§ 7004 — Notice of excavation activities

(a) No person or company shall engage in excavation activities, except in an emergency situation as defined by the Commission, without premarking the proposed area of excavation activities and giving notice as required by this section.
(b) Prior to notifying the System, the person shall premark the area of proposed excavation activities in a manner that will enable operators of underground facilities to identify the boundaries of the proposed excavation activities.
(c) At least 72 hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, but not more than 30 days before commencing excavation activities, each person required to give notice of excavation activities shall notify the System referred to in section 7002 of this title. Such notice shall set forth a reasonably accurate and readily identifiable description of the geographical location of the proposed excavation activities and the premarks.
(d) Notice to the System may be in writing or by telephone. For purposes of this section, the System shall provide a toll-free telephone number.
(e) Notice of excavation activities shall be valid for an excavation site until one of the following occurs:
(1) the excavation is not completed within 30 days following the notification;
(2) the markings become faded, illegible, or destroyed; or
(3) the company installs new underground facilities in a marked area still under excavation. (Added 1987, No. 86, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; amended 1993, No. 118 (Adj. Sess.), § 4; 2001, No. 51, § 2; 2007, No. 145 (Adj. Sess.), § 2; 2019, No. 31, § 11; 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 453, eff. July 1, 2024; 2023, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 20, eff. November 1, 2024.)