scope:

This nonmandatory consensus standard is core to the practice of SUE. SUE is predicated on the premise that important information related to the existence, location, configuration, and condition of utilities can be determined without accurate Utility records. The goal of applying this standard is to eliminate or reduce uncertainty in the locational position and Attributes of existing Utility infrastructure that causes delays and cost increases during Project Development and delivery. SUE enables project design-development efficiencies and assists engineers in meeting goals for assuring the health, safety, and welfare of the public. This standard describes the process of collecting and depicting existing subsurface and networked aerial Utility infrastructure data using various source information iterated with investigative techniques and professional judgment.

This standard addresses the following:

• The Utility investigative practices, equipment, and data-processing technologies available for the effective collection and Documentation of Utility systems;

• How to convey Utility data to users through an uncertainty-based classification system; and

• The respective roles of the professionals and project owners in obtaining, communicating, and effectively deciding on the Scope of Work of investigative effort.

The result of using this standard is the assignment of a value to buried Utility Segments and buried Utility Features that judges the relative (nonquantifiable) uncertainty of a Utility Segment's or Utility Feature's existence, Attributes, and depicted location to that of its actual location so that sound engineering decisions throughout the Project Delivery process can mitigate and manage those project risks owing to the presence of existing utilities.

This standard pertains to the investigation, identification, and Documentation of underground and aerial Utility networks including connected surface Utility Features. This standard does not replace statutory requirements for Utility owners to mark their utilities' suspected locations on the ground surface as a construction damage prevention mechanism. This edition addresses aerial Utility networks for those details not usually captured during a topographic survey, such as pole attachments, pole classification, ownership, and other data that are often included within a SUE Deliverable when part of a project Scope of Work.

Although this standard is a nonmandatory consensus standard, the aspects of the standard that relate to tasks to achieve a particular Utility Quality Level (Chapter 2) are prescriptive. Some regulatory jurisdictions have written ASCE 38 into code by changing certain language to mandatory language. Colorado Bill 18-167 was passed into law effective January 1, 2019, and is now properly cited as revisions to various sections of Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS 09-1.5-102 and CRS 09-1.5-103).