The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has the primary responsibility for the issuance of DOT Special Permits and Approvals to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR). A Special Permit or Approval is a document which authorizes a person to perform a function that is not currently authorized under the authority of the HMR. Also, in many instances, the Regulations require approvals and/or registrations prior to transportation in commerce. The Special Permits Search tool allows a user to search for active Special permits.