§1749.13. Excavation and demolition; prohibitions

A. Except as provided in this Section, no person shall excavate or demolish in any street, highway, public place, or servitude of any operator, or near the location of an underground facility or utility, or on the premises of a customer served by an underground facility or utility without having first ascertained, in the manner prescribed in Subsection B of this Section, the specific location as provided in R.S. 40:1749.14(D) of all underground facilities or utilities in the area which would be affected by the proposed excavation or demolition.

B.(1) Except as provided in R.S. 40:1749.15, prior to any excavation or demolition, each excavator or demolisher shall serve telephonic or electronic notice of the intent to excavate or demolish to the regional notification center or centers serving the area in which the proposed excavation or demolition is to take place. Such notice shall be given to the notification center at least forty-eight hours, but not more than one hundred twenty hours, excluding weekends and holidays, in advance of the commencement of any excavation or demolition activity. Holidays shall consist of the following: New Year's Day; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Eve; and Christmas Day, or the days on which those holidays are observed by the state.

(2) This notice shall contain the name, address, and telephone number of the person filing the notice of intent, and, if different, the person responsible for the excavation or demolition, the starting date, anticipated duration, and description of the specific type of excavation or demolition operation to be conducted, the specific location of the proposed excavation or demolition and a statement as to whether directional boring or explosives are to be used. If the excavation or demolition is part of a larger project, the notice shall be confined to the actual area of proposed excavation or demolition that will occur during the twenty-day time period under R.S. 40:1749.14(C).

(3) Telephonic notice shall be recorded on tape or stored into an electronic data bank by the regional notification center and a record of the notice shall be retained for a three-year period from the date of notification. A record of an electronic notice shall also be retained by the regional notification center for a three-year period from the date of notification.

(4) Notice shall be given and shall include a specific location request for excavation or demolition work to be performed at least forty-eight hours, but not more than one hundred twenty hours, excluding weekends and holidays, in advance of actual work commencement. Holidays shall consist of the following: New Year's Day; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Eve; and Christmas Day, or the days on which those holidays are observed by the state. The marking of an operator's facility or utility shall be provided for excavation or demolition purposes only.

(5) The excavator or demolisher shall wait at least forty-eight hours, beginning at 7:00 a.m. on the next working day, following notification, unless mutually agreed upon and documented by the excavator and operator to extend such time, before commencing any excavation or demolition activity, except in the case of an emergency as defined in the provisions of this Part or if informed by the regional notification center that no operators are to be notified.

C. This Part shall not apply to activities by operators or land owners excavating their own underground utilities or facilities on their own property or operators' exclusive right-of-way provided there is no encroachment on the rights-of-way of any operator.

D. Excavators may use white paint as marking under American Public Works Association guidelines.

E. Repealed by Acts 2010, No. 249, §2, eff. Sept. 1, 2010.

Acts 1988, No. 923, §1; Acts 1992, No. 883, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1050, §1, eff. July 11, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 506, §1, eff. June 29, 1999; Acts 2006, No. 428, §1, eff. June 15, 2006; Acts 2010, No. 249, §§1, 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2010; Acts 2011, No. 38, §1, eff. Oct. 1, 2011; Acts 2014, No. 203, §1; Acts 2016, No. 245, §1, eff. May 26, 2016.