Electronic Positive Response

EPR

What is Electronic Positive Response?

Electronic Positive Response (EPR) is a system that encourages and facilitates communication from member facility operators back to Blue Stakes of Utah 811 regarding the status of each locate request, which is then made available to excavators. 

Utah law requires that all facility operators respond to every locate request they receive by either marking the requested site or notifying the excavator that the site is clear of their facilities. EPR provides a system to track this status. 

EPR enables member facility operators the ability to inform Blue Stakes of Utah 811 on how they responded to each locate request they receive. Blue Stakes then publishes these responses with the locate request and makes it available online 24×7 to professional excavators and homeowners.

The response statuses from the facility operators receiving the locate request are compiled and transmitted to the excavator at the legal date and time of the locate request, or sooner if all members respond before then. Click the “Sample Positive Response to Excavators” button to view an example of the email that is sent.

Why should Excavators utilize Electronic Positive Response? 

The EPR system facilitates the communication loop between you, the excavator, and the member facility owners. The electronic responses are for informational purposes to assist you in completing your excavation project. Some of the benefits that the EPR system can help you with include: 

  • Easily identify which member facility owners have responded to the locate request
  • Reduce downtime, wasted time, and duplication of effort 
  • Reduce frustration and miscommunication 
  • Reduce No Response Notices (NRSP) requests and other unneeded ticket revisions 
  • Reduce damages 

Blue Stakes highly encourages every member facility owner to actively participate in providing electronic responses, but please note that submission of these responses by facility owners in Utah is still voluntary. 

How do Excavators start utilizing Electronic Positive Response? 

Blue Stakes has made it easy for excavators to use the EPR system to look up electronic positive response information on specific locate requests, as well as obtain general information about the EPR codes and descriptions. 

To view the responses on your locate request, click the “Check your ticket’s responses” button and then enter your locate request number. 

We encourage you to utilize the EPR system and the information obtained from it regarding your locate requests. Both the response email and the user-friendly online tool will provide you valuable information regarding your locate requests. Blue Stakes Locate Specialist will be able to direct you to the online site but should not be used to look up the EPR responses on locate requests on your behalf.

EPR is voluntary for facility owners in Utah. An EPR code of “999 – VOLUNTARY ELECTRONIC POSITIVE RESPONSE (EPR) NOT POSTED BY MEMBER FACILITY OPERATOR” will be applied to the locate request if no voluntary EPR response is posted by the member facility operator. A 999 EPR code on the Locate Request means that the member facility operator did not post a response through EPR at this time. Please confirm if markings are present on site or have been cleared by the member facility operator before submitting a No Response Notice (NRSP) due to this 999 EPR code.

For your safety, please respect and protect the marks, excavate carefully within the Tolerance Zone and around the marked facility lines, and contact Blue Stakes if you are concerned there may be unmarked facilities in your excavation area. 

Why should Facility Operators use Electronic Positive Response? 

Currently, EPR is voluntary for facility operators in Utah. However, Blue Stakes highly  encourages every member facility operators to actively participate in EPR to proactively protect  their underground facilities. Doing so completes the communication loop between member  facility operators and excavators and can help: 

  • Reduce damages 
  • Reduce downtime, wasted time, and duplication of effort 
  • Reduce frustration and miscommunication 
  • Reduce No Response Notices (NSRP) and other unneeded ticket revisions 

How do Facility Operators start using Electronic Positive Response? 

Member facility operators have two options to participate in posting positive responses codes to their locate requests; automated responses through in house software and/or a ticket management system or a manual EPR account.

For those facility operators that would like to automate their responses to the EPR system, Blue Stakes of Utah 811 has partnered  through our long-established strategic relationship with Norfield Development Partners (NDP), who offer a ticket management system called LOCATOR LOGiX.  LOCATOR LOGiX is a web-based locate management system designed for utilities and utility locators to manage their utility line locate requests sent by Blue Stakes of Utah 811.

In addition  to facilitating electronic responses to the EPR system, LOCATOR LOGiX is a full functioning ticket management system that provides facility operators the ability to manage their locate requests  with features like: 

  • Automatic posting of responses to EPR systems
  • Assign tickets to locators by specific areas or other criteria
  • Facility map layers and locator zones
  • Ticket Routing
  • Ticket and Locator Reports
  • Attach images and add notes to locate requests
  • Many others 

Member facility operators that want to participate in EPR and do not want to use software will need a manual account created for each individual that will be responsible for posting the EPR codes to their locate requests. Please fill out the EPR form below to be contacted regarding EPR manual account set up.

Resources

Check Locate Request Response

Check on your locate request status or learn about the response codes used by participating Member Facility Operators reported to Blue Stakes.

Sample Positive Response to Excavators

Review a sample Positive Response that is sent to Excavators.

EPR Response Codes

Download the EPR Response Code cheat-sheet.

Submit EPR Responses Manually

Manually update your EPR responses.

Request Information on EPR

Click here to jump to the form requesting information on EPR.

EPR Response Codes

CODE

DESCRIPTION

000*

NO RESPONSE – FACILITY OPERATOR HAS NOT YET POSTED A RESPONSE

100

CLEAR – NO CONFLICT

200

MARKED

201

MARKED – UP TO PRIVATELY OWNED FACILITY – CONTACT PRIVATE FACILITY OPERATOR FOR LOCATE

202

MARKED – HIGH PROFILE FACILITY – FACILITY OPERATOR REQUESTS TO BE PRESENT FOR EXCAVATION

203

MARKED – AT TIME OF MEET

204

MARKED – ABANDONED FACILITIES MAY BE IN AREA

205

MARKED/COMPLETED – VISIBLE OR EXPOSED FACILITY – CONTACT FACILITY OPERATOR IF CROSSING

300

NOT MARKED – INCORRECT ADDRESS INFORMATION – NEW LOCATE REQUEST NEEDED

301

NOT MARKED – NO RESPONSE FROM EXCAVATOR REGARDING QUESTIONS

302

NOT MARKED – RESTRICTED OR NO ACCESS – FENCE, ANIMAL, ETC

303

NOT MARKED – SITE NOT PRE-MARKED AS INDICATED ON LOCATE REQUEST

304

NOT MARKED – EXCAVATOR NO SHOW FOR MEET

400

ONGOING – CURRENTLY WORKING WITH EXCAVATOR

401

ONGOING – FACILITY OPERATOR HAS QUESTIONS – WILL CONTACT THE EXCAVATOR DIRECTLY

402

ONGOING – EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES EXIST – WILL CONTACT THE EXCAVATOR DIRECTLY

777*

AUTO RESPONSE – NO RESPONSE REQUIRED

888*

AUTO RESPONSE – LOCATE REQUEST HAS BEEN CANCELLED

999*

VOLUNTARY ELECTRONIC POSITIVE RESPONSE (EPR) NOT POSTED BY MEMBER FACILITY OPERATOR

* System Response Codes used by Blue Stakes only

Click here to download a PDF version of these codes.

Want more information about EPR?

Fill out the form below to be contacted regarding EPR.

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811
(801) 208-2100
1 (800) 662-4111

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    811
    (801) 208-2100
    1 (800) 662-4111