§ 26-55. Mandatory pre-excavation procedures.

(a)

No excavator shall apply for or receive a permit for a proposed excavation with a total length of 1,000 linear feet or more unless the excavator has first either requested copies of as-built drawings from any party whom the excavator knows may have underground facilities along the path of the proposed excavation, or if such party accepts design tickets, that the excavator submitted a design ticket to Sunshine State One-Call of Florida. No excavator who has requested as-builts or submitted a design ticket shall be denied a permit irrespective of whether such as-builts or design ticket information was in fact received by the excavator.

(b)

No excavator shall engage in any excavation or demolition in a public easement or right-of-way with a length of less than 1,000 linear feet without first marking the location of such proposed excavation with white paint, white flags, or white buoys, as appropriate; such marking shall conform to the recommended guidelines for the uniform temporary markings of underground facilities as approved by the Utilities Location and Coordinating Council of the American Public Works Association, and shall occur before that person or entity provides Sunshine State One-Call of Florida with any information as required by either subsection (c) of this section or F.S. ch. 556.

(c)

Notification before excavation. Not less than two nor more than five business days before beginning any excavation or demolition work, all excavators must provide the information listed at F.S. § 556.105(1) to the state one-call notification system, Sunshine State One-Call of Florida, Inc. The system will notify and provide the names of all member operators with underground facilities in the work area. No excavation or demolition may be undertaken until all of the named entities have either notified the excavator that no conflict exists or marked their underground facilities in the manner required by F.S. § 556.105. If unable to respond within 48 hours, the member operator shall negotiate a new schedule with the person making the request. Renotification is required for each 20-day period until excavation in the area is completed, or at any time when markings are not visible.

(d)

Exploratory digging by excavators engaged in directional boring. Any excavator engaged in directional boring shall, where markings cross or overlap the directional bore path or where markings show a conflict exists, engage in exploratory digging. Where the conflict is created by installation of a new facility parallel to an existing facility, the excavator shall be required to engage in exploratory digging only at those points where the existing facility deflects from the plane along which it is laid by more than 22 degrees in any direction, as determined by reference to existing markings or reference to as-built drawings, if such as-built drawings are provided to the excavator before excavation.

(e)

Markings to be made with water-based paint. Any marking made by an excavator or member operator pursuant to either this section or F.S. ch. 556 shall be made using water-based paint.

(County Code, § 21-222)