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HB464 • 2026

UTILITIES: Provides relative to mandatory reporting of damage to utilities

UTILITIES: Provides relative to mandatory reporting of damage to utilities

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Neil Riser
Last action
2026-05-15
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 161
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on the consequences of failing to report damage or the exact timeframe for repairs.

Rules for Reporting Damage to Utilities

This act requires people who damage underground utilities during excavation or demolition work to report the damage immediately and allows regional centers to notify other utility owners.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires anyone who damages a utility while digging or tearing down buildings to tell the utility owner right away about the damage.
  • Allows the person who damaged the utility to give information to a special center that helps with notifications.
  • Requires this special center to inform other utility owners in the area if their facilities might be affected by the reported damage.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who dig or tear down buildings and cause damage to utilities
  • Owners of underground utilities and facilities
  • Regional notification centers

Terms To Know

Underground facility
A utility or service line that is buried under the ground, like water pipes or electrical cables.
Regional notification center
A special organization that helps spread information about potential damage to underground utilities in a specific area.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify what happens if someone fails to report the damage.
  • It is unclear how much time utility owners will get to fix the damage before work can continue.
  • The exact penalties for non-compliance are not detailed in this legislation.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-15 H

    Effective date: 08/01/2026.

  2. 2026-05-15 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 161.

  3. 2026-05-14 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-05-14 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-05-13 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-13 H

    Received from the Senate without amendments.

  7. 2026-05-12 S

    Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  8. 2026-05-04 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  9. 2026-04-29 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  10. 2026-04-28 S

    Reported favorably.

  11. 2026-03-23 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs.

  12. 2026-03-18 S

    Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  13. 2026-03-18 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  14. 2026-03-17 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 03/18/2026.

  15. 2026-03-16 H

    Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  16. 2026-03-11 H

    Reported favorably (17-0).

  17. 2026-03-09 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.

  18. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  19. 2026-02-26 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.

  20. 2026-02-26 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

UTILITIES: Provides relative to mandatory reporting of damage to utilities

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 1612026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 464
BY REPRESENTATIVES RISER AND KNOX
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 40:1749.17(A), relative to mandatary reporting of damage to
3 utilities; to provide for notification from excavators or demolishers; to provide for
4 notification from the regional notification center; and to provide for related matters.
5 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
6 Section 1. R.S. 40:1749.17(A) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
7 §1749.17. Excavation or demolition; repair of damage
8 A.(1) Each person responsible for any excavation or demolition operations
9 which result in any damage to an underground facility or utility shall, immediately
10 upon discovery of that damage, notify the owner or operator of the utility or facility
11 and the regional notification center of the location and nature of the damage and shall
12 allow the owner or operator reasonable time to accomplish necessary repairs before
13 continuing the excavation, demolition, or back filling in the immediate area of
14 damage.
15 (2) Upon receiving the notification outlined in Paragraph (1) of this
16 Subsection, the regional notification center shall notify all owners and operators of
17 the utilities or facilities that are in the area that may have been damaged.
18 * * *
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.