Jobsite Safety & Excavation

Jobsite safety on the Law & Business exam is dominated by California’s underground excavation law and the rules that protect workers, pipelines, and human remains. The numbers here are precise, and the exam tests them directly — notification windows, ticket validity, fines, and the chain of actions when something is discovered in the ground.

Call before you dig

Before any excavation, the contractor must contact the regional notification center — an association of subsurface owners and operators that provides a single phone number for excavation notices. In California that number is 811 (Underground Service Alert). You must call at least 2 working days but not more than 14 calendar days before excavation begins.

The center issues an inquiry identification number (a USA ticket) confirming the call. Key points the exam repeats:

• An excavation permit is not valid without the inquiry identification number.
• Every contractor or subcontractor digging at the site needs its own ticket number.
• A ticket is valid for 28 calendar days. If work continues past that, you must obtain a renewed ticket before continuing.
• If the operator’s markings are no longer visible, request remarking within 2 working days.

Marking and locating

The excavator marks the boundaries of the proposed work area, usually with white paint. Each operator then marks or stakes only the facilities they own, using the appropriate color code, or advises that the area is clear. Before using power equipment, the exact location of underground facilities must be determined with hand tools or a vacuum device — not by digging blindly with the machine.

After January 1, 2023, all new subsurface installations must be mapped using a geographic information system (GIS) and kept as permanent records of the operator.

Penalties for getting it wrong

If you discover or cause damage, you must notify the regional notification center within 48 hours.

Beyond statutory fines, an excavator faces third-party claims for damages, plus possible disciplinary action and revocation of the contractor license by the CSLB. The CSLB may also raise minimum fine amounts for Consumer Price Index increases every five years, and beginning July 1, 2026, the minimum civil penalty for violations involving unlicensed persons is at least $1,500.

Some excavation work needs more than a ticket. Digging, boring, drilling, altering, abandoning, or destroying a water well requires a C-57 Water Well Contractor’s License.

Exemptions worth knowing

Two parties can be excused from the notification requirement. An owner who contracts with a licensed contractor for a project that does not require an excavation permit is exempt. And a company that rents power-operated excavating equipment to a licensed contractor is exempt if the signed rental agreement makes the renter solely responsible for following the law.

If you find human remains

Outside a dedicated cemetery, the discovery of human remains stops everything. The first required action is to stop work immediately and contact the county coroner. There must be no further excavation or disturbance of the site or nearby area. The coroner then has two working days to examine the remains.

If the remains are Native American, the coroner has 24 hours to notify the Native American Heritage Commission. The most likely descendant then has 24 hours to make recommendations on treatment and disposition. If the owner rejects them, either party may request mediation by the Commission. If mediation fails to satisfy the landowner, the landowner must reinter the remains with dignity on the property where they will not face further subsurface disturbance. Knowingly removing or possessing Native American remains or burial artifacts without authority of law is a felony punishable by imprisonment in state prison.

Cal/OSHA

Worker-safety rules sit elsewhere in the code: Cal/OSHA safety orders are contained in Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.