House Bill 298 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rhett MarquesRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Public utilities; Underground Damage Prevention Program; certain statutory sunset clauses deleted

Summary

Extends Alabama's Underground Damage Prevention Program sunset date to 2036 and strengthens operator participation in the One-Call system with phased deadlines and reporting requirements, effective January 1, 2027.

What This Bill Does

The bill extends the sunset for the Underground Damage Prevention Program to January 1, 2036, with the act taking effect January 1, 2027. It requires underground facility operators to join and participate in the One-Call Notification System, using phased deadlines based on company size or miles of facilities, and it allows certain exemptions from membership costs until trench-mile thresholds are met while mandating annual reporting on trench miles. It also provides liability protections, clarifying that if an operator fails to join as required and damage occurs, a compliant excavator cannot seek recovery from that operator.

Who It Affects

• Underground facility operators (utilities, telecoms, gas pipelines, etc.) – must join and actively participate in the One-Call system, with specific deadlines and potential cost exemptions based on trench mileage, plus ongoing reporting obligations.
• Excavators and the general public – will continue to rely on the One-Call system for pre-dig notifications and benefit from continued safety protections and public awareness efforts.

Key Provisions

• Extends the sunset date of the Underground Damage Prevention Program to January 1, 2036; the act becomes effective January 1, 2027.
• Implements phased membership deadlines for One-Call System participation: certain operators must join by January 1, 2021, others by January 1, 2022, with existing members as of 2020 required to remain members.
• Allows membership-cost exemptions for electrical underground facilities with small trench-mile percentages until they exceed a defined trench-mile exemption, and requires annual reporting of underground trench miles.
• Provides liability protection: if an operator fails to join as required and damage occurs, the non-member operator cannot seek recovery against a compliant excavator.
• Establishes the One-Call System as a statewide nonprofit with a board of directors and annual operation/financial reporting to the Public Service Commission; requires public awareness and damage-prevention education programs.
• Requires recordkeeping of notifications for at least three years, provision of notification data to the One-Call System, and timely transmission of notice information to appropriate member operators.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 12, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Telecommunications & Utilities