Enforcing Chapter 556 will help prevent damages to underground utility lines, protect citizens from injuries as a result of hitting a buried line and prevent countless other events that can happen when a utility outage occurs.

Free Resources

• Enforcement Items
  Citations, enforcement cards, homeowner guides and excavation guides are available free. Follow the enforcement flow chart to identify citable situations and exemptions. Click here to order now.

• Education
  SSOCOF damage prevention liaisons are available to answer your questions and offer free education on enforcing Chapter 556. To contact the liaison for your county, click here.

• Enforcement Hot Line - 1-800 CAREFUL
  Call 1-800-CAREFUL to verify a locate ticket's validity or contact the liaison in your area for education.

What is Chapter 556?

Chapter 556 is the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act that requires anyone digging to call 811 first so underground utility lines can be located and marked. The result? Excavators know the approximate location of buried lines and can take necessary precautions to avoid them while digging. Note: Homeowners do not need to call unless they are digging in the easement, right of way or permitted use area.

Who can enforce Chapter 556?

Any local or state law enforcement officer, government code inspector, or code enforcement officer in Florida.

What are the violations?

1. Citations can be issued to excavators for the four violations below and the job site can be shut down until an excavator properly complies.

• Failing to call 811 before digging. When at the job site, ask for the ticket number. If there is no ticket, then the excavator is in violation. If there is a ticket, verify whether it is valid by calling 1-800-CAREFUL (1-800-227-3385).

• Failing to wait two full business days before digging (10 full business days when dig site is underwater). Day one starts the next business day, excluding Saturday, Sunday and federal holidays. Add one business day if a holiday falls within the legal timeframe. Excavation sites that are underwater require a 10 day wait. Note: If all utility companies have cleared or located the site, digging can begin before the legal waiting period expires.

• Failing to stop digging after locate marks are destroyed. Inform the excavator that they are to call 811 to have a new ticket issued.

• Failing to stop digging after an underground utility is hit. Damage may not be visible, but even a slight nick to the outer casing can cause erosion over time.

2. Citations can be issued to utility companies for failing to locate and mark underground utilities.

3. It is a second degree misdemeanor to remove or destroy valid locate marks (flags, paint, stakes).

What is a valid ticket?

A valid ticket is one that is less than 30 calendar days old, describes the location and kind of work being performed, and names the person or company performing the work.

What are the penalties?

Violation of Chapter 556 is a noncriminal infraction. The civil penalty is $250 plus court costs. If an excavator or utility chooses to appear in court, the penalty can go up to $5,000 if found guilty. Eighty percent of this amount is distributed to the local governmental entity whose employee issued the citation, and 20 percent is retained by the clerk of the court to cover administrative costs.

Why enforce Chapter 556?

In 2004, the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) estimated there were approximately 680,000 underground line strikes nationwide resulting in damages including service outages and injuries. Many of these accidents might have easily been avoided by calling ahead to have lines marked before digging.

• January 1, 2007, Gainesville, FL – One of the busiest highways in North Central Florida had to be shut down and numerous businesses evacuated when a contractor using horizontal directional drilling damaged a gas line, reported the hit, then moved a few feet away and hit the line again.

• January 9, 2007, Marco Island, FL - Nearly 4,500 customers were without power more than an hour following a construction accident after electrical contractor hit an underground power line causing two circuits to be without power.

• January 18, 2007, Naples, FL - A restaurant was closed during its lunch rush after workers installing fiber optic cable hit an unmarked water line creating a flowing river and a few traffic7 tie-ups. The water was turned off for about 30 minutes to pinpoint the problem and fix the break.