Professional Excavator

It is the excavator’s responsibility to respect and protect the markings. If the markings have faded or been destroyed by weather or construction, the excavator should contact Blue Stakes and request to have the area marked again. Member utility companies are then required to re-mark the area within two business days.

Utah Law specifies that if a utility line is damaged during excavation, the excavator should immediately inform the appropriate utility owner so the line can be repaired and immediately call 911 if the damage may result in an immediate risk to human life. Refer to your local phone book to contact a utility owner directly.

If the line was marked, refer to FAQ #3 to determine what kind of line it was. If the line was not marked, please do not call Blue Stakes to determine what kind of line it is. Our phone operators are not trained to identify them. If you do have the locate request assignment number (LRA), Blue Stakes can tell you which utilities were notified, but that does not necessarily mean the line belongs to one of them.

Locate Requests are NOT created after hours by Blue Stakes. If an emergency excavation needs to be completed after hours, you will need to contact each facility operator directly to request the area be marked or have them clear the area. To obtain a list of the impacted facilities use our Utility Contact Lookup link: https://ucl.bluestakes.org/. This is also accessible by clicking on the Utility Contact Lookup icon from within our Mobile App.

Enter the location information, use the tools provided to indicate the location on the map, and select “Emergency After Hours.” A popup will then provide a contact list of the numbers for the specific facility operators that would need to be contacted directly after hours.

Yes indeed! The Utah Damage to Underground Utility Facilities Act requires anyone engaging in any activity which displaces earth, rock, or other material on or below the ground to notify Blue Stakes at least two (2) business days but not more than 14 calendar days prior to excavation.

You can submit a Locate Request Ticket online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: https://ite.bluestakes.org/. There is also access to this application through our Mobile App.

The Utah state law explains it this way:

54-8a-7. Notice of damage — Repairs. (https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title54/Chapter8A/54-8a-S7.html)

(1) If an excavator contacts or damages an underground facility, the excavator shall:

(a) immediately notify the appropriate operator and then proceed in a manner that is reasonably calculated to avoid further damage to the underground facility; and

(b) immediately call 911 if the excavation may result in an immediate risk to human life.

(2) Upon receipt of notice, the operator shall immediately examine the underground facility, and, if necessary, make repairs.

Utah law requires utility owners to mark only the lines that they own and maintain. This usually means up to the meter. Underground lines that extend beyond the meter or that are not connected to a meter are typically not installed or owned by a utility company and therefore may not be marked. These include water and sewer laterals, power to a detached garage or lamppost, sprinkler/irrigation systems, lines connected to a propane tank or septic system, etc.

Almost every job site will include some type of privately-owned underground pipe or cable. The excavator should inspect the property carefully and ask the property owner about private underground lines before digging. The excavator should consider hiring a private locator to mark private lines that could be in conflict with the excavation project. Areas where private lines are especially common include apartment complexes, mobile home parks, gated subdivisions, cabin communities, schools and universities, hospital complexes, industrial areas, government facilities and military installations. Find additional info under FAQ #6: https://www.bluestakes.org/faqs/

A request expires 14 calendar days from the time it is submitted. If the markings are destroyed by weather or excavation, the excavator will need to call 811, option 1 to speak to a Customer Service Representative or go online to submit a Re-Mark request and allow 2 business days for the area to be re-marked.

To submit a Re-mark request online go to: https://otr.bluestakes.org/. This is also accessible by clicking on the Update Locate Request icon from within our Mobile App.

The Utah Damage to Underground Utility Facilities Act requires anyone engaging in any activity which displaces earth, rock, or other material on or below the ground to notify Blue Stakes at least two (2) business days but not more than 14 calendar days prior to excavation.

You can submit a Locate Request Ticket online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: https://ite.bluestakes.org/. This is also accessible by clicking on the New Locate Request icon from within our Mobile App.

Pre-marking a location will save valuable resources and time. It will also help to reduce unnecessary overmarking for the type of work being completed.

While white lining or pre-marking the proposed excavation area has been recommended for years, it is not required by law in Utah. However, according to section 54-8a-4 (3) of the Damage to Underground Utility Facilities Act:

54-8a-4. Notice of excavation. (https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title54/Chapter8A/54-8a-S4.html)