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Committee approves updates to damage prevention board rules, loosens reporting and tech oversight requirements
Summary
The Senate Commerce Committee approved DOPL’s damage prevention rule docket; the board removed several procedural barriers including a requirement for complainants to cite specific Idaho code sections and deleted provisions assigning the board responsibility to judge adequacy of facility-owners’ technology adoption.
The Senate Commerce Committee approved a rule docket from the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses that revises rules governing the Damage Prevention Board, which oversees safe digging practices in Idaho.
Amy Lorenzo, bureau chief at DOPL, said the board—created in 2016—reviewed its original rules under the zero‑based regulation process and proposed edits to improve user access and reduce outdated requirements. The docket removes a prior requirement that a complainant identify the relevant section of Idaho code when submitting a complaint; under the revised rule, DOPL staff will identify the appropriate code section. The board also recommended deleting provisions that would have required it to evaluate the adequacy of facility owners’ technology and communications materials because those responsibilities were not being enforced and were outside the board’s practical purview.
Lorenzo said the rule review involved two public board meetings, two negotiated-rulemaking hearings and three public hearings across Idaho; stakeholders included utilities, municipalities and locate companies. The transcript notes a reported decline in complaints between 2023 and 2024, and the board concluded that requiring complainants to cite code sections posed a potential barrier to submitting complaints.
Senator Leahy moved to approve the docket; Senator Ward Engle King seconded. The committee approved the docket by voice vote with no public opposition recorded in the transcript.
DOPL said the adjustments focus the board’s role on education, outreach and oversight without imposing responsibilities the board had not exercised since its creation.
