 54
New York charges $200 for a boiler internal inspection and $75 for an external inspection, with a cap of $275 for any one boiler in any one year, and $50 for miniature high-pressure nonelectric boilers; boilers used with antique steam engines displayed at fairs are inspected free.
New York Department of Labor, published synopsis of New York State boiler laws
Statistic 55
New York's penalty for late payment of a boiler inspection invoice triples over six months: one times the original fee at 45 days, two times at 60 days, and three times at 180 days.
New York Department of Labor, published synopsis of New York State boiler laws
Statistic 56
In New York an inspection report must be filed within 21 days with a $100 fee per boiler, but the internal low-pressure inspection is a non-certificate inspection carrying no fee; New York inspection certificates are valid 12 months for high-pressure boilers and 24 months for low-pressure.
New York Department of Labor, published synopsis of New York State boiler laws
Statistic 57
New York exempts steam or vapor boilers at 15 psi or less and hot-water boilers located in dwellings occupied by fewer than six families, low-pressure boilers under 100,000 BTU per hour, and boilers on farms used solely for agricultural purposes.
New York Department of Labor, published synopsis of New York State boiler laws
Statistic 58
Pennsylvania's boiler fees are indexed to the Consumer Price Index under Act 40 of 2017, which is why they carry cents: an annual boiler certificate of operation is $44.97, an unfired pressure vessel certificate $73.58, and an internal inspection of a power boiler runs $66.43 (50 sq ft or less) to $214.62 (10,000 sq ft or more).
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Pennsylvania entry
Statistic 59
Pennsylvania inspects power boilers internally and externally every year, low-pressure steam vapor, hot-water heating and hot-water supply boilers every 2 years, and unfired pressure vessels every 3 years, and will extend a power boiler internal to 24 months, or a process boiler internal to 60 months, when water treatment is continuously supervised and records show no significant scaling, corrosion or overheating.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Pennsylvania entry
Statistic 60
Massachusetts charges $100 for each steam boiler internal inspection, $50 for each cast-iron or hot-water boiler external, $100 for each visit for an external inspection under steam, $50 for each air tank inspection, and $50 for each boiler or pressure vessel certificate.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Massachusetts entry
Statistic 61
Massachusetts requires one annual internal inspection plus one annual external inspection with the boiler in service about six months later for steel and cast-iron power, process or steam-heating boilers, annual inspection of hot-water heating and supply boilers with an internal every three years, air tank internals every two years, and annual inspection of refrigeration and air conditioning systems; inspection reports must be filed within 14 days.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Massachusetts entry
Statistic 62
New Jersey boiler inspection fees are $160.00 per object for 10 to 60 square feet, $220.00 for 60 to 1,000 square feet and $300.00 at 1,000 square feet and above, with a $100.00 certificate fee per boiler paid by the insurer. New Jersey is the only state here that charges a per-object fee at every size band and adds an insurer-paid certificate on top, so a small boiler costs more there than in most states.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, New Jersey entry
Statistic 63
New Jersey scales owner-user inspection agency charges down by fleet size, from $30.00 per pressure vessel for the first 25 vessels to $9.00 per vessel above 500, and charges $640.00 for an AIA shop visit of four hours or less and $1,200.00 for a longer day.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, New Jersey entry
Statistic 64
New Jersey requires an annual internal and external inspection for steam boilers, an annual external plus biennial internal for hot-water boilers, and a triennial certificate inspection for pressure vessels.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, New Jersey entry
Statistic 65
Maryland charges $250.00 for a certificate inspection of a boiler or pressure vessel already registered in the state, nothing for the initial inspection of one not previously registered, $50.00 for a follow-up compliance inspection, and nothing to investigate an accident or complaint.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Maryland entry
Statistic 66
Operating a boiler or pressure vessel in Maryland without a valid Certificate of Inspection can carry a fine of up to $5,000.00 and imprisonment for up to five years. Confirmed against the statute: Md. Code, Public Safety, Section 12-917 makes it a misdemeanor to willfully and persistently operate a boiler or pressure vessel without a certificate, subject for each violation to imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or a fine not exceeding $5,000 or both, and Section 12-916 separately allows a civil penalty not exceeding $5,000 for each violation.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Maryland entry
Statistic 67
Virginia's flat inspection fees are $135.00 for high-pressure boilers, $70.00 for low-pressure boilers and $50.00 for pressure vessels, with a $20.00 certificate fee, and certificates valid for not more than 14 months for power boilers and 26 months for low-pressure boilers and pressure vessels.
National Board NB-370 synopsis, Virginia entry
Statistic 68
Washington DC requires boilers and unfired pressure vessels to be inspected at least once a year, by DOB inspectors or by boiler insurance companies licensed by the District, and charges a $50.00 annual Certificate of Inspection fee per boiler and air compressor.
DC Department of Buildings, boiler inspections page
What this means: Three penalty architectures sit side by side here and none of them resembles the others: New York multiplies the invoice by one, two and three at 45, 60 and 180 days, Maryland attaches a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation and, for willful and persistent operation without a certificate, a misdemeanor carrying up to five years' imprisonment, and DC just charges $50 a year and inspects everything annually.
The National Board synopsis, the code beneath it, and what the federal government does not do
According to the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (nationalboard.org), NB-370 compiles jurisdiction laws as reported by the jurisdictions themselves and carries a per-jurisdiction review date, and the National Board Inspection Code is updated every other year. According to NBIC Part 2 as quoted in the US Chemical Safety Board's 2022 investigation report (csb.gov), default pressure vessel intervals come from remaining service life rather than the calendar: external at one quarter of remaining life or five years, internal at one half or ten years, whichever is shorter. According to that same report (csb.gov), OSHA has no inservice inspection standard of its own and its 1989 guidance publication points to the NBIC and API 510 instead.
Statistic 69
The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors publishes NB-370, a synopsis of every reporting jurisdiction's boiler laws, and 46 of the 50 US states appear in it. Idaho, New Mexico, Vermont and Wyoming do not. The 46-of-50 count is RapidEye's, taken by parsing the jurisdiction headings on the all-jurisdictions view on September 4, 2026; a state's absence from NB-370 means it does not report to the National Board, not that it has no boiler law.
National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, NB-370 jurisdiction synopsis, all-jurisdictions view (2026)
Statistic 70
The jurisdiction data in NB-370 is unevenly maintained: Wisconsin's entry was last updated 12/19/2013, Indiana's in 2015, New Hampshire's 10/5/2016, Texas's 5/1/2017 and Connecticut's in 2011, while Alabama's was reviewed 11/03/2025, Illinois's 11/04/2025, and Maryland, North Carolina and Oregon in late 2025.
National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, NB-370 jurisdiction synopsis, per-jurisdiction review dates (2026)
Statistic 71
NBIC Part 2 sets default pressure vessel inspection intervals from remaining service life, not from the calendar: external inspection at one quarter of the vessel's estimated remaining service life or five years, whichever is shorter, and internal inspection at one half of remaining life or ten years, whichever is shorter.
National Board Inspection Code Part 2, section 2.2.1.3, as quoted in the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's 2022 investigation report
Statistic 72
The National Board Inspection Code places responsibility for the inspection program on the owner or user, including verifying and understanding the jurisdiction's own rules, and the NBIC Main Committee updates the code every other year.
National Board Inspection Code, as quoted in the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's 2022 investigation report
Statistic 73
OSHA does not set its own pressure vessel inservice inspection standard; its 1989 Instruction Publication 8-1.5 points to the NBIC and API 510 instead, and both are widely cited as Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practice by regulators.
OSHA Instruction Publication 8-1.5 (1989), as described in the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's 2022 investigation report
Statistic 74
The District of Columbia's boiler program lists the 2011 edition of the National Board Inspection Code (NB-23) and the 2011 edition of ASME CSD-1 among its adopted standards, while the National Board's current edition is the 2025 NBIC.
DC Department of Buildings, boiler inspections page; National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, NBIC edition pages
What this means: There is no federal boiler inspection interval. The fixed state intervals on this page are calendar floors laid over a condition-based code, which is why every state that grants a longer interval (Washington five years, Pennsylvania 24 and 60 months, Texas 60 and 144 months, California 36 and 72 months) sells it for the same price: documented water treatment and documented inspection history.
How many objects the programs carry, and who actually looks at them
According to the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal (illinois.gov), more than 100,000 boilers and pressure vessels are registered and inspected on a routine basis in that state alone, in schools, hospitals, churches, factories, day care centers, restaurants, dormitories, libraries, municipal buildings, refineries, chemical plants and prisons. According to the Oklahoma Department of Labor (oklahoma.gov), the state registers and inspects over 14,300 active boilers and pressure vessels and inspects about 9,000 of nearly 20,000 hot water heaters annually. According to the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (virginia.gov), the agency does not conduct routine inspections at all.
Statistic 75
Illinois says over 100,000 boilers and pressure vessels are registered and inspected on a routine basis in the state by authorized commissioned inspectors.
Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal, Division of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety program page
Statistic 76
Oklahoma registers and inspects over 14,300 active boilers and pressure vessels plus over 30,000 hot water heaters, has jurisdiction over nearly 20,000 hot water heaters of which about 9,000 are inspected annually, and licenses around 475 firms to install, service and repair them. The program page gives both 14,300 and about 15,000 for boilers and pressure vessels and both 30,000 and nearly 20,000 for hot water heaters; both pairs are reproduced as the state states them.
Oklahoma Department of Labor, boiler and pressure vessel program page
Statistic 77
Oklahoma requires every boiler to be inspected at least once a year by the state or an authorized insurance company, and high-pressure boilers twice a year. That is how the program page states it; the underlying rules (OAC 380:30) were not read for this page.
Oklahoma Department of Labor, boiler and pressure vessel program page
Statistic 78
Virginia does not conduct routine boiler inspections at all; the state directs owners to their insurance company or an authorized inspection company, and the agency's role is to review the report and issue the certificate.
Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, boiler and pressure vessel safety program page
What this means: Virginia states plainly what most of these programs have quietly become: a registry and a certificate printer, with the actual looking done by an insurer's commissioned inspector or a private contract inspector. The volume is why. One state carries six figures of registered objects and the state inspector force does not scale to it.
What the inspection was supposed to catch: Loy-Lange, 2017
According to the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board's investigation report on the April 3, 2017 explosion at the Loy-Lange Box Company in St. Louis (csb.gov), a pressure vessel's bottom head failed, the resulting boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion killed the employee working nearby, and the vessel was launched through the roof of a nearby business, fatally injuring three members of the public. The CSB found the company had known about corrosion in the vessel since 2004, had received at least three vendor recommendations that year to have it inspected, had no mechanical integrity or inspection program, and that the vessel was leaking before startup on the day it exploded. The jurisdiction had never inspected it.
Statistic 79
On April 3, 2017, the bottom head of a pressure vessel at the Loy-Lange Box Company in St. Louis failed, causing a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion that killed the employee working nearby and launched the vessel through the roof of a nearby business, fatally injuring three members of the public. Four people died: Tonya Gonzalez, Clifford Lee, Ken Trentham and Christopher Watkins.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO (2022)
Statistic 80
The CSB found that Loy-Lange knew about corrosion in the vessel as early as 2004, received at least three separate recommendations from its service vendor that year to have it inspected for corrosion and pitting, and had no mechanical integrity or inspection program; the vessel was leaking before startup on the day it exploded.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO (2022)
Statistic 81
The vessel that exploded had never been inspected by the jurisdiction. The City of St. Louis, not the State of Missouri, was the responsible authority; the CSB found no record of an installation permit, no record of the required post-installation inspection, and no permit for the 2012 repair, and cited "manpower limitations" alongside the company's deficient compliance.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO (2022)
Statistic 82
Missouri's boiler statute exempts any city or chartered county that regulates boilers by its own ordinance, and the City of St. Louis was self-exempted, so Missouri's two-year external pressure vessel inspection requirement did not apply to the vessel that killed four people.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO, section 2.2.2 (2022)
Statistic 83
The City of St. Louis had adopted the 2009 International Mechanical Code, which contains no requirements for inservice inspection of boilers and pressure vessels; the city's only periodic-inspection requirement was a one-sentence local amendment requiring annual inspection "as thorough as circumstances permit."
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO, section 2.2.4 (2022)
Statistic 84
The CSB recommended that the City of St. Louis revise its Mechanical Code to adopt NBIC Part 2 for inservice inspection and to require pressure vessel inspections be performed by a National Board inservice (IS) commissioned inspector, and recommended the National Board update NB-263 Rules for Commissioned Inspectors to prevent acceptance of a non-conforming repair.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO, recommendations (2022)
Statistic 85
A National Board "R" Certificate holding repair company repaired the vessel in 2012 and left material thinner than the required minimum thickness in place; the Authorized Inspection Agency that signed off did not detect it, and that remaining original steel is what failed five years later.
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, investigation report No. 2017-04-I-MO (2022)
What this means: Every causal thread in this case runs through inspection and documentation rather than equipment design: thirteen years of written warnings with no program to act on them, a home-rule city that had exempted itself from the state code, an inspection requirement written as as thorough as circumstances permit, and a credentialed repair and a credentialed inspector that both passed a defect. A signature is not a record of condition.
What an owner actually pays, outside the fee schedule
According to Dallas County's own bid tabulation for its annual boiler service contract (dallascounty.org), the county priced preventive maintenance and inspection on a single Cleaver-Brooks fire tube boiler at $5,380.00 a year, a deaerator at $1,523.00, a flexible water tube boiler at $1,605.00, a Kewanee fire tube at $3,540.00, and small gas fire tube and hot water boilers at $605.00 each. Texas's own statutory charges for that fire tube boiler are $70 for the inspection and $70 for the certificate.
Statistic 86
Dallas County's 2018 annual contract for inspections, preventive maintenance and repair on boilers and related equipment priced a single Cleaver-Brooks fire tube boiler at $5,380.00 per year for PM service, a deaerator at $1,523.00, a flexible water tube boiler at $1,605.00, a Kewanee fire tube at $3,540.00, and small gas fire tube boilers and hot water boilers at $605.00 each.
Dallas County, Texas Purchasing Department, bid tabulation for Bid No. 2018-063-6756, boiler service annual contract (2018)
What this means: This is the number that reframes every fee in the table above. The jurisdictional fee is the price of the certificate, not the price of keeping the boiler in a condition that earns one. In the only public per-boiler pricing found in this research, the state's share of annual spend on one boiler was 2.6 percent.
The numbers that rank for this query and could not be verified
These figures are widely repeated online. Each was traced as far as the trail went and is listed here so a writer does not re-chase it.
Unverified claim
California's current boiler inspection fee schedule. The Title 8 fee schedule that ranks for this query is an appendix reprint whose operative section, Title 8 Section 344.4, was repealed in 1982, and the page carries its own informational-purposes-only disclaimer; the Cal/OSHA Pressure Vessel Unit fee pages returned 404 on September 4, 2026. No California dollar figure is stated on this page. California's intervals and exemptions, from Sections 770 and 771, are stated and verified.
Unverified claim
Michigan's boiler certificate fee. The Michigan entry in the National Board synopsis reads "Certificates - $7500", which is almost certainly a mangled $75.00. Michigan's inspection fees are stated on this page; no Michigan certificate fee is, until LARA's own schedule is pulled.
Unverified claim
Wisconsin's current intervals and fees. Every Wisconsin figure here comes from a synopsis entry last reviewed by the jurisdiction on December 19, 2013, the oldest in this dataset. The figures are reported as the entry states them and flagged in place; confirm against SPS 341, Wis. Adm. Code, before relying on them.
Unverified claim
Pennsylvania's current CPI-adjusted fees. Pennsylvania indexes its fees to the Consumer Price Index under Act 40 of 2017, and the synopsis figures are pinned to the October 2019 adjustment. The dollar amounts are stated as of that adjustment, not as this year's schedule.
Unverified claim
A national boiler accident or incident count. The National Board historically summarized its incident report in its own bulletin, but the only aggregate figures surfaced covered 1992 to 1996 and are too old to publish. No national incident total appears on this page; the CSB case stands in its place.
Unverified claim
Annual inspection and tuning at $589 to $789 per boiler, from an Alabama county bid. A Jefferson County, Alabama boiler maintenance and inspection tabulation was located, but the server returned an HTML error page instead of the document, so the line items were never read. The figures came from a search-result summary only and are not published here.
Unverified claim
Boilers are inspected annually. The premise most vendor pages start from. It is false as a general statement: heating boilers are biennial in Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan and Georgia, triennial for hot water supply boilers in Texas and Michigan, on a 36-month cycle in Wisconsin, and a Texas process steam generator drum can go 144 months between internal inspections.
Unverified claim
Florida has no state boiler law. A claim that circulates for several states. Florida has a Bureau of Boiler Safety, published intervals and a published fee schedule, all cited on this page. Florida's coverage is narrower than most states, but the exact scope in Fla. Stat. ch. 554 and Fla. Admin. Code R. 69A-51 was not verified, so no coverage claim is made here.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How often does a boiler have to be inspected?
It depends on the boiler class and the state. Power and high-pressure boilers are inspected internally once a year in nearly every jurisdiction compiled here, usually with an external inspection about six months later. Heating boilers are slower: every two years in Texas, Colorado, Oregon, Michigan, Georgia and Florida, every three years for hot water supply boilers in Texas and Michigan, and one external or internal inspection every 36 months in Wisconsin. Illinois inspects pressure vessels every three years, Oregon inspects some low-pressure hot water boilers internally only every six years, and Washington DC inspects everything at least once a year.
How much does a state boiler inspection cost?
The published state charge for the largest routine boiler class each program prices runs from nothing in Ohio, which charges only a $65.00 annual certificate, to $600.00 in North Carolina for a boiler of 5,000 square feet of heating surface or more and $630.00 in Wisconsin for a power boiler over 10,000 square feet, on an entry last reviewed in 2013. For the largest boiler band each state publishes, North Carolina charges $600.00 for an internal inspection at 5,000 square feet or more while Florida charges $90.00 for a certificate inspection at 10,000 square feet or more, a 6.7-fold spread between the two states' top-band charges. Texas $70 plus a $70 certificate, Colorado $70 to $100 by BTU input or $15 if the insurer's inspector does it, and New York $200 for the internal with a $275 annual cap. These are jurisdictional fees only. The market cost of the inspection and maintenance work is far higher: Dallas County's 2018 contract priced one fire tube boiler at $5,380.00 a year.
What happens if a boiler certificate expires?
It varies more than the fees do. Texas charges a late inspection fee of $25 per day for the first 30 days, $50 per day for days 31 to 60 and $100 per day from day 61, with no grace period, and since December 1, 2025 that fee can fall on the insurer's inspection agency as well as the owner. New York multiplies a delinquent invoice by one at 45 days, two at 60 and three at 180. Colorado can assess up to $1,000 per object per day of violation. Maryland allows a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation, and Md. Code, Public Safety, Section 12-917 makes willfully and persistently operating without a certificate a misdemeanor carrying imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to $5,000 or both. Georgia grants a 60-day grace period and Virginia two months.
Can an insurance company inspector do the state boiler inspection?
In every jurisdiction on this page where the source states who may inspect, yes, for the recurring inspection, with one exception. Twenty of the twenty-one accept a commissioned insurance company inspector: Washington, California, Colorado, Oregon, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, as does Oklahoma. Wisconsin is the exception: its own entry states that inspections made by inspectors employed by insurance companies are not accepted in lieu of an inspection made by a department inspector. Texas goes furthest: a boiler must be inspected by the Authorized Inspection Agency that issued the policy covering it, and only uninsured boilers are inspected by the department. Virginia performs no routine inspections at all and directs owners to their insurer or a private commissioned inspector. Several states reserve the first look for themselves: Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts and North Carolina all require a state inspector for the first inspection of new or secondhand equipment.
Is there a federal boiler inspection requirement?
No. OSHA has no inservice inspection standard for boilers and pressure vessels; its 1989 guidance publication points to the National Board Inspection Code and API 510, both widely cited by regulators as recognized and generally accepted good engineering practice. NBIC Part 2 sets intervals from remaining service life rather than the calendar: external inspection at one quarter of estimated remaining life or five years, whichever is shorter, and internal at one half or ten years, whichever is shorter. State intervals are calendar floors laid on top of that.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these publishers' own documents, each checked against the original before publishing. Sources are named at the publisher level and shown by root domain.
Illinois General Assembly41 Ill. Adm. Code 2120.30, boiler and pressure vessel feesilga.gov