Hello all. I'm sorry this is not very piping design related but I'm hoping you fellow piping designers out there can assist.

I have a question regarding Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) for pressure vessels and pressure piping in the United States; mainly, do you even have any? We're an engineering firm from Canada who is starting more and more work in the US. In Canada each province has a well defined AHJ who reviews, registers, and approves pressure piping systems (ASME BPVC and ASME B31.3 systems specifically). Our work to date is mostly in North Dakota where there are no inspections or approvals required. This just seems odd to me. A client wants us to review the use of this equipment in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma as well. While some states seem to have adopted B31.3 for design, I am having trouble finding any requirements on registration, inspections, or approvals of designs. I've found a list at the link below for the NB but the list is mostly in reference to boiler registration.

Any assistance or clarifications on AHJs and their role in the design-build process would be extremely appreciated.

http://www.nationalboard.org/PrintAllSynopsis.aspx?Jurisdiction=Select

Federal and State laws may apply independently based on the nature of the work. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) will help somewhat. The CFRs will generally tell you B31.3 for metallic piping inside facility limits and B31.8 outside facility limits.

With regards to state piping permit regulations, I can suggest you call up the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and inquire to the nature of their permitting, and ask if they have contact information for Texas equivalent, and then from Texas move to Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Edit to add:
Various typical federal authorities may include, but are not limited to:
EPA
Transportation
Mineral Resources
Read the CFRs. They're online, free of charge.

Also, county and municipal requirements may also vary.