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Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama HB 322 sets new rules for large excavation projects and extends utility damage prevention program to 2037
Last action · February 5, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarSponsor: Clouse
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What This Bill Would Do
Alabama HB 322 establishes special pre-excavation notice, planning meetings, and working-agreement requirements for complex or large excavation projects, while extending the state's Underground Damage Prevention Program through January 1, 2037. The measure sets civil penalties ranging from training or up to $500 for a first violation to $10,000 for gross negligence or willful noncompliance, and takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Contractors, utility operators, and excavators across Alabama face mandatory pre-planning meetings, new working-agreement negotiations, and revised civil fine structures for underground utility damage, while the state's damage prevention authority is extended for an additional decade.
- The Underground Damage Prevention Program in Alabama coordinates reporting and safety measures between excavators and underground utility operators to prevent service outages and property damage. context
- The One-Call Notification System serves as the statewide communication hub through which excavators submit notice of planned digging operations. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Excavators
Excavators must participate in pre-excavation planning meetings for large projects, negotiate working agreements, follow tolerance zone requirements, and face civil penalties or training mandates for noncompliance.
Underground Facility Operators
Operators must maintain membership in the One-Call Notification System until 2037, respond to locate requests, participate in complex project negotiations, and file annual reports on facility damage.
Contractors and Subcontractors
Contractors must be listed in complex project notifications, negotiate working agreements, and comply with excavation safety guidelines.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifies an excavation job as a complex or large project under this bill?
What are the penalties for violating underground damage prevention rules?
When does this legislation take effect?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Procedural history
4 actions- Feb 5, 2026HouseRead for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Out of Committee House of Origin
- Jan 22, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Jan 22, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Transportation, Utilities and Infrastructure
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Extended Sunset and New Project Class
The legislation extends the operational mandate for underground utility systems by 10 years to 2037 and introduces a formal regulatory framework for large or complex multi-crew excavation projects.
Connected Entities
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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