What your Community should know about the “Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act”

Florida has established a system to protect underground utilities from damage during construction and excavation, under the “Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act” (Chapter 556.105, Florida Statues).

Under this Act, also known as the “One-Call” system, a contractor or excavator must call a central “Hot Line” before commencing excavation, and from the database kept by “One-Call” Florida, the underground facilities operator (utility) is notified of the pending excavation. It is then up to the underground facilities operator to clearly mark the location of the utility (all those little red flags !).

How would this affect your community? Does your community have privately owned utilities for its recreational facilities, or for electricity, water or for irrigation? If it does, your community may be an “underground facilities operator”!

However, the Act requires an underground facilities operator (whether a commercial development, a utility, or a community association) to register with the State of Florida, as to the location of utilities, and, should the underground facilities operator fail to register and provide the location of its utilities, a contractor or excavator may not be liable for damages to the underground utilities during excavation.

So, “Call  and register before (they) dig !”