Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 704A - Facilities Placed Underground
Here’s an overview of Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) Chapter 704A – Facilities Placed Underground, which governs how utilities convert overhead electric and communication lines to underground installations:
⚙️ Key Definitions & Scope
Direct burial: Installing cables or conductors directly in the earth (no conduit/duct), except for access points like handholes or manholes (casetext.com).
Underground service district: A designated area where electric and communication utilities must replace overhead facilities with underground infrastructure (leg.state.nv.us).
📌 Procedures for Establishing Districts
Property owners may petition the governing body (city/county) to conduct a cost study and form an underground service district (law.justia.com).
Public hearings are held, notices published or mailed, and assessments apportioned by lot (with objection and appeal processes available) .
🔧 Placement & Conversion Rules
All service facilities on each lot must be placed underground either simultaneously with or following the installation of the underground system in easements and public rights-of-way (law.justia.com).
Electric utilities: Their service must be undergrounded up to the service entrance.
Communication utilities: Must convert underground up to the connection point inside the structure (law.justia.com).
All conversion costs—including excavation, trenching, and cabling—are included in the total assessment levied upon property owners .
💼 Additional Provisions
The utility is required to maintain records of installations in new residential developments (leg.state.nv.us).
Interim warrants, assessment rolls, boundary modifications, rehearings, and judicial review are also covered in later sections (e.g., NAC 704A.310, NAC 704A.312).
📚 Structure of the Code
Sections 704A.010–.070 cover legislative intent and definitions.
704A.080–.150 define underground districts.
704A.170–.310 outline the process: petitions, hearings, cost apportionment, construction timelines, placement rules.
.312 deals with resolutions and final cost assessments (law.justia.com, nevada.public.law).
👍 Summary
NAC Chapter 704A establishes a structured process for undergrounding utilities, emphasizing:
Clear definitions
Community involvement via hearings and petitions
Transparent cost allocation to property owners
Consistent placement standards
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