HB62 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Lynn Greer
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: One call notification, excavate or excavation, public streets, highways, or other easements, definition expanded to exclude anyone responsible for maintenance of streets, Sec. 37-15-2 am'd.
Summary: HB62 adds exclusions to the excavation definition in Alabama's One-Call system so routine roadway and railroad maintenance within their respective rights-of-way are not considered excavation, if certain safety conditions are met.
What This Bill Does
The bill updates Section 37-15-2 to clarify what counts as excavation and to create explicit exemptions for routine roadway and railroad maintenance within rights-of-way. It sets criteria to protect underground utilities during such maintenance and to restore structures to their approximate previous locations. It also defines terms related to locating underground facilities and the types of notifications and requests used for excavation and maintenance. Overall, it narrows when maintenance work falls under the One-Call notification requirements.

Who It Affects
State and local government road maintenance employees or contractors (and anyone responsible for publicly-maintained roadways) who perform routine roadway maintenance within the public road right-of-way; their activities may be exempt from being categorized as excavation if conditions are met.
Railroads and their employees or contractors who perform routine railroad maintenance within the track structure and adjacent right-of-way; such activities may be exempt from being categorized as excavation, subject to protective requirements.

Key Provisions
Excavate or excavation does not include routine roadway maintenance activities carried out by state or local government road maintenance employees or contractors within the right-of-way of a public road, provided the activities protect utilities and replace structures in their approximate previous locations and depths.
Excavate or excavation does not include routine railroad maintenance activities conducted within the track structure and adjacent right-of-way by railroad employees or contractors, as long as reasonable care is taken to protect underground facilities and contractual provisions with other parties are preserved.
The approximate location of underground facilities must be accurate within 18 inches horizontally from the facility’s outside edge, establishing a tolerance zone of 18 inches on either side.
The act defines related terms (e.g., blasting, contractor locator, emergency excavation, noninvasive methods, notification area, operator, and design vs. excavation locate requests) to guide how excavation-related information is handled and what counts as proper notification and planning.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Highways, Roads, and Bridges