One-Call Locates (811) and Ticket Management

Purpose

Make sure every buried facility on the route is marked before excavation, and that your locate ticket is valid for every day you dig. The ticket is your legal protection and the first control against a gas or electric strike. Digging without a valid ticket breaks state law and puts the crew and the public at risk.

When to Do It

• Trigger: white-lining is done (UG-02) and you know when the crew will start.
• Timing: submit before digging, at least the notice period your state requires: commonly two to three full business days; varies by state (Needs SME check).
• Prerequisites: white-lined dig areas and an accurate description of the work.
• Previous step: UG-02 Pre-Construction Survey, Staking and White-Lining.
• Next step: UG-04 Potholing (Daylighting).

Roles

• Foreman: submits or confirms the ticket, verifies marks on site, and stops work when marks are missing or the ticket is not valid.
• Permitting coordinator or project manager: tracks ticket numbers, renewals and expiration dates across the job.
• Utility locators: mark their member facilities.
• Private locator: marks private and non-member lines.

Equipment and Materials

• One-call ticket from the state one-call center (dial 811 or file online).
• Camera with date and time stamp.
• White marking paint and white flags.
• Ticket tracking log or spreadsheet: ticket number, area, start date, expiration date, responses.

Safety

Procedure

Hold Points

Records to Keep

• Ticket numbers, dig areas and expiration dates.
• Positive responses from every member utility.
• Dated photos of the marks before work.
• Re-mark requests and their responses.
• Ticket renewals.

Common Mistakes

• Digging on an expired or wrong ticket. Check the ticket number and area every morning.
• Assuming marks show depth. They do not. Depth comes from potholing (UG-04).
• Relying on 811 for sewer laterals. Laterals are often not marked and are a crossbore risk. Arrange a private locate or a camera inspection.
• Not re-marking after rain or grading. Faded or graded-over marks are not marks.
• Calling an emergency locate to save schedule. It misuses the system and can break state law.

Standards and References

• State one-call law: notice periods, tolerance zones, ticket life and marking rules vary by state.
• 811: the national number that reaches your state one-call center.
• The Permit Directory: the 811 summary of each state’s one-call law, and its one-call center where listed.
• CGA Best Practices: locating and excavation practices.
• APWA uniform color code: the American Public Works Association (APWA) uniform color code: red electric, yellow gas and oil, orange communications, blue potable water, green sewer, purple reclaimed water, pink survey, white proposed excavation.
• 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P: excavation rules, including contacting utilities, finding their exact location and protecting exposed installations (1926.651(b)).

On the Map

• Locate Marks: paint and flags in the APWA color code showing the approximate location of buried facilities.
• White-Lining: the white dashes you painted down the bore path’s centerline for the locators.
• Tolerance Zone: the band either side of the marked facility, measured from its outside edges, where you dig only with the methods state law allows (typically non-powered hand tools or vacuum excavation).
• Water Main: existing potable water, marked blue.
• Gas Main: existing gas, marked yellow.
• Sewer Main and Lateral: sewer, marked green; laterals are often unmarked.

Related Tools

Not applicable: no FAHMY tool covers locate tickets.