On 12/17/2015 5:55 PM, M. Stradbury wrote:
I just bought a house with a 1,000 gallon propane tank owned
by the house and property tax is paid on the tank which is
a California-only thing I hear.

They just filled the tank up to 85% (they wouldn't fill further
they told my wife, otherwise it could blow up, they said).

They told me the price is $1.45 per gallon of propane plus
about a twenty dollar "hazmat" fee whatever that means, for a
total price a bit over a thousand dollars for the fill.

They said they "inspected" the system (which was existing), and
they inspected the tank which is on on four-inch thick concrete
slab bolted down by straps for earthquakes), and they charge $100
for that inspection (my wife let them in the house but she doesn't
know what they did).

I never had propane before.
I don't begrudge them anything.

But, I also don't know what's normal.
Is this normal stuff?

Pretty normal The hazmat fee is a rip off. It should be just the cost
of doing business, but they make it a line item. Get an oil change on
your car and you may see an additional "disposal" fee. Just a way of
advertising a $29 oil change and charging $32.

This is what Amerigas has to say:
HazMat & Safety Compliance Fee - This fee, which is assessed to propane
deliveries and service calls, helps to offset a portion of the costs the
Company incurs to comply with federal, state and local government
regulations, including, but not limited to, hazardous materials,
homeland security, emergency preparedness and workplace safety. It is
also used to fund, among other things, employee safety training and
inspections, cylinder re-qualification, and environmental compliance.