Construction Equipment Rentals in Lancaster, TX

Local rules and conditions worth checking before equipment arrives. Requirements change and depend on the project, so confirm the details with the agency for your site.

• ROW work hours and Saturdays

  Under Code sec. 24.09.049, nonemergency excavation and boring in the right-of-way take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. unless the City grants permission. Other work requiring an inspection is done between 7 a.m. and thirty minutes before sundown, Monday through Friday, and no work is performed on holidays. Saturday work needs the right-of-way manager's approval, with notice no later than noon on the Thursday before. These hours apply to ROW work, not to work on private lots.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Code ch. 24, art. 24.09, div. 2, Right-of-Way Management

• ROW permits, registration and notices

  A permit is required for any work in the City right-of-way, every contractor must be registered with the City, and the Public Works inspector needs 48 hours' notice before work starts. Applications for excavation deeper than five feet must include a trench safety design sealed by a licensed professional engineer, and the City issues or denies a permit within ten days of a complete application. The ROW user also notifies the City after initial backfill and at completion.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Engineering: ROW Permits general information (PDF)
  • Source: City of Lancaster Code ch. 24, art. 24.09, div. 2, Right-of-Way Management
  • Source: City of Lancaster Development Handbook (updated Aug. 19, 2024) (PDF)

• Traffic control and lane closures

  A Traffic Control Plan meeting the Texas MUTCD is required when working closer than 36 inches to the edge of pavement or back of curb. Lane closures must be approved 48 hours in advance so public safety notifications can be made.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Engineering: ROW Permits general information (PDF)

• Grading permits and erosion control

  The City's grading permit form asks for the estimated disturbed area, whether a SWPPP has been prepared and whether the site is in a FEMA flood zone, and requires an erosion control plan sealed by a licensed engineer plus a copy of the Notice of Intent when one applies. Projects disturbing one acre or more must send a copy of the Construction Site Notice or Notice of Intent to the Director of Public Works.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Grading Permit Form (PDF)
  • Source: City of Lancaster Construction Site Erosion Control (PDF)
  • Source: TCEQ Stormwater General Permit for Construction Activities (TXR150000)

• Floodplain fill and permits

  The Handbook of Texas notes Ten Mile Creek and its tributaries running throughout the Lancaster area. The City's floodplain guidelines require City-approved construction plans before site work, FEMA approval of a Conditional Letter of Map Revision before construction when one is required, and fill for new buildings compacted to 95% Standard Proctor density within 3% of optimum moisture unless the approved plans say otherwise. The permit expires if no work starts within 180 days.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Floodplain Development Guidelines (PDF)
  • Source: Handbook of Texas: Lancaster, TX (Dallas County)

• Equipment noise hours

  Lancaster's noise article exempts construction equipment operating between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Outside those hours, construction equipment falls under the City's general noise rules, so plan night work only after checking with the City.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Code art. 14.04, Noise

• Locates and trench safety

  The City's ROW rules require utility locates under the state's Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act. Texas law requires notice to the one-call center at least 48 hours before digging, not counting weekends and holidays. OSHA requires a protective system for trenches 5 feet deep or more unless the excavation is in stable rock.

  • Source: City of Lancaster Code ch. 24, art. 24.09, div. 2, Right-of-Way Management
  • Source: Texas Utilities Code ch. 251, sec. 251.151
  • Source: Texas811: excavator notice requirements
  • Source: OSHA trenching and excavation safety fact sheet