# Responsibility to protect and preserve marking

**Citation:** 20VAC5-309-170  
**Type / status:** regulation / current  
**Agency:** Virginia State Corporation Commission  
**Effective:** 2001-07-01  
**Published:** 2001-07-01

Every excavator shall be responsible to reasonably protect and preserve markings from the time the excavator begins work until markings are no longer required for the proper and safe excavation near the utility line.

## Document text

Every excavator shall be responsible to reasonably protect and preserve markings from the time the excavator begins work until markings are no longer required for the proper and safe excavation near the utility line.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title20/agency5/chapter309/section170/>
- Source ID: `va-vac`
- SHA-256: `3db912fe6a925fe5b825ed2cbbb9ac1a46745b9a491a96cd1330662f1d11c4fc`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T11:42:36.995Z
- Exported: 2026-08-25T03:04:04.343Z
- Document slug: `va-vac-20-5-309-170`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "jurisdiction": "US-VA",
  "titleNumber": 20,
  "agencyNumber": 5,
  "chapter": "309",
  "section": "170",
  "part": "V",
  "partTitle": "Supplemental Rules, Etc.",
  "pipelineScope": "underground-utility-damage-prevention-enforcement",
  "incorporatedByReference": false,
  "statutoryAuthority": "§§ 12.1-13 and 56-265.30 of the Code of Virginia.",
  "historicalNotes": "Derived from Virginia Register Volume 17, Issue 18, eff. July 1, 2001.",
  "references": [
    {
      "citation": "Va. Code § 12.1-13",
      "referenceType": "virginia-code-section",
      "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/12.1-13/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Va. Code § 56-265.30",
      "referenceType": "virginia-code-section",
      "url": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/56-265.30/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Volume 17, Issue 18",
      "referenceType": "official-source-link",
      "url": "http://register.dls.virginia.gov/vol17/iss18/v17i18.pdf"
    }
  ],
  "chapterUrl": "https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title20/agency5/chapter309/",
  "applicabilityCaveat": "Applicability depends on State Corporation Commission jurisdiction, facility and operator type, intrastate status, the Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act, incorporated federal standards, and section-specific definitions and exceptions. Confirm current official Virginia and federal text before relying on a provision.",
  "publicationStatus": "Current official Virginia Administrative Code HTML published by the Virginia General Assembly's Division of Legislative Services.",
  "region": "VA"
}
```