Board advances SB 2 54 implementation: planning/design, locator thresholds and outreach
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Summary
Staff updated the board on SB 2 54 regulatory work — planning and design information exchange, locator workflow threshold scoping, a statewide awareness campaign, and the no‑811 pilot — and the board approved the 2025 annual report.
The California Underground Safety Board used its Feb. 29 meeting to advance the implementation of Senate Bill 2 54 by reviewing planning-and-design outreach, a proposed "locator workflow threshold," and a statewide awareness campaign.
Staff said SB 2 54 requires the board to establish a regulated planning and design information-exchange with timelines and data standards by July 1, 2027. Presenters summarized feedback from a Jan. 6 workshop: stakeholders support standardized core ticket information (scope, location, contacts) while urging flexibility for smaller operators and caution against requiring precise locates early in the planning phase.
On locator workload thresholds, staff explained the statutory task to identify when excavators must provide more than two working days' notice because concurrent notifications exceed operator capacity. Potential approaches discussed included volume-management rules, early-notification triggers, regional forecasting, and project-level coordination. Staff will release a survey and hold further workshops to refine options and identify implementation risks.
Staff also briefed the board on an SB 2 54 awareness and education implementation plan (four phases: outreach, awareness campaign, education, reporting) and the no-811 pilot that targets high-priority gas lines to better detect excavations without prior notification. The board approved the 2025 annual report for transmission to the Natural Resources Agency and the governor, noting that agency review could trigger revisions before final submittal.
Board members and stakeholders raised operational questions about how to measure concurrent ticket volumes geographically and by work type, balance project planning needs with operator capacity, and whether fees or design-ticket mechanics should be used to manage planning requests. Staff noted significant technical and policy challenges and committed to public surveys and workshops before drafting regulations.