KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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SB206 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning utilities.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning utilities.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Senator Gary Byrne
Last action
2026-01-12
Official status
Introduced Senate Bill (S)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the impact on people other than communications service providers.

Indiana Underground Facility Protection Act Changes

This bill changes Indiana's laws about digging near underground facilities to allow certain types of digging without needing special permission.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the rules for when people need to follow safety guidelines before digging in areas with underground pipes and wires.
  • Allows communications service providers to dig up to 12 inches deep using hand tools or high-pressure air to connect customers' homes or businesses to their network without following all the usual digging rules.
  • Permits the use of water injection and vacuum removal methods for soil excavation near underground facilities, as long as it is done by a communications service provider.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Communications service providers who need to connect customers' homes or businesses to their network.

Terms To Know

communications service provider
A company that provides services like internet, phone, and cable TV to customers.
underground facility
Pipes, wires, or other equipment buried underground by utility companies.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the digging goes deeper than 12 inches.
  • It is unclear how this change will affect safety and damage prevention near underground facilities.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-12 Senate

    Senator Buchanan added as second author

  2. 2026-01-08 Senate

    Authored by Senator Byrne

  3. 2026-01-08 Senate

    First reading: referred to Committee on Utilities

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning utilities.
Protection of underground facilities.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning utilities.

Protection of underground facilities.

Provides that the following are exempt from the law governing demolitions and excavations in the area of underground facilities: (1) Excavation that is performed: (A) only with a hand tool; (B) by a communications service provider; and (C) to a depth not greater than 12 inches; for the purpose of connecting a communications service customer's home or business to the communications service provider's own communications network. (2) Excavation performed using only high pressure air. (3) Excavation performed solely by: (A) injecting water into soil; and (B) removing the resulting mixture of soil and water with a vacuum.