Grant Piraine
Jan 5, 2026
1. Why NAPUA Exists
Across North America, damage prevention systems are built primarily around publicly owned utility infrastructure. Public One Call programs, regulatory notification requirements, and utility-owner locate systems operate effectively within defined service territories and within the public right of way. They were not designed to govern privately owned buried utility infrastructure located on private property beyond the demarcation point.
When responsibility transitions from a public utility owner to a private landowner or asset owner, structural clarity diminishes. Records may be incomplete. Ownership awareness is inconsistent. Private locating practices vary in methodology and documentation. Risk remains present but lacks unified governance.
NAPUA was established to define that missing structure.
The association does not replace public systems. It provides lifecycle governance where those systems were never intended to operate.
2. The Private Utility Infrastructure Lifecycle
Buried utility infrastructure risk progresses through identifiable phases within a project lifecycle. It is shaped during planning and design, influenced by record quality and coordination, and ultimately exposed at the moment of ground disturbance. When earlier investigative phases are limited or absent, residual uncertainty advances downstream to the operational phase.
The NAPUA Lifecycle Model formalizes this progression through three sequential lanes of subsurface risk management:
Design Phase Investigation
Including Subsurface Utility Engineering when commissioned, where uncertainty can be reduced before construction commitments are made.
Regulatory Notification and Public Utility Owner Response
Through One Call systems and public utility marking programs addressing publicly owned buried facilities within defined service territories.
Operational Phase Investigation Through Private Locating
The final structured opportunity to evaluate, document, and classify residual subsurface utility infrastructure risk prior to ground disturbance on private property.
These lanes serve distinct functions and operate under different authorities. They are sequential, not interchangeable. When one lane is incomplete, later phases inherit the resulting limitations.
NAPUA defines how these lanes connect within a coherent private property lifecycle framework. It establishes that unresolved limitations must be:
Identified
Documented
Communicated
Translated into structured risk classification before ground disturbance proceeds
The Lifecycle Model Foundation Framework defines the structural requirements. The NAPUA Best Practices and companion Guidelines provide the operational methodology for implementation in the field.
3. What NAPUA Is
The North American Private Utility Association is an independent, non profit standards body dedicated to advancing safety, accountability, and consistency in the management of privately owned buried utility infrastructure on private property.
NAPUA does not:
Perform locating services
Conduct ground disturbance
Operate as a regulatory authority
Replace public utility damage prevention systems
NAPUA defines structure.
Through its Technical Advisory and Steering Committee, the association develops and maintains:
Lifecycle governance principles
Risk classification frameworks
Documentation protocols
Limitation reporting standards
Operational responsibility guidance
Incident response and continuous improvement alignment
These standards are grounded in operational experience and aligned with recognized industry structures. They clarify expectations before exposure occurs rather than assigning responsibility after an incident.
4. The Structural Problem NAPUA Addresses
Private property ground disturbance presents recurring structural deficiencies:
Inconsistent or incomplete buried facility records
Variable private locating methodology and reporting quality
Limited landowner awareness of ownership and liability
Undefined allocation of responsibility when damage occurs
Absence of unified documentation and risk classification standards
In this environment, risk is frequently transferred contractually rather than managed operationally. Damage events become disputes over interpretation rather than predictable lifecycle outcomes.
NAPUA replaces fragmentation with continuity by requiring structured risk identification and communication prior to ground disturbance.
5. How NAPUA Operates
NAPUA advances its mission through three integrated functions:
Establishes Lifecycle Based Best Practices
Defines what should be achieved at each phase of private property buried utility infrastructure management.
Aligns Stakeholders Under a Shared Framework
Provides common terminology, risk classification levels, and documentation standards so that asset owners, engineers, private locators, contractors, and insurers operate from a consistent reference point.
Supports Consistent Education Through Licensed Providers
Allows qualified organizations to deliver training aligned with NAPUA standards while preserving the association’s role as a standards body rather than a training operator.
The objective is structural consistency across jurisdictions while respecting regional regulatory differences.
6. Who NAPUA Serves
The NAPUA framework applies to stakeholders involved in private property buried utility infrastructure, including:
Private landowners and institutional asset owners
Ground disturbance professionals
Private locating firms
Engineers and consultants
Insurers and risk managers
Municipalities navigating the interface between public and private infrastructure
By defining expectations across the lifecycle, NAPUA reduces uncertainty at the point of highest physical exposure and supports defensible decision making.
7. Current Phase and Direction
NAPUA is currently in its founding phase, focused on establishing governance, aligning leadership, and introducing the organization to the industry in a deliberate and controlled manner.
Initial priorities include:
Finalizing governance and bylaws
Establishing best practice review structures
Engaging early stakeholders and founding members
Building awareness around private property infrastructure risk
Public introduction of NAPUA is planned for April 1 during Dig Safe Month, with a focus on education, awareness, and collaboration rather than rapid expansion.
8. Our Vision and Long Term Direction
NAPUA’s objective is to become the recognized reference point for private property buried utility infrastructure lifecycle governance across North America.
Public systems govern publicly owned facilities. Engineering standards govern design phase investigation. NAPUA governs the private property lifecycle where those systems do not provide complete structural coverage.
Risk cannot be removed. It should be understood, classified, and managed.
NAPUA provides the structure to do so.
The full document is available to download below.