Separate the state notification process from private locating
Sunshine 811 states that its member utilities do not locate and mark private facilities. Ask which facilities on the property fall outside the member response and who investigates them. Examples to discuss with the locator include site-owned lighting, irrigation, private water or other services beyond the utility’s responsibility, without assuming ownership from appearance alone.
Booking a private company should not be treated as replacing the excavation notification process. Identify who opens and checks the applicable ticket and who coordinates unresolved member responses. Keep those records alongside the private investigation so the excavator can see what each source of information actually covers.
Draw the survey boundary
Provide a plan showing the proposed excavation or design area, access points and features that matter to the project. Identify whether the assignment is a complete accessible-site search, tracing specified lines or checking particular crossings. A property address alone does not define the amount of investigation you are buying.
Ask the locator to explain exclusions such as inaccessible rooms, locked enclosures, covered ground or areas outside permission to enter. Where the route approaches neighboring land, a public right-of-way or a managed facility, assign responsibility for access and coordination. The report should make the investigated boundary easy to distinguish from untouched areas.
Ask how the provider will investigate
Different locating methods can contribute different information. Ask whether the provider proposes electromagnetic locating, ground-penetrating radar, traceable access through a pipe or a combination suitable for the task. The EPA’s GPR guidance describes a method whose usefulness depends on conditions and interpretation; it is not a universal inventory of everything underground.
Share available utility drawings and known connection points, but ask how the locator checks them against observations. Explain any nonmetallic or abandoned lines you know about. A contractor should identify when a facility cannot be traced confidently and what further investigation may be appropriate, instead of silently omitting it.
Define position, depth and confidence
Ask what information will be provided for each marked feature and how uncertainty is shown. A surface route, estimated depth and physically exposed location are not equivalent evidence. If the project needs a surveyed position at a critical crossing, have the designer specify that requirement rather than assuming a painted line satisfies it.
Discuss whether depths are approximate, whether they are available for every response and what affects their reliability. Ask the report to distinguish recorded plans, instrument interpretations and exposed observations. This lets the next professional decide where further confirmation is needed without upgrading every mark into an exact underground measurement.
Coordinate exposure where the project needs it
Locating may identify a likely conflict that requires physical exposure before design or construction proceeds. Ask who decides which points need exposure and who provides the excavation service, survey and restoration. Hydro excavation is a separate performed task unless explicitly included.
For a directional bore or another critical crossing, schedule the receiving contractor or designer to review the exposure record. Keep the investigation and installation sequence connected. A completed locate visit can still leave decisions open, and the contract should not imply that the locating company is responsible for making every subsequent design or excavation judgment.
Compare deliverables and price
Request prices for a clearly defined boundary and output. Field markings, annotated photographs, a sketch, CAD files and surveyed mapping are different deliverables. Ask which is needed by the project and whether reporting is included in the quoted attendance. A fast inexpensive visit may not produce the information a design team expects.
Clarify mobilization, access delays, hourly limits, repeat visits and extra reporting. For a large or uncertain site, agree a point at which the locator reports progress and requests approval for additional work. This makes the investigation manageable without pretending that every buried facility can be characterized within a fixed superficial visit.
Protect and communicate the marks
Ask for a legend and a walkthrough with the person who will use the results. Record the date and surveyed boundary in photographs or drawings before weather, traffic or construction disturbs the markings. Tell the locator about restrictions on paint or flags so an acceptable marking method can be agreed.
If marks are damaged or the work area changes, follow the appropriate official notification and contractor review process before proceeding. Do not reconstruct a locate from memory or assume the next strip of ground is covered by a nearby investigation. The value of the information depends on keeping its location and limits intact.
Retain a clear investigation record
At closeout, collect the report, map, legend, limitations, unresolved responses and any physical-exposure records commissioned with the work. Check that the documents distinguish the facilities investigated from facilities believed to be outside scope. A report saying no line was detected should not be silently rewritten as proof that no line exists.
Keep the records available for the project team and future maintenance, while retaining their date and limitations. Later alterations can change conditions. A useful record helps a future locator start with better information; it does not eliminate the need to review a new excavation or redesign the investigation for a different task.
Sources and scope
Official sources support the regulatory and technical points identified below. General comparison advice is editorial guidance. Local examples apply only to their stated jurisdiction; a site assessment determines which conditions apply to your property.
- Sunshine 811 ↗
Member utilities do not locate private facilities; official ticket and response process remains relevant to excavation.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ↗
Explains GPR as a subsurface investigation method with site-dependent interpretation; not guaranteed complete utility detection.