<section number="54-8a-2"><effdate>5/1/2024</effdate><histories><history>Amended by Chapter <modchap sess="2024GS">369</modchap>, 2024 General Session</history><modyear>2024</modyear></histories><catchline>Definitions.</catchline><tab/>As used in this chapter:<subsection number="54-8a-2(1)">"Association" means two or more operators organized to receive notification of excavation activities in the state, as provided by Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="54-8a-9">54-8a-9</xref>.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(2)">"Backfill" means soil or material that is approved for the soil or material's intended use and meets a project's plans and specifications.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(3)">"Business hours" means the hours between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(4)">"Board" means the Underground Facilities Damage Dispute Board created in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="54-8a-13">54-8a-13</xref>.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(5)">"Electronic positive response system" means an automated information system, operated by the association, that allows excavators, locators, operators, and others to communicate the status of an excavation notice.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(6)">"Emergency" means an occurrence or suspected natural gas leak necessitating immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(7)">"Excavate" or "excavation" means an operation in which earth, rock, or other material on or below the ground is moved or displaced by tools, equipment,  explosives, or demolition.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(8)">"Excavation notice" means a communication that:<subsection number="54-8a-2(8)(a)">has a location request assignment;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(8)(b)">provides notice of a person's intent to excavate in a specified location in the state; and</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(8)(c)">meets the requirements of Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="54-8a-4">54-8a-4</xref>.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(9)">"Excavator" means any person that excavates or conducts excavation activities.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(10)">"48 hours" means a 48-hour period, occurring during business days that includes any day except Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday, that begins at 8:00 a.m. on the first business day after notice has been submitted.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(11)">"Hand tool" means an implement:<subsection number="54-8a-2(11)(a)">powered by hand; or</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(11)(b)">designed to avoid damaging an underground facility, including a vacuum excavation tool and air knife.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(12)">"Holiday" means all legal holidays as defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="63G-1-301">63G-1-301</xref>, the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, December 24th, and any other association observed holiday as posted in the association's excavator's guide.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(13)">"Location" means the site of a proposed area of excavation described:<subsection number="54-8a-2(13)(a)"><subsection number="54-8a-2(13)(a)(i)">by street address, if available;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(13)(a)(ii)">by the area at that street address to be excavated; and</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(13)(a)(iii)">as specified in Subsection <xref depth="4" refnumber="54-8a-4(3)">54-8a-4(3)</xref> or <xref depth="4" refnumber="54-8a-5(2)(b)(ii)">54-8a-5(2)(b)(ii)</xref>; or</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(13)(b)">if there is no street address available, by the area of excavation using any available designations, including a nearby street or road, an intersection, GPS coordinates, or other generally accepted methods.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(14)">"Location request assignment" means a number assigned to a proposed excavation by the association upon receiving an excavation notice.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(15)">"Mark" means to locate and indicate the existence of a line or facility according to the guidelines published by the association in the association's current version of the excavator's guide.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(16)">"Municipality" means the same as that term is defined in Section <xref depth="3" refnumber="10-1-104">10-1-104</xref>.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(17)">"No response notice" means notice given by an excavator to the association that:<subsection number="54-8a-2(17)(a)">describes indications of specific facilities or facility types;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(17)(b)">indicates that the facilities or facility types were not marked by the operator at the site of the proposed excavation; and</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(17)(c)">is submitted after the excavator previously submitted an excavation notice regarding the site.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(18)"><subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(a)">"Operator" means a person that owns, operates, or maintains an underground facility.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(b)">"Operator" does not include an owner of real property where underground facilities are:<subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(b)(i)">located within:<subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(b)(i)(A)">the owner's property; or</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(b)(i)(B)">a public street adjacent to the owner's property, a right-of-way adjacent to the owner's property, or a public utility easement adjacent to the owner's property;</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(b)(ii)">used exclusively to furnish services to the owner's property; and</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(18)(b)(iii)">maintained under the operation and control of that owner.</subsection></subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(19)">"Person" includes:<subsection number="54-8a-2(19)(a)">an individual, government entity, corporation, partnership, association, or company; and</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(19)(b)">the trustee, receiver, assignee, and personal representative of a person listed in Subsection (19)(a).</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(20)">"Sewer lateral cleanout" means a point of access where a sewer lateral can be serviced.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(21)">"Tolerance zone" means the area surrounding a facility that:<subsection number="54-8a-2(21)(a)">for an underground facility that has the diameter of the facility marked, is the distance of one half of the marked diameter plus 24 inches on either side of the designated center;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(21)(b)">for an underground facility that does not have the diameter of the facility marked, is 24 inches on either side of the outside edge of the mark indicating a facility; or</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(21)(c)">for an above ground facility, is 24 inches in each direction of the outside edge of the physically present facility.</subsection></subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(22)">"24 hours" means a 24-hour period, excluding hours occurring during a Saturday, Sunday, or a holiday.</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)">"Underground facility" means personal property that is buried or placed below ground level for use in the storage or conveyance of any of the following:<subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(a)">water;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(b)">sewage, including sewer laterals;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(c)">communications, including electronic, photonic, telephonic, or telegraphic communications;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(d)">television, cable television, or other telecommunication signals, including transmission to subscribers of video or other programming;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(e)">electric power;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(f)">oil, gas, or other fluid and gaseous substances;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(g)">steam;</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(h)">slurry; or</subsection><subsection number="54-8a-2(23)(i)">dangerous materials or products.</subsection></subsection></section>