Minnesota Propane Training Requirements Under PEP — 2026 Guide

innesota law actually says

Minnesota splits propane oversight across two agencies, with no technician-level state license on either side:

Track 1 — storage, handling, and fire code. The State Fire Marshal (Division of the Department of Public Safety) enforces the Minnesota State Fire Code, adopted as Minnesota Rules chapter 7511. The code text itself is adopted by the Department of Labor and Industry "consistent with the recommendations of the state fire marshal" (Minn. Stat. 326B.02, subd. 6); the State Fire Marshal handles enforcement, variances, and LP-gas plan review (Minn. Stat. 299F.011). For propane, Minn. Rules 7511.6101 does the entire job by reference: the model code's LP-gas chapter is "deleted in its entirety" and replaced with a requirement that LP-gas storage, handling, transportation, and use comply with NFPA 58 (2017 edition), subject to nine Minnesota amendments — all of them equipment and siting provisions. Through that adoption, NFPA 58's personnel-training requirement applies: persons who transfer LP-gas liquid, who are employed to transport it, or whose duties bring them into contact with it must be trained in proper handling and operating procedures, with refresher training at least every three years. Citation: Minn. Rules 7511.6101; NFPA 58 §4.4 as incorporated. Verified at revisor.mn.gov and dps.mn.gov, 2026-07-27.

Track 2 — gas piping in buildings. The same department, Labor and Industry (DLI), also administers the Minnesota Mechanical and Fuel Gas Code, which governs gas piping and appliance installation inside buildings. Permits and inspections generally run through local authorities. This is a code-compliance track, not a propane-credential track.

The plain read: Minnesota's obligation is "trained per NFPA 58," not "CETP-certified" — no Minnesota statute or rule names the NPGA/PERC curriculum. The NPGA 50-state survey's claim that the State Fire Marshal accepts "CETP or PERC courses or equivalent" is consistent with how curriculum-neutral NFPA 58 states operate, but our full sweep of the 2025 Statutes and 2025 Rules shows that wording exists nowhere in Minnesota law. The closest real construct — a certificate from an "approved organization" for service personnel, at Minn. Rules 7511.0904 and 7511.0906 — is scoped to fire-extinguishing systems and portable fire extinguishers, not propane; don't let it get quoted as a propane credential.

PERC is archiving CETP on a rolling basis — each module retires roughly 12 months after its PEP replacement releases. PEP, the successor, is role-based and modular: employees complete only the learning paths their job requires, the credential is a PERC Learning Center transcript entry instead of a paper CETP certificate, and the proctored CETP exam is replaced by module knowledge assessments plus an OJT (on-the-job training) worksheet verified by a PEP-Recognized Field Trainer.

For Minnesota, the transition is already in motion on the ground: the Minnesota Propane Association (MPA) ran a PEP trial class — Intro to Propane, October 22–23, 2024, in Zimmerman (the listing is still live on its events calendar, re-checked 2026-07-27). Because Minnesota law never named CETP, nothing statutory breaks when CETP retires; your NFPA 58 training obligation is curriculum-neutral and PEP satisfies it the same way CETP did. What changes is your paperwork: the proof of training shifts from paper certificates to the Learning Center transcript, and the hands-on OJT record becomes yours to keep.

1. Keep training on PEP. It is PERC's current program, the MPA is already teaching it, and it is the industry-standard evidence of the NFPA 58 training Minnesota's fire code requires.
2. Confirm the equivalency question with the State Fire Marshal. The NPGA survey reports that Minnesota accepts CETP/PERC courses or an approved equivalent, but we could not find that language anywhere in Minnesota law — get it confirmed against the current fire code, in writing, for your operation.
3. Train through the MPA where you can. The state association's PEP classes are the cleanest path: current curriculum, Minnesota-aware instructors, and a schedule built for Minnesota operators.
4. Hold onto prior CETP certificates. They remain valid records in the PERC Learning Center — keep them.
5. Track the three-year refresher cadence. NFPA 58's refresher requirement is the enforcement hook an inspector or insurer will check first. Build the recurring date into your records per employee.
6. Check the building-side permits separately. Gas piping and appliance work inside buildings runs through the DLI-administered fuel gas code and local inspections — a separate lane from the fire marshal's storage/handling jurisdiction.

• The completion date and PERC Learning Center transcript for each PEP-trained employee (PEP issues no paper certificate — the transcript is the record).
• Any prior CETP certificates — keep them; they stay in the Learning Center as valid history.
• Three-year refresher dates per employee — the NFPA 58 cadence your fire-code obligation rides on.
• The State Fire Marshal's written answer on PEP/CETP equivalency, once you have it — that letter converts a secondary-source claim into your compliance record.
• Local permit and inspection records for gas piping and appliance installs under the fuel gas code.
• OJT worksheets and who verified them. PERC's Learning Center auto-tracks eLearning only; hands-on OJT is yours to track and retain.