​Gas Test Guidelines

This guide is to provide the property owner, or the occupant of a building or residence, with requirements for establishing or re-establishing fuel gas service to the property where they live or work. If the fuel gas service has been discontinued provided there is no evidence of meter tampering, a permit and plumbing inspection may be required prior to resumption of service or the establishment of gas service. 
You can access the information below or via this Gas Test Guidelines pdf. 

CODE: 2021 IRC, IPC, IFGC
CODE: REF:
SUBJECT: Gas Test Guidelines for Residential/Commercial Properties
The following conditions will require a permit and gas inspection

FUEL GAS TEST GUIDE
In order to resume or reestablish fuel gas service, the following conditions must be met:

1. For commercial property a current Certificate of Occupancy is required.
2. A plumbing permit must be obtained by either the homeowner for residential property (see  qualifying conditions for homeowner permit) or a Licensed Plumbing Contractor who has a current responsible Master Plumber's license issued by the Texas State Board Plumbing  Examiners, and who is also registered with the City of Dallas as a Plumbing Contractor.

• Qualifying Conditions for Homeowners Exemption: (Not Applicable for Commercial Property). To obtain a plumbing permit as a homeowner,
• The property must have a Homestead exemption that is filed with the county tax office  (Dallas County Tax Appraisal District, 2949 N. Stemmons, Dallas Texas (214) 637-0555)
•  Owned and occupy the property
• If you obtain a Homeowner's permit, you will be required to meet the same requirements of the  plumbing code just like a plumbing contractor.

The fuel gas piping system must be tested with a diaphragm test gauge that is approved by the Dallas Plumbing Code. The test consists of applying a test pressure of three (3) psi/g that a City of Dallas Plumbing Inspector witnesses for a minimum of 15 minutes. The test must include all the fuel gas piping starting at the gas meter and including the yard service and all structures located on the property. The plumbing inspector will need access to all structures and is required to inspect all fuel gas supplied appliances to ensure proper installation and meet minimum safety requirements.         

The structure is required to have approved vented heating equipment (See Exception Below) that is capable of maintaining a minimum habitable temperature of 70° degrees F, three (3) feet above the floor within the structure prior to the fuel gas meter being released. Heating equipment that is installed that has 5 B.T.U.'s input for each cubic foot of occupied space will
be considered adequate to meet this requirement.

• Exception:  Existing approved unvented heaters may continue to be used in dwelling units, in  accordance with the code provisions in effect when installed, when approved by the Code Official unless an unsafe condition is determined to exist. 

Use of New Unvented Room Heaters with 
Oxygen Depletion Safety Shutoff

Prohibited use. One or more unvented room heaters shall not be used as the primary source of comfort heating in a dwelling unit.

Unvented room heaters shall be tested in accordance with ANSI Z 21.11.2 and shall be installed in  
  accordance with the conditions of the listing and the manufacturer's installation instructions.

Input rating. Unvented room heaters shall not have an input rating in excess of 40,000 Btu/h (11.7 kW).

A single listed wall-mounted unvented room heater equipped with an oxygen depletion safety shutoff system and installed in a bathroom provided that the input rating does not exceed 6,000 Btu per hour (1760 W/hr) and the bathroom is not a confined space.
A single listed wall-mounted unvented room heater equipped with an oxygen depletion safety shutoff system and installed in a bedroom provided that the input rating does not exceed 10,000 Btu per hour (2930 W/hr) and the bathroom is not a confined space. 

Oxygen-depletion safety system. Unvented room heaters shall be equipped with an oxygen-depletion sensitive safety shutoff system. The system shall shut off the gas supply to the main and pilot burners when the oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere is depleted to the percent concentration specified by the manufacturer, but not lower than 18 percent. The system shall not incorporate field adjustment means capable of changing the set point at which the system acts to shut off the gas supply to the room heater.

Effective January 1, 1991, dwellings heated by unvented space heaters that have remodeling, renovation or additions exceeding $10,000 or 10% of the dwelling's value, whichever is greater, must have heating equipment installed that is approved by the 2021 International Residential Code (IRC).

Upon completion of the fuel gas inspection and approval, the City of Dallas plumbing an Inspector will contact ATMOS Energy and give a release for the fuel gas service to be connected or re-connected.

After the City of Dallas plumbing inspector released the fuel gas inspection to ATMOS Energy, you must contact ATMOS Energy customer service (1-866-332-8667) to schedule the meter reconnects.

Gas Release Guide

A city inspection and release for gas service is required for the following conditions:

1. New installation of fuel gas systems.
2. Repair of fuel gas leaks and replacement of fuel gas piping.
3. Meters that have been removed at the request of Code Compliance because the building was unfit for human habitation.
4. Any property issued a gas release and service is not established within 60 days
5. Meters removed because of tampering.
6. Meters removed at the request of the Fire Department
7. Meter removed at the request of a Plumbing Inspector
8. Any repair that includes the replacement of gas piping other than the replacement or repair of an approved appliance connector located on the appliance side of the stop.
9.  Any changes, additions or alterations to existing fuel gas system.
10. Any time fuel gas provider will not re-establish service without a release from the City of Dallas.
11. Atmos may restore gas to a property without a gas release from the City of Dallas under the following conditions:

• property owner or tenant of a property first request for gas service if the gas system did not  have deficiencies or hazards at the time services were disconnected; 
• a property owner or tenant of a property request for gas service during a seasonal hold  approved by Atmos Energy or at the termination of a seasonal hold approved by Atmos Energy if the gas system did not have deficiencies or hazards at the time services were disconnected; 
• Atmos may restore gas to a property when the gas service was disconnected due to non-payment of the bill if the gas system did not have deficiencies or hazards at the time services were disconnected;
• all conditions listed above are subject to the gas purveyor's discretion to provide service or deny service. All properties that fail a pressure test performed by Atmos Energy prior to restoring gas services and Atmos deems repairs to the gas piping is required. A permit for the repairs and a gas release from the City of Dallas is required prior to the restoration of gas service to the property.

Note: Inspectors only witness the gas test and inspect any repairs. It is the permit holders
responsibility to ensure any fuel gas system installation that was not approved by a current or
previous plumbing code must be in compliance with the current code prior to gas
release.

For additional questions, visit Plumbing & Mechanical page or contact 214.948.4480.