PHMSA’s 2027 NPMS Submission Requirements Are Here: What Pipeline Operators Need to Do Now

Author: Travis Tillman | August 12, 2026

In July 2026, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) released the standards and data templates for 2027 National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) submissions. NPMS is an annual reporting requirement for gas transmission pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines, LNG plants and breakout tanks. The new requirements apply to pipeline and LNG plant data showing field conditions as of December 31, 2026.

Gas transmission and LNG plant submissions are due March 15, 2027, while hazardous liquid submissions are due June 15, 2027. Breakout tank operators will use the same spatial and attribute requirements as before, with one minor new requirement. Beginning in 2027, they must provide public contact information for their breakout tank Operator Identification Numbers (OPIDs).

Normally, operators with no reportable changes can file a No Change Notification, while those adding only new assets can use the Addition submission type. Neither option will be available for pipeline or LNG plant submissions in 2027. All existing pipeline and LNG plant operators that will continue reporting assets must provide a Full Replacement containing their entire current system in the new format, including features that did not change during 2026. For example, an operator that reported 700 miles of pipeline under an OPID in its previous submission cannot limit its 2027 dataset to the 14 miles added or modified during 2026. The Full Replacement must account for the entire reportable system.

Missing records, uncertain centerline locations and inconsistent segmentation can take months to resolve, so preparation should begin well before the submission window opens.

What Is Changing in 2027?

Because a Full Replacement submission is required, 2027 becomes a systemwide rebuild and validation exercise. If a previously submitted feature is omitted, PHMSA will treat it as a deletion. Operators will also need to use the revised data structure and code values when submitting their data through PHMSA’s Operator Submission and Validation Environment (OSAVE).

The major requirements include:

• New or newly mandatory attributes for commodity, material, coating, joining method, offshore status and in-line inspection (ILI) capability
• Fields identifying gas transmission pipeline Class Location, High Consequence Area (HCA) or Moderate Consequence Area (MCA) status and whether the segment is subject to the integrity assessment requirements of 49 CFR § 192.710
• New pipeline status, positional quality and revision codes
• Additional LNG plant information, including plant type, storage capacity and construction year

Active hazardous liquid pipelines must be mapped within 50 feet. Gas transmission pipelines must meet either a 50-foot or 100-foot standard. The 50-foot standard applies to segments in Class 2, 3 or 4 locations, within an HCA or MCA, or subject to assessment under § 192.710. It also applies when a building intended for human occupancy or an identified site is located within the pipeline’s potential impact radius (PIR).

Operators must also report the estimated accuracy of each segment using PHMSA’s new positional quality codes. If an operator cannot confirm that a centerline meets the applicable standard, it will need to be reviewed using more reliable sources. Consider an older centerline that was digitized from a scanned alignment sheet. Even if its attribute data is complete, the operator might not be able to support the applicable positional quality code without comparing the line to as-built surveys, GPS/GNSS survey data, ILI records, facility coordinates, alignment sheets or documented crossings.

Why Segmentation Matters

NPMS data is already submitted by pipeline segment. What changes in 2027 is the number of attributes that must be represented at the segment level. Operators must segment their centerlines as needed so that each submitted segment has valid values for all required attributes. This can require new breaks at changes in material, coating, ILI capability, HCA or MCA status, §192.710 applicability, positional-accuracy requirement or operating status. PHMSA permits predominant values for joining method and Class Location when at least 90% of the segment shares the reported value.

For example, a single pipeline that runs for 10 miles will need to be segmented where coating changes to paint at a valve setting, where the line enters an HCA, where Class changes from Class 2 to 1, or where the applicable positional accuracy standard changes from 100 feet to 50 feet.

PHMSA also directs operators to minimize segmentation and keep it consistent from year to year. The goal is to create the fewest segments needed to report the required information accurately while preserving PHMSA’s ability to match features to earlier submissions.

Spreadsheets can help collect attributes, but they cannot create or preserve the underlying spatial relationships. Operators need a controlled Geographic Information System (GIS) or linear-referencing process that keeps attributes tied to the correct geometry without introducing gaps, overlaps or mileage discrepancies.

What This Means for Operators

In practice, the 2027 requirements turn the annual NPMS submission into a coordinated data-validation effort. An operator may have submitted the same pipeline system for years, but they will still need to verify that all reportable assets are included, centerlines meet the applicable positional standards, segment breaks support the required attributes and NPMS mileage agrees with annual report totals.

For many operators, the most difficult part will be supporting the value reported for each segment. The necessary information might be distributed across many different records. Some examples of those records include GIS, line lists, alignment sheets, integrity records, engineering files and separate regulatory analyses. Acquired systems present additional challenges when records are incomplete or identifiers do not match across data sources.

This work will require coordination between multiple departments. GIS personnel might identify where attributes or spatial conditions change, while integrity personnel might need to confirm ILI capability, regulatory staff might need to verify HCA or MCA, and engineering or records personnel might need to resolve material, coating and construction details. For example, GIS might identify that two separate sources assign a different coating type to the same segment, but subject matter experts from other departments might need to determine which value is current and correct.

Waiting until early 2027 does not leave much time to get everything submitted properly before the deadline.

A Look Ahead to 2028

The 2027 submission is the first phase of the expansion. For 2028, PHMSA has approved additional fields including wall thickness, predominant specified minimum yield strength (SMYS), seam type and installation decade. Liquid operators will also report “could affect” indicators, the method and year of the most recent assessment and the Facility Response Plan (FRP) sequence numbers where applicable. No Change Notifications will also be unavailable for pipeline submissions in 2028.

PHMSA expects to publish the final 2028 standards in July 2027. Operators should treat the current list as advance planning information, but collecting these attributes during the 2027 effort can prevent another large data-reconstruction project next year. For example, an operator already reviewing records for 2027 may also be able to capture wall thickness, SMYS, seam type and installation decade during that same records review rather than going through those same documents again for the 2028 submission.

How Altamira Can Help

Altamira combines pipeline GIS, regulatory analysis and data management to support the complete NPMS preparation process. We can assess existing data, identify gaps, evaluate centerline accuracy, create the required segmentation and prepare submission-ready GIS files.

Support can include:

• Compiling and validating attributes from Pipeline Open Data Standard (PODS), line lists, alignment sheets, as-built records and prior analyses
• Correcting centerlines and creating repeatable NPMS segmentation
• Applying updated codes and reconciling NPMS mileage with annual report totals
• Supporting OSAVE validation while establishing a maintainable process for 2028 and future reporting cycles

Altamira’s proprietary GasHCA analysis tools provide Class Location and HCA results needed for NPMS preparation. Our proprietary Liquid HCA analysis tool can also help operators prepare for the additional liquid “could affect” attributes planned for 2028.

Start with the data you have now. That leaves time to track down missing attributes, resolve centerline or mileage issues and fix problems that surface during validation. Altamira can review the NPMS data you already have, show you what still needs work and help prepare it for the 2027 submission.