2011 California Code
Government Code
TITLE 1. GENERAL [100 - 7914]
ARTICLE 2. Regional Notification Center System
Section 4216.2

(a) (1) Except in an emergency, any person planning to conduct any excavation shall contact the appropriate regional notification center, at least two working days, but not more than 14 calendar days, prior to commencing that excavation, if the excavation will be conducted in an area that is known, or reasonably should be known, to contain subsurface installations other than the underground facilities owned or operated by the excavator and, if practical, the excavator shall delineate with white paint or other suitable markings the area to be excavated.

(2) When the excavation is proposed within 10 feet of a high priority subsurface installation, the operator of the high priority subsurface installation shall notify the excavator of the existence of the high priority subsurface installation prior to the legal excavation start date and time, as such date and time are authorized pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 4216.2. The excavator and operator or its representative shall conduct an onsite meeting at a mutually-agreed-on time to determine actions or activities required to verify the location of the high priority subsurface installations prior to start time.

(b) Except in an emergency, every excavator covered by Section 4216.8 planning to conduct an excavation on private property may contact the appropriate regional notification center if the private property is known, or reasonably should be known, to contain a subsurface installation other than the underground facility owned or operated by the excavator and, if practical, the excavator shall delineate with white paint or other suitable markings the area to be excavated.

(c) The regional notification center shall provide an inquiry identification number to the person who contacts the center pursuant to this section and shall notify any member, if known, who has a subsurface installation in the area of the proposed excavation. An inquiry identification number may be validated for more than 28 days when mutually agreed between the excavator and any member operator so notified that has a subsurface installation in the area of the proposed excavation; and, it may be revalidated by notification to the regional notification center by the excavator prior to the time of its expiration.

(d) A record of all notifications by excavators and operators to the regional notification center shall be maintained for a period of not less than three years. The record shall be available for inspection by the excavator and any member, or their representative, during normal working hours and according to guidelines for inspection as may be established by the regional notification centers.

(e) As used in this section, the delineation is practical when any of the following conditions exist:

(1) When delineating a prospective excavation site with white paint could not be misleading to those persons using affected streets and highways.

(2) When the delineation could not be misinterpreted as a traffic or pedestrian control.

(3) Where an excavator can determine the exact location of an excavation prior to the time an area has been field marked pursuant to Section 4216.3.

(4) Where delineation could not be construed as duplicative.

(f) Where an excavator makes a determination that it is not practical to delineate the area to be excavated, the excavator shall contact the regional notification center to advise the operators that the excavator shall identify the area to be excavated in another manner sufficient to enable the operator to determine the area of the excavation to be field marked pursuant to Section 4216.3.

(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 651, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2007.)