Requirements, license levels, and the issuing authority, sourced from Pennsylvania's official board.
Pennsylvania does not license boiler operators or stationary engineers statewide; the Department of Labor and Industry approves boiler installations, inspects boilers and unfired pressure vessels, and commissions the inspectors who perform that work. This rests on official absence as well as on what the Department publishes: the Commonwealth's complete boiler regulations at 34 Pa. Code Chapter 3A contain no operator, engineer, fireman or attendant licensing section, and operator licensing in Pennsylvania is municipal, with the City of Philadelphia for example requiring an Engineer License of anyone working as an engineer in the city.
Pennsylvania issues no boiler operator license, so there are no state license levels. What applies instead is set out below.
| Requirements | Pennsylvania issues no boiler operator, stationary engineer or fireman credential, so the Commonwealth sets no operator experience, examination or age requirement. The credential the Department does issue is the Pennsylvania Inspector Commission. Under the Department's published requirements an applicant must be an employee of a company authorized to insure boilers and pressure vessels, an employee of a boiler or unfired pressure vessel owner authorized to inspect equipment used in process operations, or an employee of the Commonwealth. The application package is application form LIBI-304, a valid National Board Commission card, proof of the company's insurance license or an authorization letter from the employer, and the application fee. An applicant who fails the first Pennsylvania Inspector Commission examination may take it two more times within one year at no extra cost. 34 Pa. Code section 3a.6 provides that the Department will issue a certificate of competency, credential card and commission to an applicant who passes the examination for inspector, meets the requirements of the part and pays the fee under section 3a.2. |
| Reciprocity | 34 Pa. Code section 3a.8 allows the Department to grant a reciprocal inspector commission where the applicant holds a current National Board Commission in good standing, is currently employed by another state or by an insurance company in good standing, and passes the Department administered written examination under section 3a.5(b). The applicant submits a Department provided application form, a copy of the inspector's National Board Commission and the required fee. This reciprocity provision applies to inspector commissions only, because Pennsylvania issues no operator credential. |
| Renewal | A Pennsylvania Commission is valid for one calendar year. Under 34 Pa. Code section 3a.6 an inspector must renew the certificate of competency and obtain a new credential card each year by submitting the Department provided renewal application and paying the fee under section 3a.2. The Department's page also requires the current Pennsylvania credential card, a valid National Board card and proof of continued authorization at renewal. No continuing education requirement appears in section 3a.6. |
| Notes | Pennsylvania does not license boiler operators or stationary engineers statewide; the Department of Labor and Industry approves boiler installations, inspects boilers and unfired pressure vessels, and commissions the inspectors who perform that work. This rests on official absence as well as on what the Department publishes: the Commonwealth's complete boiler regulations at 34 Pa. Code Chapter 3A contain no operator, engineer, fireman or attendant licensing section, and operator licensing in Pennsylvania is municipal, with the City of Philadelphia for example requiring an Engineer License of anyone working as an engineer in the city. |
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Sources: www.pa.gov, www.pacodeandbulletin.gov, www.pacodeandbulletin.gov, www.pacodeandbulletin.gov. Always confirm current requirements with the issuing authority.
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