To amend sections 153.64, 3781.25, 3781.26, 3781.261, 3781.27, 3781.271, 3781.28, 3781.29, 3781.30, and 4913.01 of the Revised Code to modify excavation requirements.
HB227 revises Ohio’s underground utility damage prevention and excavation notice framework. The bill updates definitions used in the one-call/“call before you dig” system, including terms such as excavation, utility, tolerance zone, positive response system, commercial excavator, and limited basis participant. It also clarifies which activities are excluded from the excavation rules, such as certain shallow right-of-way maintenance, tilling, and temporary signage placement, and it refines how agricultural, governmental, and residential property owners are treated under the law.
The bill strengthens and reorganizes the notice-and-response process for projects that involve digging. It requires utilities to participate in protection services, requires developers and designers to notify those services before excavation planning, and requires utilities to mark facilities or provide drawings showing underground lines and related information. It also adds or clarifies special procedures for interstate gas and hazardous liquids pipelines, including notice of pipeline rights-of-way, contact information, and special safety requirements. The bill further addresses emergency repairs, phased or large-area excavations, and the timing of notices before work begins.
HB227 would amend multiple sections of the Revised Code governing underground utility location and excavation safety, primarily Chapter 3781, and the bill caption also indicates related changes to sections 153.64 and 4913.01. Its practical effect is to update Ohio’s damage-prevention rules for excavators, developers, designers, utilities, and protection services, while giving public authorities, pipeline operators, and limited basis participants more specific procedures and responsibilities. The bill would likely affect construction projects, utility operators, pipeline safety compliance, and property owners who undertake excavation or hire designers and excavators.
The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support and no recorded opposition: the bill passed House and Senate committee and floor votes unanimously. That pattern suggests broad agreement that the measure is a technical or safety-oriented update to Ohio’s excavation notification system rather than a controversial policy change. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate to indicate significant public disagreement.
No notable contention appears in the provided record, and the unanimous votes indicate that any concerns were either resolved in advance or were not significant enough to generate opposition. Based on the text, the most likely areas for discussion would be the compliance burden on excavators and developers, the responsibilities of limited basis participants, and the added procedural requirements for pipeline projects and emergency repairs. However, the available materials do not identify any specific lawmakers, industries, or stakeholder groups actively opposing those provisions.