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The present paper describes a reliability-based design procedure against upheaval buckling of rock or soil-covered pipelines. The failure mode considered is 'snap-through' buckling. The study is performed using state-of-the-art design methodologies, including an assessment of all known uncertainties related to the load and capacity, measurements, surveys, and confidence in the applied models. A response surface technique is applied within the level III reliability analysis. Target safety levels are discussed for both SLS and ULS conditions, and a case-specific reliability-based calibration study is performed in order to derive a consistent design formal.