Ohio House passes bill on excavation notice timelines, pipeline grant eligibility

State Reps. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-New Waterford, and Mark Johnson, R-Chillicothe, said the Ohio House of Representatives passed concurrence on House Bill 227.

The bill updates sections of the Ohio Revised Code addressing regulated excavation activities and is intended to maintain Ohio’s eligibility for federal pipeline safety grant funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Under the bill, utility operators would have two full working days, excluding the day of the call, to respond to excavation notices and mark underground utilities. The bill also changes the timeframe to begin excavation from 10 working days to 16 calendar days. It updates the definition of excavation by specifying shallow-depth activities up to 12 inches and removes references to “Limited Basis Participants.”

House Bill 227 goes to Gov. Mike DeWine for consideration.