House Bill 437 Summary

• Repeals and replaces 16 sections of Missouri's underground facility safety law (Chapter 319) effective January 1, 2014, consolidating into 11 new sections with updated definitions and procedures.

• Requires all underground facility owners statewide to maintain participation in a notification center and eliminates previous phase-in periods based on county classification.

• Expands the definition of "excavation" to include pulling material from ditches onto roads and clarifies marking standards to reference the Missouri Common Ground Alliance Best Practices Manual.

• Requires facility owners to respond to incorrect locate notifications within two hours by contacting the excavator or relocating their facility, and mandates annual damage reporting for electric, gas, and pipeline facilities to a central repository.

• Establishes new procedures for emergency excavations, "no response" requests with 2-hour response deadlines, positive response systems for facility owners, and creates nonbinding arbitration for disputes under $5,000 (section 319.046).