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Lawmakers weigh changing Nevada digging rules after 2023 expansion to homeowners
Summary
Senate Bill 214 would alter Nevada’s post‑2023 excavation law that expanded 811 call‑before‑you‑dig requirements to noncontractors; the bill’s sponsor said the change imposes costs and delays on homeowners, while utilities warned that rolling back protections could increase damage and outages.
Senate Bill 214 drew sharply divided testimony in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee as stakeholders debated whether to scale back rules that expanded Nevada’s 811 call‑before‑you‑dig requirements in 2023.
Senator Ira Hansen, sponsor of SB 214, said the 2023 law moved responsibility from contractors using mechanical equipment onto every property owner and person who performs even shallow non‑mechanical digs. "Now every person in the state of Nevada, if you use a shovel or drive a stake, is liable if they don't follow this procedure," Hansen said, describing the change as an unexpected burden that can double costs for household repairs and landscaping.
Utility companies, trade groups and the state Public Utilities Commission urged caution. Dylan Keith, senior manager of government affairs at Southwest Gas, told…
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