Colorado Legislative Council Staff LOCAL

FISCAL IMPACT

No State General Fund Impact

TITLE:            CONCERNING THE PAYMENT OF COSTS BY OWNERS FOR LOCATING UTILITY LINES.

Summary of Legislation

            Current statute requires any owner or operator having the right to bury underground facilities in or near a public road, street, alley, right-of-way or utility easement to advise the excavator of the location and size of any underground facilities in the proposed excavation area. Owners and operators include public utilities, municipal corporations, political subdivisions, or other persons who have the right to have underground facilities. Current statute requires the owner or operator to mark the location of the facilities with clearly identifiable markings within eighteen inches horizontally from the exterior sides of any such facilities.

            This bill would amend the current statute by requiring that the cost of locating such facilities be at the expense of the owner or operator of the underground facilities.

Local Government Impact

            The provisions of this bill would reduce revenues of some units of local governments that own or operate such underground facilities. The amount of the impact is dependent on the number of location requests each local government receives from excavating contractors; and each local government's policy of whether or not they absorb the costs of utility locations or pass on the costs to the excavating contractor. Those local governments, that currently pass on the costs of underground facility location to the excavating contractor, would be not be able to do so, resulting in a reduction in fee revenues.

Departments Contacted

            Local Affairs              Transportation