Railroad Crossing Permits for Utilities: What to Expect
A pipeline or power line that touches a railroad needs the railroad's permission, and each railroad runs its own process. Here is what BNSF and Union Pacific publish about applications, fees, insurance, flagging and timelines, and how to build that lead time into your schedule.
Railroad crossing permits for utilities are the approvals a pipeline, electric line, or communication line needs before it can cross or run along a railroad's property. Each railroad runs its own process, sets its own design rules, and charges its own fees. That is why the permit deserves a place on the schedule long before the crew shows up.
Western States Land Services handles this kind of third-party permitting for utilities and public agencies as part of its permitting and project management service. This post walks through what the major railroads publish about their utility crossing processes, so you know what to prepare.
Quick Summary
- A railroad crossing permit is a license or agreement that lets a utility cross or occupy railroad property under the railroad's terms.
- BNSF publishes a $2,000 application fee and an average of about 8 weeks from receipt of application to completion.
- Union Pacific requires written engineering approval and a fully executed agreement before any work begins.
- Both railroads require flagging and protective measures, and both put the review costs on the applicant.
- Incomplete drawings and late flagging requests are the easiest delays to avoid.
What Is a Railroad Utility Crossing Permit?
A railroad utility crossing permit is written permission, usually a license or encroachment agreement, for a utility to install a line across or along railroad property. The railroad sets the location, depth, engineering, insurance, and safety terms. The utility pays for review, and no work starts until the agreement is signed.
The name changes by railroad. BNSF describes a pipeline and wire line licensing process. Union Pacific calls its process an encroachment procedure. The purpose is the same: protect train operations while letting the utility cross.
How Do You Apply for a BNSF Utility Crossing?
BNSF accepts applications online through its rail permitting portal or by mail to its brokerage contractor. The applicant submits a completed application form, one set of drawings no larger than 11 by 17 inches, and the application fee. BNSF's published instructions list the fee as $2,000, non-refundable.
What BNSF publishes on timing
BNSF's process instructions (revised October 2025) say preparing the agreement exhibit takes approximately 10 to 15 working days. They give an average of 8 weeks from the time the application is received to completion. A rush option is available for an additional $7,000, and BNSF says it excludes longitudinal installations and public projects.
Insurance and flagging
Insurance depends on the installation. For a pipeline, BNSF lists commercial general liability of $5,000,000 per occurrence with a $10,000,000 aggregate. For an electric or communication line, it lists $2,000,000 per occurrence and a $4,000,000 aggregate. Railroad protective liability is required for both. Before work begins, the applicant must contact the scheduling agent at least 10 business days ahead.
One more detail matters for public and legal-rights situations. BNSF states that applications submitted under a claim of legal right are not accepted through the online system.
What Does Union Pacific Require for Utility Crossings?
Union Pacific requires detailed construction drawings, written approval from its chief engineer's office, and a fully executed agreement before any work begins. It also sets physical standards for where and how a line crosses. The applicant pays every cost of review, approval, and construction.
Location and design standards
Union Pacific's encroachment guide says installations belong at the outer limits of the right-of-way, within 5 feet of the property line and at least 35 feet from the centerline of the nearest track. Track bores must sit at least 60 inches below the base of rail. Bore pit ends must be at least 30 feet from the track centerline.
What the drawings must show
Submittals include the tracks and nearby bridges, culverts, signals, and crossings, plus right-of-way boundaries with dimensions, route maps, and detail sheets. Trenching and shoring plans must be sealed by a registered engineer. Pipeline marker locations go on the plans, and as-built drawings are required afterward.
Safety training and flagging
Contractor personnel must receive safety training and copies of Union Pacific's minimum safety requirements. The guide tells applicants to plan for about 3 weeks to secure flagmen, and to arrange a project inspector and flagman for train protection.
How Long Does a Railroad Crossing Permit Take?
Plan on roughly two months or more from complete application to signed agreement, plus lead time for flagging. BNSF publishes an 8 week average for its process, and Union Pacific says flagmen take about 3 weeks to arrange. Timelines vary by railroad, location, and how complete the application is.
Treat those numbers as planning inputs, not promises. Each railroad can change its fees, forms, and turnaround, so confirm current requirements at the start of every project.
What Slows Railroad Permits Down?
Most delays trace back to the application package and to sequencing. A few patterns show up again and again:
- Drawings that leave out required features, such as signals, culverts, or right-of-way dimensions.
- Missing engineer seals on trenching and shoring plans.
- Insurance certificates that do not match the installation type.
- Flagging requests made too late to schedule.
- Starting construction planning before the agreement is executed.
A land services firm that already knows each railroad's checklist can catch these before submittal. That is where experienced permitting support pays for itself.
Where Railroad Permits Fit in the Bigger Project
Railroad crossings are one piece of a larger permitting and acquisition picture. Easements from private owners, ditch company crossings, county road permits, and federal land approvals often run at the same time. A project manager who tracks them together avoids the situation where a signed easement sits idle waiting on one railroad signature.
For the wider view, read our project manager's roadmap to infrastructure permitting. If your route also crosses private land, see our guide to utility easement acquisition in Colorado. Western States Land Services has acquired more than 10,000 parcels on utility projects and delivered over 1,000 projects since 1981, so these overlaps are familiar ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do utilities need a permit to cross railroad tracks?
Yes. A utility needs the railroad's written permission, usually a license or encroachment agreement, before crossing or occupying railroad property. The railroad sets design, insurance, and safety terms, and no work should begin until the agreement is fully executed.
How much does a BNSF utility crossing application cost?
BNSF's published pipeline and wire line instructions list a $2,000 non-refundable application fee, with an optional $7,000 rush service that excludes longitudinal installations and public projects. Fees can change, so confirm the current amount with BNSF before applying.
How deep does a bore under railroad tracks have to be?
Union Pacific's encroachment guide requires track bores to be at least 60 inches below the base of rail, with bore pit ends at least 30 feet from the track centerline. Other railroads set their own standards, so check each one.
Who pays for railroad review and flagging?
The applicant. Union Pacific states that all costs of review, approval, and construction fall on the applicant, and BNSF's process includes application fees, insurance requirements, and flagging coordination that the applicant arranges.
Can a land services firm handle railroad permits for me?
Yes. Western States Land Services prepares and manages permit applications across railroads, ditch companies, utilities, and local agencies as part of its permitting and project management service, coordinated with title and easement work.
Plan Your Railroad Crossings Early
Railroad approval is rarely the hardest part of a utility project, but it is one of the least flexible. Start the application early, submit complete drawings, and request flagging with time to spare. To talk through a crossing on your route, contact Western States Land Services or call (970) 667-7602.
Sources: BNSF Pipeline / Wire Line Process Instructions; Union Pacific Wireline/Pipeline Encroachment Guide.
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