Senate Bill 205 successfully passed during the 2026 Legislative Session and will be enacted as of January 1, 2027. This legislation was the result of months of discussions, input, and compromises between multiple stakeholder groups impacted by the damage prevention program and buried infrastructure across Alabama. A thank you to Senator Gerald Allen for his sponsorship, support and assistance in enacting this legislation.
The changes included in this bill were directed at improving damage prevention measures in efficiency of operations, as well as addressing new processes to improve challenges faced in the field by excavators, facility owners and locators.
One of the biggest issues was the current and expected increase in excavation activities because of infrastructure and broadband funding coming into Alabama. For 2026, there is an estimated $460 million for broadband facility expansion, $40 million for roads and bridges, $17 million for water/sewer upgrades in rural areas, road resurfacing, and $66 million for energy infrastructure. Not all of this will be directly related to excavation activity, but the vast majority will be.
A real concern was warranted on how facility owners would be able to keep up with the vast number of locate requests, especially for those giving the minimum 2 working day notice. This is not only an Alabama issue but one being discussed across the nation. To address it in Alabama, a Complex/Large Project process will go into effect on January 1, 2027. Excavation activities that meet the definition of a Complex/Large Project will require a meeting to bring all affected stakeholders to the table to discuss the full scope of the project, work out a timeline for the start of excavation activities throughout the project, and establish a locating timeline. Locate requests will then be placed within the agreed timeline to allow facility owners to be able to allocate adequate resources and manpower to meet the needs of the excavator.
The outline of the process includes what defines a complex/large project, which is:
COMPLEX OR LARGE PROJECT.
Any excavation activity that meets one or more of the following criteria:
The activity is initially planned to extend beyond a standard 40 working day notification period.
The project will involve five or more crews working concurrently. Concurrent work crews may work for more than one general contractor on a project.
The project requires multiple locate requests for the same activity within the same geographic area, submitted within a single working day notification period, with all activity occurring within the initial life of a single locate request.
Any combination of the aforementioned criteria.
This definition establishes the scope for projects exceeding typical requirements for time, resources, and coordination across multiple crews or requests within a single designated notification period.
The process for the Complex/Large Project process includes:
For an excavation project that qualifies as a complex or large project, the excavator will be required to provide the underground facility operator, via the one-call notification center, with notice of a planned complex or large project with a minimum of a not less than five (5) working day notice prior to the planned complex or large project pre-excavation planning meeting. This notice will be required to follow the guidelines established for complex or large projects which shall include, but not limited to, the following:
Scope of project details and expected timelines for the work to be concluded, including descriptions of phase, if appropriate
Company representative contact information
Field contact representative contact information
List of known contractors and subcontractors
Use of premarking requirements at proposed excavation sites
The excavator, operators, and locators involved in the complex or large project must negotiate in good faith to reach a working agreement. The working agreement should include, but not limited to, the agreed upon scope of work, timeline for excavation activity, and locating completion schedule.
Once the working agreement is finalized, the locate requests for utility markings should be made in accordance with the agreed upon location completion schedule and in compliance with requirements of 37-15-4. The operator will be required to mark the proposed excavation site in compliance with requirements of 37-15-6.
An excavator’s knowing failure to designate a qualifying project as a complex or large project subject to the provisions of this section and an excavator or an operator’s failure to comply with a working agreement shall be subject to enforcement provisions of Section 37.15.10.
An operator can require an excavator to utilize the complex or large project process if individual locate requests placed as routine requests combined qualify for the complex or large project process.
Other key changes in SB205 are as follows:
Approximate Location of Underground Facilities – to clarify the approximate location does not include a defined depth of the facility.
Excavate or Excavation – including hand digging and dredging in definition.
Enforcement actions have illustrated damages related to hand digging activities, which are currently not included in the definition of excavation. Additionally, hand tools, nationally, are the third leading cause of damages to underground facilities.
Hand Digging – to address excavation activities conducted with hand tools which may result in damage to underground facilities. Include exemptions for property owner, facility owner activities on their own facilities, and use of hand tools to locate facility in response to locate request notification.
Allow excavator to begin work prior to the expiration of notice period if all facilities have used the positive response and have given a marked or cleared response.
Requires if, after the expiration of notice of excavation and all facilities have provided a completion or cleared response, if there is an indication of an unmarked facility, the excavator must call in a second notice to the 811 center.
The excavator can begin work after giving notice while exercising reasonable care and avoiding the facility observed.
A downloadable version of the bills can be obtained via the State legislative website https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/ or at
www.al811.com/law.
The Role of GIS in 811: Beyond
Mapping
By Derek Day, GIS Specialist, Alabama 811
In the 811 environment, GIS is not a supporting tool—it is a foundational system that directly impacts daily operations, data accuracy, and member accountability. Every locate request, service area boundary, and utility responsibility is tied to geography.
GIS is key to defining, maintaining, and validating service area boundaries for utility members. These service areas determine how incoming locate tickets are distributed across the system. Even small spatial inaccuracies can result in challenges such as incorrect notification of members, duplicate notifications, or unnecessary workload for utility members. These issues don’t just impact efficiency—they introduce real-world risk in the field. GIS usage works to ensure that routing is accurate and consistent.
In many organizations, GIS is still viewed as a mapping or visualization tool. In 811, our take on GIS is slightly different. GIS is part of the operational backbone. Every ticket that comes into the system is spatially evaluated against member utility designated service area polygons. When a ticket is created, it becomes a polygon representing the area of intended excavation. That ticket polygon is then compared against all member service area polygons. Any service area that intersects that ticket polygon receives a notification. This process is happening constantly and must be fast, consistent, and reliable. This isn’t a static map—it’s a live system making decisions in real time. GIS in this environment is responsible for member notifications, maintaining boundaries, supporting audits, and enabling reporting.
GIS sits in the middle of everything, connecting ticketing systems, member records, and spatial data into one consistent framework. In most cases, utility members provide their data in shapefiles, GeoJSON, or KMZ formats. Data quality varies widely, and some rural utilities may not have usable spatial data at all. In those cases, GIS workflows can leverage billing system address data to help build their service area notification database. By converting billing records into spatial address points, GIS provides a repeatable and objective foundation for defining service areas. This approach fills gaps when traditional GIS data is missing and reduces reliance on manual methods.
Parcel data is one of the most important layers in the process to help determine the proposed excavation site. Many locate requests are tied to new development, where mapping and imagery lag behind. Aerial imagery can only show what already exists, not what has been recently assigned or planned. The issue often starts at address search during ticket creation. If the system cannot find the address, everything downstream is compromised. In new subdivisions, addresses may exist before they appear in mapping datasets. This can lead to approximated locations or over-notification from having to estimate the approximate location of the proposed excavation activity. Parcel data ensures new addresses are searchable early, allowing accurate ticket creation and routing.
Not all utilities maintain GIS data, especially in rural areas. Service areas may be built from paper maps or manual methods. This introduces inconsistency and makes updates difficult. GIS workflows can use road centerlines, billing-derived address points, and automation. These methods can achieve 75–95% accuracy with minimal input. Remaining gaps are typically due to missing features like private easements. Automation significantly reduces time and improves consistency.
As systems grow, manual GIS work does not scale. Automation generates service areas, validates spatial relationships, detects overlaps, and integrates updates. It ensures consistent logic is applied across the system. This is critical in statewide environments with multiple utilities. GIS accuracy directly impacts real-world outcomes. Incorrect service areas can lead to missed notifications and increased risk. Overly broad areas create unnecessary workloads. GIS provides a defensible spatial basis for routing and accountability.
GIS has expanded beyond mapping into data engineering, automation, and real-time analysis. It now directly impacts safety, efficiency, and reliability. It ensures accuracy, safety, and efficiency from ticket creation to completion. In an environment where precision matters, GIS is essential.