LOCATE REQUESTS

An excavator shall make an excavation locate request for all projects involving excavation, including road maintenance, with the exception of subsurface potholing or vacuum excavation activities conducted solely for the purpose of physically exposing or locating underground facilities. However, this exception does not preclude compliance with 18.60.5.18 NMAC. Although not required under the Excavation Damage to Pipelines and Underground Utility Lines Law, Sections 62-14-1, et seq. NMSA 1978, or this rule, locate requests are encouraged for excavation projects involving purely non-mechanical means.#

A.Submittal.#

(1)An excavator shall submit an excavation locate request to each one-call notification system:#

(a)by telephone or in person during normal business hours Monday to Friday, excluding holidays; or#

(b)by facsimile or electronically via online web portal with appropriate one-call notification center twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.#

(2)An excavator shall also submit an excavation locate request to each non-member UFO.#

B.Size of locate requests.#

(1)An excavator shall determine the maximum area that the excavator can reasonably expect to excavate within a 15 working day period and shall request an excavation locate for that area only. The excavator shall pre-mark the actual intended excavation route or site(s) for any incorporated city, town, or village including extra-territorial zone(s) in accordance with American public works association (APWA) marking guidelines to communicate to facility owners where the actual excavation will take place for standard 15 working day ticket requests only. Outside these incorporated areas, excavators shall provide clear and accurate driving and marking instructions, and either GPS coordinates or pre-marks, as described above, which define the parameters of the proposed excavation. The pre-marked excavation shall encompass locations(s) where excavation equipment that may penetrate the surface will be setup, such as directional boring equipment. If the location markings have been removed, or are no longer visible, and there are no marking offsets, the person engaging in the excavation activity shall suspend excavation activities and reinitiate a locate request set forth in this section. Such relocate request shall be limited to the area yet to be excavated only.#

(2)An excavator may request relocates for the same area only if justified by the circumstances and nature of the work; such justification shall be made part of the relocate request.#

C.Minimum information required. When requesting an excavation locate or a locate conference, an excavator shall comply with the requirements of the one-call notification system or non-member UFO operating in the intended excavation area and shall provide accurate and truthful information. A locate request shall be deemed incomplete if it does not contain, at a minimum:#

(1)the name and contact information of the excavator personnel directly involved with or conducting the excavation at the actual excavation site;#

(2)if available, an alternate name and contact information of the excavator;#

(3)a description and the purpose of the type of work to be done;#

(4)the name of the person for whom the work is being done;#

(5)whether or not the excavation site is pre-marked in white;#

(6)an accurate physical description of the location and size of the excavation site; reference to a plat of a subdivision shall not by itself be sufficient description;#

(7)driving instructions to a rural excavation site;#

(8)spotting instructions;#

(9)any appropriate remarks regarding access to or hazards at the site;#

(10)if available, GPS coordinates which define the parameters or start and end points of the actual excavation.#

History[18.60.5.10 NMAC - Rp, 18.60.5.10 NMAC, 1/15/2019]#