HARRISBURG, PA — State regulators levied $163,550 in penalties and ordered 84 mandatory training requirements against 120 excavators, facility owners, and project owners during February enforcement actions tied to underground utility strikes across Pennsylvania.
What This Means for You
- 164 disciplinary actions were issued under Pennsylvania’s One Call Law.
- Multiple repeat offenses involved failure to respond to emergency and routine 8-1-1 tickets.
- The next public Damage Prevention Committee meeting is March 10 at 9 a.m.
Case-Level Enforcement Details
The enforcement actions were approved by the Public Utility Commission’s Damage Prevention Committee, which reviews violations of Pennsylvania’s Underground Utility Line Protection Law, commonly known as the One Call Law. The law requires contractors and homeowners to contact 8-1-1 at least three business days before digging so utilities can mark underground lines.
Among the cases reviewed:
On Southampton Avenue in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pact Construction was cited for failing to provide support and mechanical protection for known facility lines after a water line owned by Aqua PA was damaged. The committee also voted to add an additional $250 penalty to Springfield Township of Montgomery County for not attending the February meeting.
In Rice Township, Luzerne County, a line strike involving Smith Construction & Son led to penalties for multiple stakeholders. Breezeline was fined $1,500 for a second offense involving failure to respond to an emergency notification , and PPL was assessed $2,000.
In Lebanon City, Lebanon County, Comcast was fined $2,000 for a third offense involving failure to respond to an emergency locate request. Verizon was fined $2,500 for a subsequent emergency response violation tied to the same ticket. The case stemmed from emergency ticket #20252803680, where the excavator reported that Comcast did not respond to an emergency locate request.
In St. Marys City, Elk County, Saint Marys Television was fined $500 for a first offense after failing to properly respond to a renotify ticket. Comcast was fined $2,000 for a subsequent violation in that same case.
Additional violations reviewed included repeated failures by AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and LUMEN to respond to routine One Call tickets within required timeframes, including third-time offenses.
Why the Law Matters
The One Call Law is designed to prevent “line hits,” which occur when underground gas, electric, water, or communications lines are damaged during excavation. Such incidents can endanger contractors, homeowners, emergency responders, and nearby residents.
Violations can result in warning letters, required compliance training, and administrative penalties. In some cases, education requirements are imposed in addition to fines.
Next Meeting
The Damage Prevention Committee will meet again at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 10, 2026. Members of the public may listen by calling 267-332-8737 and entering conference ID 502 040 917#. The meeting agenda will be posted at https://www.puc.pa.gov/natural-gas/damage-prevention-committee/.
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