Terms Used In California Codes > Government Code > Title 1 > Division 5 > Chapter 3.1 > Article 2 - Regional Notification Center System

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Area of continual excavation: means a location where excavation is part of the normal business activities of agricultural operations and flood control facilities. See California Government Code 4216
• Board: means the California Underground Facilities Safe Excavation Board, also known as the "Dig Safe Board. See California Government Code 4216
• City: includes "city and county" and "incorporated town" but does not include "unincorporated town" or "village. See California Government Code 20
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• County: includes city and county. See California Government Code 19
• County: includes city and county. See California Food and Agricultural Code 29
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Delineate: means to mark in white the location or path of the proposed excavation using the guidelines in Appendix B of the "Guidelines for Excavation Delineation" published in the most recent version of the Best Practices guide of the Common Ground Alliance. See California Government Code 4216
• Department: means the Department of Food and Agriculture. See California Food and Agricultural Code 32
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Donee: The recipient of a gift.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Electronic funds transfer: The transfer of money between accounts by consumer electronic systems-such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and electronic payment of bills-rather than by check or cash. (Wire transfers, checks, drafts, and paper instruments do not fall into this category.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Electronic positive response: means an electronic response from an operator to the regional notification center providing the status of an operator's statutorily required response to a ticket. See California Government Code 4216
• Emergency: means a sudden, unexpected occurrence, involving a clear and imminent danger, demanding immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services. See California Government Code 4216
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Excavation: means any operation in which earth, rock, or other material in the ground is moved, removed, or otherwise displaced by means of tools, equipment, or explosives in any of the following ways: grading, trenching, digging, ditching, drilling, augering, tunneling, scraping, cable or pipe plowing and driving, or any other way. See California Government Code 4216
• excavator: means any person, firm, contractor or subcontractor, owner, operator, utility, association, corporation, partnership, business trust, public agency, or other entity that, with their own employees or equipment, performs any excavation. See California Government Code 4216
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• High priority subsurface installation: means high-pressure natural gas pipelines with normal operating pressures greater than 415kPA gauge (60psig), petroleum pipelines, pressurized sewage pipelines, high-voltage electric supply lines, conductors, or cables that have a potential to ground of greater than or equal to 60kv, or hazardous materials pipelines that are potentially hazardous to workers or the public if damaged. See California Government Code 4216
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Legal excavation start date and time: means two working days, not including the date of notification, unless the excavator specifies a later date and time, which shall not be more than 14 calendar days from the date of notification. See California Government Code 4216
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Local agency: means a city, county, city and county, school district, or special district. See California Government Code 4216
• Locate and field mark: means to indicate the existence of any owned or maintained subsurface installations by using the guidelines in Appendix B of the "Guidelines for Operator Facility Field Delineation" published in the most recent version of the Best Practices guide of the Common Ground Alliance and in conformance with the uniform color code of the American Public Works Association. See California Government Code 4216
• Operator: means any person, corporation, partnership, business trust, public agency, or other entity that owns, operates, or maintains a subsurface installation. See California Government Code 4216
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Process: includes a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings of either a civil or criminal nature. See California Government Code 22
• Qualified person: means a person who completes a training program in accordance with the requirements of Section 1509 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations Injury and Illness Prevention Program, that meets the minimum locators training guidelines and practices published in the most recent version of the Best Practices guide of the Common Ground Alliance. See California Government Code 4216
• Regional notification center: means a nonprofit association or other organization of operators of subsurface installations that provides advance warning of excavations or other work close to existing subsurface installations, for the purpose of protecting those installations from damage, removal, relocation, or repair. See California Government Code 4216
• Secretary: means the Secretary of Food and Agriculture. See California Food and Agricultural Code 35
• Sell: includes offer for sale, expose for sale, possess for sale, exchange, barter, or trade. See California Food and Agricultural Code 44
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• State agency: means every state agency, department, division, bureau, board, or commission. See California Government Code 4216
• Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
• Subsurface installation: means any underground pipeline, conduit, duct, wire, or other structure, except nonpressurized sewerlines, nonpressurized storm drains, or other nonpressurized drain lines. See California Government Code 4216
• Ticket: means an excavation location request issued a number by the regional notification center. See California Government Code 4216
• Tolerance zone: means 24 inches on each side of the field marking placed by the operator in one of the following ways:

  California Government Code 4216

• Unexpected occurrence: includes , but is not limited to, a fire, flood, earthquake or other soil or geologic movement, riot, accident, damage to a subsurface installation requiring immediate repair, or sabotage. See California Government Code 4216