Underground Safety Board to bill $7 million for 2026 operations; legislature-authorized cap is $7.4 million

The Underground Safety Board announced at a fee update workshop that it will use $7,000,000 as the operational expense input for the upcoming billing year, Executive Officer Britney Branaman said. Branaman noted the board’s fee formula is unchanged and invoices will continue to be issued and paid through regional notification centers.

Branaman said last year’s operational expense level was $5,250,000 and that the board’s new input of $7,000,000 reflects increased statewide administration allocations, staffing changes and program expansion to meet new statutory obligations. She said the legislature has authorized $7,400,000 as the board’s operational appropriation in the state budget, but "we are only going to be billing at 7 million."

Why it matters: the board’s formula distributes the operational appropriation proportionally across members of the regional notification centers based on each member’s number of locate requests; it applies to members receiving 500 or more locate requests annually. Increasing the operational expense input will raise billed amounts for affected operators because each member’s share is their proportion of statewide locate requests multiplied by the board’s operational expense input.

Details provided at the workshop: Branaman reiterated that the fee calculation method established in regulation will not change; billing will follow each member’s current RNC billing cycle; payments are due within 90 days; and a 5% late fee will apply after 90 days. She also said the board will publicly post the fee spreadsheet by March 1 and that invoices will include contact information for questions; attendees were directed to the board inbox at energysafety.ca.gov for inquiries.

Questions and clarifications during the session focused on the regulatory cap and billing amount. A participant from AT&T asked whether the proposal removed the $7,000,000 cap; Branaman said the regulation had referenced a $7,000,000 cap but the legislature’s state budget authorization is $7,400,000 and the proposal aligned with that authorization. When asked whether the cap is now $7.4 million or whether the board would bill at $7.0 million, Branaman replied, "It is 7.4, but we are only going to be billing at 7 million."

Outreach, training and reporting: Branaman said the fund also supports the board’s required outreach and education under Government Code 4216. She described four public workshops held the prior year focused on excavation without an 811 ticket, a violator-focused course the board created (three case studies, now limited to violators), and work underway to make an online version of that course available later this year for broader use. She said the board published a 2025 results report listing groups it worked with and that the report will be posted to the board’s annual report section.

Administrative items and next steps: Branaman said meeting video will be posted to the board’s Energy Safety YouTube channel and urged attendees to subscribe to the education and outreach listserv for notices. She said she would place participants’ suggestion about paper opt-in/opt-out for notices on the board’s April meeting agenda. The board will post the fee spreadsheet by March 1 and will hold its April public meeting in Riverside on April 13–14.