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Chapter 3

3.16 Locate Request

Practice Statement:

The 811 center captures the following information, at a minimum, on a locate request:

  • Caller’s name and phone number

  • Excavator’s/company’s name, address, and phone numbers

  • Specific location of the excavation

  • Start date and time of the excavation

  • Description of the excavation activity

Practice Description:

A locate request is a communication between an excavator and 811 center personnel in which a request for locating underground facilities is processed. In addition to the minimum required information identified in the preceding paragraph, the locate request includes any available information that will help establish the specific location of the excavation site. This additional information could include the following, for example:

A. More detailed information to help determine the specific location of the excavation, such as the following:

  1. City

  2. County/parish/township

  3. State/province

  4. Street address

  5. Street name

  6. Length and direction of the excavation and the nearest adjacent cross streets (needed to bound area of excavation or extended excavation)

  7. Subdivision and lot number (for new development)

  8. X/Y coordinates - a means of defining horizontal position - the dig site can be a point, an area or box, or a polygon.  For a spatial rectangle (maximum/minimum latitude/longitude), the dig site must be wholly within the included area.

    • Latitude/longitude coordinates (s) or specific address of the dig site.  These may be done automatically by GIS subsystem, or determined by a computer-assisted customer service representative. 

    • GPS Coordinates.  When the excavator provides GPS coordinates to the 811 center and when the 811 center has the technical capabilities to capture this information, the GPS format is also specified (decimal degrees; degrees/decimal minutes; or degrees/minutes/seconds) and included on the ticket. 

  9. Highway mile markers

  10. Railroad mileposts

  11. General directions/instructions

  12. Map grids

  13. Distance to nearest cross street

  14. Any other pertinent references to help establish the location of the dig site

B. The intended start date and time of the excavation (i.e., the date excavation is actually expected to begin, which may be later than when excavation can legally begin based on the ticket date)

C. Type of excavation activity (e.g., boring, blasting, trenching, trenchless, etc.)

D. For whom the excavation work is being done

E. The purpose of the work (i.e., what will be installed or built)

F. Additional remarks

References:

  • “Model One Call for the 20th and 21st Century,” AT&T (was available when the practice was created but is no longer available)

  • Existing operating practices from various states’ 811 centers

  • 49 CFR Part 198

  • Kansas One-Call:  Excavator's Manual. "Rural Area", pg 9. http://www.kansasonecall.com/excavators/reference-materials/excavators-m...

  • Tennessee 811:

    • Geocall V3 CGAE.28 Rev 012813 “Latitude and Longitude Searches,” pg 1.

    • Geocall V3 CGAE.29 Rev 062713 “Latitude and Longitude Searches,” pg 1.

    • Geocall V3 CGAG.40 Rev 020413 “Latitude and Longitude,” pg 1.

    • Geocall V3 CGAG.41 Rev 020413 “Latitude and Longitude,” pg 2.

  • New Mexico 811: Training Manual. 8.14 “How to Use GPS for Mapping a Ticket,” pg 1–16.

  • Mississippi 811: Training Manual. “Global Positioning System/Latitude-Longitude,” pg 1.

  • Hawaii One Call: ITIC User Manual. “Submit a Locate Request,” pg 16. http://callbeforeyoudig.org/hawaii/index.asp

  • Montana One Call: ITIC User Manual. “Submit a Locate Request,” pg 16, 23. http://callbeforeyoudig.org/montana/index.asp

  • Illinois 811: Excavators. “Information Needed,” http://www.illinois1call.com/excavators/infoneeded.html

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