TSA HazMat Endorsement Fee Set to Increase December 2

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administers the Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) vetting program. TSA conducts a security threat assessment (STA) of HME applicants in accordance with statutory requirements and collects fees to recover TSA’s costs to conduct the STA and administer the program. Pennsylvania is one of 8 states in the country that elect to collect the information and fees from the applicant directly, and transmit such information and fees to TSA for the STA. States that follow this process are know as Non-Agent States.

Under 49 U.S.C. 5103a, a State is prohibited from issuing or renewing an HME for a commercial driver’s license (CDL) unless TSA has first determined that the driver does not pose a security threat. To make this security determination, TSA conducts an STA by comparing applicant biographic and biometric information to criminal, immigration, and security databases, and adjudicating any derogatory information against the standards set forth in 49 CFR part 1572. If TSA determines the individual meets the STA standards, TSA notifies the State, and the State may issue the HME. TSA is required to recover its vetting program costs through user fees, in accordance with 6 U.S.C. 469, and consequently, TSA collects fees from applicants during the STA process. Non-Agent States also may charge applicants a State fee for its costs to collect and transmit information, and TSA has no authority to establish, determine, or limit the amount of that fee.

Effective on December 2, 2024 TSA’s processing fee for Non-Agent State will increase from $34.00 per application to $57.25 per application for standard STAs in order to comply with 6 U.S.C. 469 and recoup vetting costs. Similarly, for STAs in which the applicant has already completed a comparable STA and does not need to undergo the full standard STA, the reduced fee will increase from $29.00 to $31.00.