Page 20 - Mississippi

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o Driving wooden stakes by hand, not deeper than 6 inches.
o Using a hand-powered probe rod to map underground facilities.
Q. I’m not going to dig very deep, should I contact MS811?
A. Contacting MS811 is a free service that provides valuable information
to help you complete your project safely and efficiently. Don’t take on the liability of damaging an unmarked underground line or risk causing serious injury or death by neglecting to notify MS811.
Q. Who is required to give notice to MS811?
A. Anyone engaging in excavation
of any kind must notify MS811. This includes but is not limited to, the operations of demolition, blasting, grading, land leveling, trenching, digging, ditching, drilling, augering, directional boring, tunneling, scraping, cable or pipe plowing, driving, jacking, wrecking, razing, rending, dredging and anchoring, moving or removing any structure or other material or mass of material on or below the ground. It refers to any operation that moves or displaces earth, rock, or other material on or below the ground by any means.
Q. If I choose to call, what happens then?
A. When you contact MS811, the agent will ask for details about the location and type of work you plan to undertake. Once all the required information has been gathered, you will receive a locate request reference number and a list of the member utilities that MS811 will notify.
Q. What is the ticket number for?
A. The number serves as verification that you have complied with the MS Dig Law by notifying.
Q. Why is the ticket number so long?
A. Each locate request number is unique, and is generated based on the date, time, and the sequential number of tickets processed on that specific day.
Q. Why does it matter how long it will take to do the excavating?
A. Locate request tickets are only valid for 14 calendar days from the date and time the request is entered into the
18 • Mississippi 811 2024, Issue 3
MS811 system. The person responsible for the excavation project must renew the request at least 3 and not more than 4 working days prior to the ticket expiration and shall continue to renew the notice throughout the duration of the excavation. Renewal notices are also valid for 14 calendar days.
Q. Does MS811 have a list of utilities that are not members?
A. Although all operators with underground utility lines or facilities within the State of Mississippi are required to be members of MS811, we do not have a list of companies that are not members.
Q. Do I have to notify anyone else?
A. You should notify any companies you are aware of that are not compliant with the Dig Law and encourage them to become members of MS811.
Q. Why do you need my email address?
A. MS811 will email you a copy of your locate request as well as response status information.
Q. Why can’t you find the property with the address given?
A. We do not currently have address information for the entire state of MS. Properly marking the excavation site on our map ensures that the correct utilities are notified. Providing accurate driving directions to the excavation
site helps our agents determine how
to mark the map. You can also provide GPS readings for the excavation site
to help pinpoint the location; however, please be aware that the reading is only as good as the device used and may not be completely accurate.
Q. Why do you need my mailing address?
A. The MS Dig Law requires that a mailing address be provided.
Q. When should an “Emergency” or “Short Notice” locate request be located?
A. The MS Dig Law does not address a different response time for “Emergency” locate requests, so the utilities have the standard 3 working days to locate their utilities. However, many utilities have internal policies to locate emergency requests within a few hours. It is certainly in the best interest of the operator and the excavator for the lines to be marked before further damage,
injury or even death occurs from striking an unmarked line.
A “Short Notice” request is not addressed in the MS Dig Law. This is merely a request submitted on behalf of the excavator requesting an expedited the request. Most operators will try to honor such a request if their backlog
of pending locate requests will allow them to do so. By law, they still have 3 working days to locate their lines.
Q. Why can’t you place more than 1 mile on each ticket?
A. This limit is an MS811 Board- approved policy.
Q. What is the charge for submitting a locate request?
A. Submitting a locate request to MS811 is a free service.
Q. What color code represents each utility?
A. Refer to the “APWA Color Code & Tolerance Zone” section of this guide.
Q. Will I be notified when the utility lines are marked?
A. If you provided a valid email address when submitting the locate request, you will receive a status notice as soon as all utilities have responded to PRIS or at the end of the required 3 working days, whichever occurs first. You can also check the status of the request online through our Web Portal. See
the Positive Response Information System (PRIS) section of this guide for additional information.
Q. Why can’t I notify MS811 for my contractor?
A. The Dig Law requires the one who’s doing the digging to request the locate.
Q. Why do utility companies only mark up to their meter?
A. Most utility lines on private property are owned by the property owner, who is responsible for locating and marking those lines. Typically, utility companies will only mark lines from the street to the meter, or if there is no meter, up to the property line.
Q. Why do I have to give driving directions? Why can’t the locators just meet me on site so I can show them where to mark?
A. The agent can add a note to your locate request to indicate that you would like the utilities to contact you