Source: http://www.okie811.org/how-it-works/the-law/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 20:30:17+00:00

Document:
"Underground facility" means any underground line, cable, facility, system and appurtenances thereto, for producing, storing, conveying, transmitting or distributing communication (including voice, video, or data information), electricity, power, light, heat, refined petroleum products, water (including storm water), steam, sewage and other commodities. Underground facilities shall also mean oil and natural gas pipelines that are subject to the Hazardous Liquid Transportation System Safety Act and natural gas pipelines subject to the jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission Pipeline Safety Department, and any oil and gas pipeline located in a public right-of-way.
Added by Laws 1981, c. 94, § 2, eff. Jan. 1, 1982. Amended by Laws 1995, c. 344, § 27, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 2002, c. 412, § 1, eff. July 1, 2002; Laws 2003, c. 362, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2004, c. 427, § 1, emerg. eff. June 4, 2004; HB 1376, c. ??, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2017.
A. As provided for in this section, the notification center shall charge and collect fees from operators filing notices pursuant to Section 142.3 of this title, except for rural water districts which have less than one thousand one hundred meters and municipalities which have a population of less than three thousand (3,000).
B. Upon the initial filing of a notice or statement and annually thereafter, a fee shall be collected in a manner as provided for in Section 142.10 of this title. The fee shall be due and payable on January 1 of each year. Failure to pay such fee on or before February 1 of such year shall result in the filing being void and the notification center shall remove such operator from the list of operators having underground facilities in the county. Such operator may thereafter file again pursuant to this act, but only upon payment to the notification center of the above-specified initial filing fee and an additional late filing fee of Fifty Dollars ($50.00).
C. The notification center shall maintain a current list of all operators on file pursuant to this act and shall make copies of such list available upon payment of the appropriate fees.
A. Before an excavator shall demolish a structure, discharge any explosive or commence to excavate in a highway, street, alley or other public ground or way, on or near the location of an operator's underground facilities, or a private easement, such excavator shall first notify all operators in the geographic area defined by the notification center who have on file with the notification center a notice pursuant to Section 142.3 of this title to determine whether any operators have underground facilities in or near the proposed area of excavation or demolition. When an excavator has knowledge that an operator does not have underground facilities within the area of the proposed excavation, the excavator need not notify the operator of the proposed excavation. However, an excavator shall be responsible for damage to the underground facilities of an operator if the notification center was not notified. Notice shall be given no more than ten (10) days nor less than forty-eight (48) hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, prior to the commencement of the excavation or demolition.
B. Each operator served with notice in accordance with subsection A above either directly or by notice to the notification center shall, within forty-eight (48) hours after receipt of verification from the notification center that the notice has been accepted and acknowledged, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, unless otherwise agreed to between the excavator and operator, locate and mark or otherwise provide the approximate location of the underground facilities of the operator in a manner as to enable the excavator to employ hand-dug test holes to determine the precise location of the underground facilities in advance of excavation. For the purpose of this act, the approximate location of the underground facilities shall be defined as a strip of land two (2) feet on either side of such underground facilities. Whenever an operator is served with notice of an excavation or demolition and determines that the operator does not have underground facilities located within the proposed area of excavation or demolition, the operator shall communicate this information to the excavator originating the notice prior to the commencement of such excavation or demolition.
7. The date and time when work is to begin.
A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, powered or mechanized equipment shall not be used directly over marked routes of underground facilities until the precise location of the underground facilities has been determined by the excavator, and then only after the facilities have been exposed and properly protected to avoid damage to them. If the precise location of the underground facilities cannot be determined by the excavator, the operator thereof shall be notified by the excavator so that the operator can determine the precise location of the underground facilities prior to continuing excavation or demolition.
B. The only exception to the prohibition of the use of powered or mechanized equipment directly over marked routes of underground facilities shall be for the removal of pavement or masonry, and then only to the depth of such pavement or masonry.
A. When any damage occurs to an underground facility or its protective covering, the operator thereof shall be notified immediately by any person who caused the damage.
B. Upon receiving notice of such damage, the operator shall promptly dispatch personnel to the location to effect temporary or permanent repairs.
C. Should damage occur that endangers life, health or property, any person responsible for the work shall keep all sources of ignition away from the damaged area and shall take immediate action to protect the public and property and to minimize the hazard until arrival of the operator's personnel or until the appropriate police or fire officials shall have arrived and taken charge of the damaged area.
D. An excavator shall delay any backfilling in the immediate area of the damaged underground facilities until the damage has been repaired, unless the operator authorizes otherwise. The repair of such damage must be performed by the operator or by qualified personnel authorized by the operator.
A. Any excavator, except for a public agency who fails to comply with the Oklahoma Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act and who damages an underground facility owned or operated by a nonprofit rural water corporation organized pursuant to Section 863 of Title 18 of the Oklahoma Statutes or a rural water district organized pursuant to the Rural Water, Sewer, Gas, and Solid Waste Management Districts Act, shall be liable for the underground damage to and responsible for the repair of such facilities. Any new underground facilities installed on and after September 1, 1992, shall contain materials capable of being detected so that the facilities can be accurately located.
B. Any excavator who damages or cuts an underground facility, as a result of negligently failing to comply with the provisions of the Oklahoma Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act or as a result of failing to take measures for the protection of an underground facility shall be liable to the operator of the underground facility for the repair of the damaged underground facility.
C. Except for public agencies, any excavator who by willful act or by reckless disregard of the rights of others, repeatedly violates the provisions of the Oklahoma Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act and repeatedly damages underground facilities, thereby threatening the public health, safety, and welfare, may be enjoined by a court of competent jurisdiction from further excavation.
A. This act recognizes the value of and authorizes the establishment of a statewide notification center.
B. Upon establishment, the notification center shall operate twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. Notification, as required by Section 142.6 of this title, to operators who are members of or participants in the notification center, shall be given by notifying the notification center by telephone or other acceptable means of communication, the content of such notification to conform to Section 142.6 of this title.
C. All operators who have underground facilities within the defined geographical boundary of the notification center shall be afforded the opportunity to become a member of the notification center on the same terms as the original members. Others may participate as nonmembers on terms and conditions as the members deem appropriate.
D. A suitable record shall be maintained by the notification center to document the receipt of the notices from excavators as required by this act.

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