House Bill 118 Summary

• Establishes the Idaho Damage Prevention Board within the Division of Building Safety, consisting of 15 members appointed by the governor representing various stakeholders including utilities, excavators, contractors, and public entities.

• Creates the Damage Prevention Board Fund, funded by fees assessed on underground facility owners each time they receive notice from a one-number notification service, with penalty revenues used exclusively for educational programming on excavation safety.

• Revises underground facilities damage prevention requirements including excavation notification procedures, marking standards, and compensation rights for excavators and facility owners when parties fail to comply with notice and location requirements.

• Establishes civil penalty framework for violations ranging from $1,000 for first violations up to $10,000 for third violations within 24 months, with first-time homeowner violations resulting in written warnings and educational materials instead of fines.

• Requires excavators to provide 2-10 business days notice before excavation and reinitiate notice if excavation has not commenced within 3 weeks of original notification; mandates hand-digging within 24 inches of marked facilities and reporting of damage or downtime events to the board.