Utility Accommodation Policy (UAP)

​​​Summary of August 2022 Revisions

​​​​​​​​​A short description for each subject is listed near the bottom of this webpage.

​​(​Also known as Highway Maintenance Manual - Chapter 9, Section 15​)

Title Subject No.
(Effective date)
Past Version
(Effective date)
Revisions
​Entire Utility Accommodation​ ​​Policy09-15-00
March 2023
09​​-​​1​5-00p
February 2022
See individual subject number​s
Purpose and General Policy 09-15-​01
August 2022
09-15-01p
July 2016
09-15-01r
Statutes and Definitions 09-15-05
July 2016
09-15-05p
August 2014
09-15-05r
Compliance 09-15-10
December 2010
​Permit Process, Application Form & Instructions 09-15-15
August 2022
09-15-15p
July 2017
09-15-15r
​Environmental Coordination & ​Checklist​ 09-15-16
August​​ 2022
New policy
​​Expedited Service Connection Permit
Current list of approved utility companies and ESCP number
09-15-20
July 2017
09-15-20p
July 2016
09-15-20r
Location Requirements
09-15-25
July 2017
09-15-25p
December 2010
09-15-25r
Structure Attachments 09-15-30
December 2010
Survey Monument Protection 09-15-35
August 2021
​09-15-35p
December 2010
09-15-35r​​
Controlled-Access Highways 09-15-40
October 2020​
09-15-40p
March 2020​
09-15-40r
​Cellular Installations 09-15-41
June 2021
09-15-41p
December 2020
09-15-41r
​Broadband Deployment​​ Program 0​9-15-42
September 2022
09-15​-42p
April 2022
09-15-42r
​​Construct​ion
09-15-45
August 2022
09-15-45p
June 2021
09-15-45r
​Discovery of Environmental Conditions 09-15-50
August 2022
​​​09-15-50p
December 2010
09-15-50r
Erosion Control and Stormwat​​​er Management 09-15-55
December 2010

​​Work Zone Traffic Control 09-15-60
December 2010
​​​​Work Zone Field Manual
Work Zone Safety Booklet ​may be used on very small projects
WZFM​
July 2020
WZSB**
June 2019
​​Traffic Control, 2-Lane Roundabout​ SD 15D-37
May 2020

​​​Traffic Control, Other Standard Detail Drawings SD 15D-00
Various
Flagging Handbook
FH
January 2020
FH-p**
March 2011
​Requirements for Specific Utility Facilities 09-15-65
August 2021
09-15​-65p
July 2016
09-15-65r
WisDOT Utility Permit Staff Director​y
Includes region boundary map
09-15-70
March​ 2023
09-15-70p
February 2023
09-15-70r
​​

**Please discard older versions of these items.​​​​​​​​

​Summary of August 2022 UAP Revisions

09-15-01
Clarification was provided in section 3.0 that the UAP is written in the active-voice imperative mood. This means that since the UAP is written for utilities, it eliminates the need to construct sentences using "shall" statements. For example, "The utility shall restore the right-of-way..." will now be written as, "Restore the right-of-way..." The utility is the actor in these sentences. Requirements to be performed by others will be written in the active voice, which identifies the party responsible for performing the action.​

​​09-15-15
A brief PowerPoint slide show was created in section 1.0 to provide a visualization for the portions of sewer and water laterals that require a WisDOT permit from the main owner — not the property owner.

Wisconsin DNR's Office of Energy is no longer​ reviewing WisDOT utility permits for wetland and waterway impacts. As a result, most of the language in sections 1.3 through 1.5 was deleted and its relevant parts moved to a new policy 09-15-16 to provide environmental guidance for utilities when submitting their permit applications.

Clarification on permit drawings was added in section 2.3 regarding the need for a Public Land Survey System plat map to verify section-town-range information listed in question 6 of the dt1553 permit application form.

09-15-16
This new policy was developed along with a checklist to assist utilities with the environmental coordination process associated with their permit applications. In addition to wetlands and waterways, other topical areas are covered such as threatened and endangered species, archeological sites, burial sites, and Tribal coordination. The checklist will be required with all utility permit application submittals. Question 17 of the dt1553 form has also been updated to match this new requirement. Even though the revisions take effect on the day of publication and utilities should begin using the checklist right away, WisDOT will not mandate full implementation until September 12, 2022, to give utilities some time to learn and understand the process. ​​​Utilities must be aware that requirements for environmental coordination have not changed — the onus is still upon the utilities to perform their due diligence in this matter. The new policy should make the process more efficient and easier for utilities to follow.

09-15-45
A new policy was created in section 2.2 to address utility construction and maintenance activities that affect WisDOT's living snow fence (LSF), which it plants near the edge of the right-of-way to help control blowing and drifting snow from accumulating on a state highway. In addition, section 2.3 was created to address temporary snow fence requirements when utilities remove, damage, or destroy ​LSF during utility construction or maintenance on state highways.

Sections 7.0 – 7.3 were created requiring utilities​​ to provide as-built X-Y-Z coordinate data for all open cut, trenched, and other utility projects in which a facility is exposed to ​facilitate a survey. Boring logs should be provided if the equipment can produce X-Y-Z data. The purpose for collecting this data is to minimize future utility conflicts with WisDOT improvement or maintenance projects and utility project permits. Section 7.4, Data Retrieval, is still under development as WisDOT has not determined what method(s) would be the most efficient and less costly.

In Attachment 2, the excavation backfilling diagrams were revised to include urban cross-sections. In addition, the slurry backfill formula was revised to provide two recipes — ​one for more flowable, and one for more rigid slurry — so adjustments can be made for on-site conditions.​​

09-15-50
An update to this policy was needed in conjunction with the update to 09-15-15 and creation of 09-15-16. WisDOT staff and other contacts were also updated.

Work zone requirements and​​​ training

See the main State ROW permits page for information on this topic.​
 Please note the requirements on the use of green lamps (lights).