Effective 01 Jan 2015, see footnote

319.030. Notification of location of underground facility, when, how — failure to provide notice of location, effect. — 1. Every person owning or operating an underground facility to whom notice of intent to excavate is required to be given shall, upon receipt of such notice as provided in this section from a person intending to commence an excavation, inform the excavator as promptly as practical, but not in excess of two working days, unless the excavator agrees to extend the start date and time provided in the locate request through methods established by the notification center, of the approximate location of underground facilities in or near the area of the excavation so as to enable the person engaged in the excavation work to locate the facilities in advance of and during the excavation work, provided that no excavation shall begin earlier than the scheduled excavation date provided on the locate request unless the excavator has confirmed that all underground facilities have been located. The two working days provided for notice in this subsection and subsection 1 of section 319.026 shall begin at 12:00 a.m. following the receipt of the request by the notification center. Each underground facility owner receiving notifications from the notification center by use of the internet shall, after December 31, 2014, use the locate status system provided by the notification center. Those underground facility owners that do not receive notifications by use of the internet shall, no later than January 1, 2016, provide locate status to the notification center by an alternate method provided by the notification center. If the excavator states in the notice of intent to excavate that the excavation will involve trenchless technology, the owner or operator shall inform the excavator of the depth, to the best of his or her knowledge or ability, of the facility according to the records of the owner or operator. The owner or operator shall provide the approximate location of underground facilities by use of markings as designated in section 319.015. Persons representing the excavator and the owner or operator shall meet on the site of excavation within two working days of a request by either person for such meeting for the purpose of clarifying markings, or upon agreement of the excavator and owner or operator, such meeting may be an alternate means of providing the location of facilities by originally marking the approximate location of the facility at the time of the meeting. If upon receipt of a notice of intent to excavate, an owner or operator determines that he or she neither owns or operates underground facilities in or near the area of excavation, the owner or operator shall within two working days after receipt of the notice, inform the excavator that the owner or operator has no facilities located in the area of the proposed excavation. The owner or operator of the underground facility shall make notice to the excavator that no facilities are located in the area of excavation by contacting the excavator by any of the following methods:

(1) By calling the primary number of the excavator or by calling the telephone number of the responsible person as provided by the excavator under subdivision (4) of subsection 2 of section 319.026;

(2) By leaving a message on the recording device for such numbers;

(3) By calling the cellular telephone number of the excavator or responsible person;

(4) By notifying the excavator by facsimile or electronic mail at numbers or addresses stated by the excavator in the notice of excavation made under subsection 2 of section 319.026;

(5) By marking "clear" or "OK" at the site of excavation;

(6) By verbally informing the excavator in person.

­­If the only means of contacting the excavator is one or more telephone numbers provided by the excavator in the notice of excavation under section 319.026, then two attempts by the underground facility owner to contact the excavator at one of the telephone numbers provided shall constitute compliance with this subsection; or

(7) By use of a locate status system.

2. A record of the date and means of informing the excavator that no facilities were located by the owner or operator shall be included in the written records of the underground facility owner regarding each specific notice of excavation and shall be retained for a period of five years.

3. If the owner or operator notifies the excavator that the area of excavation cannot be determined from the description provided by the excavator through the notice required by this section, the excavator shall provide clarification of the area of excavation by marking the area with white flags or white paint, or by providing project plans to the owner or operator, or by meeting on the site of the excavation with representatives of the owner or operator as provided for in this section.

4. In the event that a person owning or operating an underground facility fails to comply with the provisions of subsection 1 of this section after notice given by an excavator in compliance with section 319.026, the excavator, prior to commencing the excavation, shall give a second notice to the notification center as required by section 319.026 stating that there has been no response to the original notice given under section 319.026. After the receipt of the notice stating there has been "no response", the owner or operator of an underground facility shall, within two hours of the receipt of such notice, mark its facilities or contact and inform the excavator of when the facilities will be marked; provided, however, that for "no response" notices made to the notification center by 2:00 p.m., the markings shall be completed on the working day the notice is made to the notification center, and provided that for "no response" notices made to the notification center after 2:00 p.m., the markings shall be completed no later than 10:00 a.m. on the next working day. If an underground facility owner fails to mark its facilities or contact the excavator as required by this subsection, the excavator may commence the excavation. Nothing in this subsection shall excuse the excavator from exercising the degree of care in making the excavation as is otherwise required by law.

5. For purposes of this section, a period of two working days begins at 12:00 a.m. following when the request is made.

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(L. 1976 S.B. 583 § 5, A.L. 1991 S.B. 214 & 264, A.L. 2001 H.B. 425, A.L. 2008 H.B. 1779, A.L. 2014 H.B. 1867)

Effective 1-01-15