Safety Alert for Special Districts: Are You Excavating or Operating Underground Facilities? 

Help Spread the Word: Ticket Life Changing January 1

As one of several rule changes that advanced this year, Oregon's ticket life will shorten from 45 days to 30 days on January 1, 2026. Oregon's current 45-day ticket deviates from best practices and is an outlier compared to most other states. Common Ground Alliance recommends not exceeding 20 working days, and the American Gas Association advises that tickets should not exceed 28 days. The 30-day compromise was approved after meetings, testimony, and deliberations over the past two years. For details on this, and the status of other rule changes, visit the OUNC website: https://digsafelyoregon.com/rulemaking/. Please help us spread the word to your colleagues and organizations with this important update.

2026 Service Tariff Adjustment Pending
At the October OUNC Board Meeting in Pendleton, the board approved a 4 cent (2.7%) rate adjustment to the service tariff base rate, to take effect on January 1, 2026. Subscribers will be invoiced on a monthly basis at the rate of $1.58 per ticket transmitted. This annual adjustment follows the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and keeps pace with escalating costs for maintaining and enhancing Oregon 811 service and damage prevention efforts.

Ruling under review with potential statewide changes

The Board adopted a temporary rule change in July as a response to the Oregon Public Utility Commission’s ruling (Order 25-093) on complaint NC-405, which highlighted that existing OUNC rules lack clarity on who has “control” over non-conforming service laterals. The temporary rule adds a definition of “control over” to OAR 952-001-0010, aligning with PUC chapter 952 and Common Ground Alliance Best Practices to ensure operators with the appropriate expertise perform locates and maintain OUNC subscriptions for the facilities they manage. This ruling and the resulting rule change could have statewide implications for enforcement and operational responsibilities. The temporary rule serves as a bridge while the Board works with stakeholders on a permanent solution early 2026. Please reach out if you would like additional information or wish to engage in the development process.

For any questions or to get involved, reach out to Andy Crocker at acrocker@rwpud.org  As your representative for special districts on the Oregon Utility Notification Center Board of Directors, he wants to ensure that membership voices are heard and that he can effectively represent your interests when it comes to important issues related to excavation and underground utilities. Let's work together to prevent accidents, protect underground utilities, and keep our communities safe!