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Underground Safety Board hears industry push for maps-first, two-step planning/design inquiry and multi-week response windows
Summary
Stakeholders at the Underground Safety Board workshop broadly supported a formal planning-and-design information exchange under Government Code 4216.1B that provides GIS maps during design and, where needed, field verification later. Participants recommended 30–45 day map response windows for many projects, urged risk-tied standards rather than mandatory depth reporting, and warned of ticket-abuse and data-liability risks.
The Underground Safety Board convened a stakeholder workshop to gather input on rules for exchanging planning-and-design information under Government Code 4216.1B, the board’s staff said. The board must adopt implementing regulations by July 1, 2027.
Design engineers, utilities, contractors and call-center operators said the planning-and-design inquiry should be an information-exchange distinct from excavation tickets: the consensus favored a two-step approach — maps and records first, then field verification (paint marks or potholing) later as required. "If I'm trying to design a new pipeline, I need to know what's there before I go and dig," said Jimmy Griggs, a civil engineer with the Sonoma County Water Agency, urging early access to verified field data to avoid construction conflicts and higher taxpayer costs.
Why it matters: Participants said better, earlier…
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