House Bill 322 Alabama 2026 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Steve ClouseRepresentative

Republican

Session

2026 Regular Session

Title

Underground Damage Prevention Program; One-Call Notification System, further provided for complex or large projects, sunset extended

Summary

HB322 would update Alabama's Underground Damage Prevention Program by adding procedures for complex and large excavation projects, extending the program's sunset, creating a state enforcement authority, and strengthening the One-Call notification system.

What This Bill Does

The bill creates a formal complex/large project process requiring a pre-excavation planning meeting, a written working agreement, and a coordinated location and notification schedule. It extends the sunset date for the Underground Damage Prevention Program and updates related code language. It establishes the Underground Damage Prevention Authority to enforce the rules, collect penalties, and manage the Underground Damage Prevention Fund, with a board drawn from many utility and industry groups. It expands One-Call obligations and standards, including member participation, data sharing, design/survey locate requests, training, and standardized marking requirements, with a structured penalty system for violations.

Who It Affects

• Excavators and contractors: must participate in complex/large project processes, provide planning and pre-excavation notices, negotiate working agreements, premark sites, and follow stricter timing and marking requirements.
• Underground facility operators and One-Call System members: must locate/mark facilities, respond to locate requests (including design/survey requests), share facility data, join and participate in One-Call, and may face penalties and fund assessments if they fail to comply.

Key Provisions

• Adds a complex/large project process (including five working days' notice for planning, a working agreement, and location completion scheduling) and allows complex projects to be coordinated among excavators, operators, and locators.
• Creates the Underground Damage Prevention Authority to enforce the chapter, with a diverse, governor-appointed board, an executive committee, enforcement rules, penalties, and a dedicated Underground Damage Prevention Fund.
• Expands One-Call requirements: mandatory participation and certain membership deadlines, annual reporting on trench miles, and data sharing of facility locations and emergency contacts.
• Imposes a tiered civil-penalty structure for violations (up to $500, $1,000, or $3,000 per incident, with higher penalties for gross negligence or willful noncompliance) and requires training at certain levels.
• Establishes complex/large project notifications (37-15-4.2) requiring advance notice to operators, project scope details, and adherence to location completion schedules; requires premarking and compliance with marking rules (37-15-6) and the color-coding system; and provides enforcement if the project is misclassified or noncompliant.
• Adds a design/survey locate-requests stream (37-15-4.1) with five working days for operator response and options to mark, provide drawings, or allow inspection of records.
• Creates a new complex/large project process for moving routine locate requests into a complex process, and sets January 1, 2027 as the effective date of the act.

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