1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to boilers; modifying an exception to certain boiler laws;amending 
1.3 	Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 326B.988.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2015 Supplement, section 326B.988, is amended to read:
1.6 	326B.988 EXCEPTIONS.
1.7 	(a) The provisions of sections 326B.95 to 326B.998 shall not apply to:
1.8 	(1) boilers and pressure vessels in buildings occupied solely for residence purposes 
1.9 	with accommodations for not more than five families;
1.10 	(2) railroad locomotives operated by railroad companies for transportation purposes;
1.11 	(3) air tanks installed on the right-of-way of railroads and used directly in the 
1.12 	operation of trains;
1.13 	(4) boilers and pressure vessels under the direct jurisdiction of the United States;
1.14 	(5) unfired pressure vessels having an internal or external working pressure not 
1.15 	exceeding 15 psig with no limit on size;
1.16 	(6) pressure vessels used for storage of compressed air not exceeding five cubic feet 
1.17 	in volume and equipped with an ASME code stamped safety valve set at a maximum of 
1.18 	100 psig;
1.19 	(7) pressure vessels having an inside diameter not exceeding six inches;
1.20 	(8) every vessel that contains water under pressure, including those containing air 
1.21 	that serves only as a cushion, whose design pressure does not exceed 300 psig and whose 
1.22 	design temperature does not exceed 210 degrees Fahrenheit;
1.23 	(9) boiler or pressure vessels located on farms used solely for agricultural or 
1.24 	horticultural purposes; for purposes of this section, boilers used for mint oil extraction 
2.1 	are considered used for agricultural or horticultural purposes, provided that the owner or 
2.2 	lessee complies with the inspection requirements contained in section 326B.958;
2.3 	(10) tanks or cylinders used for storage or transfer of liquefied petroleum gases;
2.4 	(11) unfired pressure vessels in petroleum refineries;
2.5 	(12) an air tank or pressure vessel which is an integral part of a passenger motor 
2.6 	bus, truck, or trailer;
2.7 	(13) hot water heating and other hot liquid boilers not exceeding a heat input of 
2.8 	750,000 BTU per hour;
2.9 	(14) hot water supply boilers (water heaters) not exceeding a heat input of 500,000 
2.10 	BTU per hour, a water temperature of 210 degrees Fahrenheit, a nominal water capacity 
2.11 	of 120 gallons, or a pressure of 160 psig;
2.12 	(15) a laundry and dry cleaning press not exceeding five cubic feet of steam volume;
2.13 	(16) pressure vessels operated full of water or other liquid not materially more 
2.14 	hazardous than water, if the vessel's contents' temperature does not exceed 210 degrees 
2.15 	Fahrenheit or a pressure of 200 psig;
2.16 	(17) steam-powered turbines at papermaking facilities which are powered by steam 
2.17 	generated by steam facilities at a remote location;
2.18 	(18) manually fired boilers for model locomotive, boat, tractor, stationary engine, 
2.19 	or antique motor vehicles constructed or maintained only as a hobby for exhibition, 
2.20 	educational or historical purposes and not for commercial use, if the boilers have an 
2.21 	inside diameter of 12 inches or less, or a grate area of two square feet or less, and are 
2.22 	equipped with an ASME stamped safety valve of adequate size, a water level indicator, 
2.23 	and a pressure gauge;
2.24 	(19) any pressure vessel used as an integral part of an electrical circuit breaker;
2.25 	(20) pressure vessels used for the storage of refrigerant if they are built to ASME 
2.26 	code specifications, registered with the national board, and equipped with an ASME 
2.27 	code-stamped pressure-relieving device set no higher than the maximum allowable 
2.28 	working pressure of the vessel. This does not include pressure vessels used in ammonia 
2.29 	refrigeration systems;
2.30 	(21) pressure vessels used for the storage of oxygen, nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, 
2.31 	argon, nitrous oxide, or other medical gas, provided the vessel is constructed to ASME 
2.32 	or Minnesota Department of Transportation specifications and equipped with an ASME 
2.33 	code-stamped pressure-relieving device. The owner of the vessels shall perform annual 
2.34 	visual inspections and planned maintenance on these vessels to ensure vessel integrity;
2.35 	(22) pressure vessels used for the storage of compressed air for self-contained 
2.36 	breathing apparatuses;
3.1 	(23) hot water heating or other hot liquid boilers vented directly to the atmosphere; 
3.2 	and
3.3 	(24) pressure vessels used for the storage of compressed air not exceeding 1.5 cubic 
3.4 	feet (11.22 gallons) in volume with a maximum allowable working pressure of 600 psi or 
3.5 	less.
3.6 	(b) An engineer's license is not required for hot water supply boilers.
3.7 	(c) An engineer's license and annual inspection by the department is not required 
3.8 	for boilers, steam cookers, steam kettles, steam sterilizers or other steam generators not 
3.9 	exceeding 100,000 BTU per hour input, 25 kilowatt, and a pressure of 15 psig.
3.10 	(d) Electric boilers not exceeding a maximum working pressure of 50 psig, 
3.11 	maximum of 30 kilowatt input or three horsepower rating shall be inspected as pressure 
3.12 	vessels and shall not require an engineer license to operate.
3.13 	(e) Sawmills, located in a county with a population of less than 8,000 according to 
3.14 	the last federal census and that utilize steam for the drying of lumber, are not required to 
3.15 	meet the high pressure boiler attendance requirements set forth in Minnesota Rules, part 
3.16 	5225.1180, only if all of the following conditions are met:
3.17 	(1) the owner complies with the inspection requirements under section 326B.958, 
3.18 	and the licensing requirements under section 326B.972; and
3.19 	(2) the boiler:
3.20 	(i) is equipped with electronic control systems that are remotely operated but which 
3.21 	require on-site manual reset of system faults;
3.22 	(ii) is remotely monitored for log water levels, boiler pressure, and steam flow;
3.23 	(iii) has automatic safety mechanisms built into the remote monitoring systems that 
3.24 	send an alarm upon detection of a fault condition, and an on-site alarm that will sound 
3.25 	upon detection of a fault condition and which may be heard at a distance of 500 feet;
3.26 	(iv) has a water treatment program that is supervised by a third party water treatment 
3.27 	company; and
3.28 	(v) is attended on site by a licensed boiler operator at least two times in a 24-hour 
3.29 	period. If the boiler is not attended more than twice in a 24-hour period, the period 
3.30 	between checks must not be less than eight hours.
3.31 	This paragraph expires August 1, 2016.This paragraph expires the sooner of August 
3.32 	1, 2021, or the date upon which a rule becomes effective.

3.33 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.