The bill amends the Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law by updating definitions and procedures related to excavation and demolition activities. Notably, it defines "large project excavation or demolition" as activities that cannot be completed within twenty calendar days for routine work or thirty calendar days for agricultural, forestry, or marine activities. The bill also establishes new requirements for notifying regional notification centers prior to excavation or demolition, specifying that notice must be given at least forty-eight hours in advance but not more than one hundred twenty hours. If work does not commence within this timeframe, the excavator or demolisher may be found in violation unless there is a mutual agreement to extend the time due to extraordinary circumstances.

Additionally, the bill mandates that at least one person on any excavation or demolition site must have completed training provided by the Regional Notification Center, which is required annually and available for free online. It allows for voluntary agreements between utility operators and excavators to determine mark-by times and project durations for large projects. If a mutual agreement cannot be reached within thirty calendar days, the large project notification will be deemed null and void, requiring the requesting party to cancel the notice and submit a routine excavation or demolition request instead.

Statutes affected:
HB392 Original: 40:13(B)(1)
HB392 Engrossed: 40:12(11), 40:13(B)(1)
HB392 Reengrossed: 40:12(11), 40:13(B)(1)
HB392 Enrolled: 40:12(11), 40:13(B)(1)
HB392 Act : 40:12(11), 40:13(B)(1)