The County Book, Anne Arundel County
Dates change; confirm with the official source before you act on one.
Every entry below names its official source and the date it was checked against that source.
Before digging in Maryland, the excavator must select a start work date that commences not sooner than 3 business days after the ticket is initiated and not later than 12 business days after the ticket is initiated. Miss Utility's own excavator guidance states the same window: at least 3 full business days and no more than 12 business days before beginning excavation or demolition.
For emergency excavation under § 12-121, the primary contractor or person performing the emergency work shall identify the location and extent of work clearly and concisely, take all reasonable precautions to protect underground facilities in and near the area, and immediately notify the one-call system. The owner-member or its contract locator shall respond not later than 2 hours from ticket transmission and begin the locating process within 3 hours (or clear the ticket within 3 hours if it has no facilities in the delineated area). The person responsible for the excavation shall be on site or in communication within 3 hours of transmission, or a mutually agreed response time. Abuse of the procedure is subject to penalties under § 12-135.
The excavator must repeat the § 12-124 notification if they have not completed or will not complete the work within the time period authorized by the ticket, expand beyond the location in the original notice, or add a temporary excavator to the ticket. Repeat notice is required regardless of owner-member marking delays or any private agreement on marking time.
If a mark is obliterated, destroyed, or removed, or a visible indication shows an underground facility is not marked as required, the excavator must notify the one-call system to request that all or part of the current scope of work of a valid ticket be re-marked. Re-marking is a defined statutory step, distinct from filing a new ticket.
Digging may not begin until all notified utility owner-members have provided a positive response through the Ticket Check system. Every company on a Maryland job must have a separate one-call ticket number or be listed and acknowledged as a valid temporary excavator before excavating; contractors working for a homeowner may not dig on the homeowner's ticket.
In Maryland, no mechanized, electric, or power equipment may be used within 18 inches of marked utility lines; hand digging is required inside that tolerance zone.
The person performing excavation shall promptly report to the owner-member any damage to, dislocation, or disturbance of an underground facility discovered or caused in connection with the work. If the damage results in the escape of a flammable, toxic, or corrosive gas or liquid, the person immediately shall report to 9-1-1.
A person that performs an excavation or demolition without first providing the notice required under § 12-124(a) is deemed negligent and is subject to a civil penalty assessed by the Authority of not more than $2,000 for the first offense and $4,000 for each subsequent offense. A person that violates any other provision of Part IV of the subtitle is subject to a civil penalty not exceeding the same $2,000 / $4,000 caps.