Underground Infrastructure Directorate

Underground Infrastructure Directorate

We investigate excavation accidents, develop excavation safety standards, and coordinate education and outreach programs. Please visit the Underground Safety Board section for more information.

Report Excavation Damage

Section 4100 of Title 19 of the California Code of Regulations requires that an excavator causing or discovering damage must file a report immediately, and in no case longer than two hours, after learning of the damage.

Ideas

The Underground Infrastructure Directorate encourages you to submit your ideas on how to address a public safety concern you see within the Underground Safety Board’s purview.

A drilling machine preparing wholes for the fence pole

Rulemaking

The Dig Safe Act of 2016 created the California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board to enforce Government Code 4216. It directed the Board to create rules and regulations where none currently exist to improve worker and public safety across the state.

Electronic Positive Response

As of January 1, 2021 California law (Government Code 4216.3(c)(1)(A)) requires that every operator of a subsurface installation, not granted an extension pursuant to 19 CCR 4020 make an electronic positive response (EPR) to each applicable excavation location request ticket through the appropriate regional notification center before the legal excavation start date.

Area of Continual Excavation

Starting July 1, 2020, excavators and operators of California’s underground facilities will begin using Area of Continual Excavation (ACE) locate request tickets which are valid for one year as compared to the standard ticket length of 28 days. A 2016 change to CA law created the new ACE ticket which is available to farmers and certain flood control operators.

Resources

The Dig Safe Act of 2016 created the California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board to enforce Government Code 4216, and directed the Board to create rules and regulations where none currently exist to improve worker and public safety across the state.