# Which Boilers Are Exempt in Texas? The Boiler Act Exemptions

> Source: PermitPulled, https://permitpulled.com/blog/texas-boiler-exemptions
> Compiled from the public TDLR license file. Published under CC BY 4.0; attribution to PermitPulled required.
> For an individual license record, use the official TDLR search: https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch/

[Texas license lookup](</>) / [Articles](</blog>) / Boiler exemptions

# Which Boilers Are Exempt in Texas? The Boiler Act Exemptions

Most boilers in Texas must be registered, inspected and certified. A short list is not covered at all, and heating boilers in small homes are excused from inspections and certificates. Here is the list from the law itself.

9 October 2026

## Not covered by the Boiler Act at all

Section 755.022(a) of the Health and Safety Code says the Texas Boiler Act does not apply to:

  * **Boilers owned or operated by the federal government.**
  * **Pressure vessels and process steam generators** , except the steam collection or liberation drums of process steam generators, which are covered.
  * **Hobby miniature boilers** , if all three conditions are met: manually fired and used only as a hobby on locomotives, boats, tractors or stationary engines for exhibition, recreation, education or history, not commercially; an inside diameter of 12 inches or less, or a grate area of two square feet or less; and fitted with an adequate safety valve, a water level indicator and a pressure gauge.
  * **Boilers designed to operate only at atmospheric pressure** , with two independent means of preventing pressure from building up.
  * **Steam cookers.**
  * **Espresso machines.**

In 2025 the 89th Legislature added an exemption from registration and inspection for certain boilers in **medical equipment and autoclaves** , according to TDLR's program summary.

## Small residential heating boilers

Under section 755.022(b), a heating boiler used to heat a building that is **exclusively residential, with accommodation for no more than four families** , is exempt from the sections on inspection, inspection agency reports, the certificate of operation and fees.

So a boiler heating a house or a fourplex does not need the periodic certificate inspection or a certificate of operation. A boiler heating a five-unit apartment building, or any building with commercial use, does.

That exemption is narrower than it sounds: it covers specific sections of the Act, not the whole of it, and it applies to heating boilers only. A hot water supply boiler or a process boiler in the same building is a different case.

## If you are unsure

  * Look for a **TX number** on the boiler, a red sticker or stamped plate with "TX" and six digits. If it has one, it has been registered and inspected in Texas, and it shows up in the [Boiler Data Search](<https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/boilerdata/>).
  * Ask TDLR's boiler program at boilers@tdlr.texas.gov before you decide a boiler is exempt. Operating an unregistered boiler that should have been registered is a Class C violation, with a first-offence range of $2,000 to $4,000.

## Questions

### Do residential boilers need to be inspected in Texas?

Not if they are heating boilers in a building used only as a residence for four families or fewer. Those are exempt from inspection, the certificate of operation and fees.

### Are espresso machines and steam cookers regulated as boilers in Texas?

No. Both are expressly excluded from the Texas Boiler Act.

### Are pressure vessels regulated by TDLR's boiler program?

No, pressure vessels are excluded, except the steam collection or liberation drums of process steam generators.

## Related

  * [How often boilers are inspected](</blog/texas-boiler-inspection-intervals>)
  * [How to check a certificate of operation](</blog/texas-boiler-certificate-of-operation-lookup>)
  * [Boiler fees and late fees](</blog/texas-boiler-inspection-fees>)

## Sources

Texas Health and Safety Code [§755.022](<https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._health_&_safety_code_section_755.022>); [Boilers at a glance (TDLR, PDF)](<https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/media/pdf/BLR-at-a-glance.pdf>); [TDLR boiler penalties and sanctions](<https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/enforcement/blrsanctions.htm>).

Reviewed 9 October 2026. Written by an independent site; not legal advice and not an official TDLR publication. Exemptions are applied case by case: confirm with TDLR.

**Cite this page**

PermitPulled (2026). _Which Boilers Are Exempt in Texas? The Boiler Act Exemptions._ Retrieved from `https://permitpulled.com/blog/texas-boiler-exemptions`

Figures compiled from the public TDLR license file and published under [CC BY 4.0](<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/>). Attribution required.