Chapter 3
3.26 811 Center Membership
Practice Statement:
Any entity that furnishes or transports products or services to a third party for its use or consumption by means of an underground facility or furnishes or transports products or services for its own internal use by means of an underground facility that occupies or crosses a right-of-way or utility easement is a member of an 811 center.22
Practice Description:
Underground damage prevention begins with a notice of intent to excavate submitted by an excavator to the appropriate 811 center. The process of notification depends on all affected member facility operators being notified of intent to excavate through the regional 811 center. Membership in the 811 center by underground facility operators ensures that potential conflicts with existing facilities that may be encountered during excavation activities are identified by using a single regional point of contact. Operators of the aforementioned underground facilities who fail to become members of their local 811 center risk public safety and damage to their facilities, and endanger excavators who may come into contact with these aforementioned underground facilities. The following are examples of an underground facility that would probably not require 811 center membership:
- The internal use of owned underground facilities to provide safe operations in controlled rights of ways, such as railroad operating corridors that facilitate the transportation of freight or passengers.
- The internal use of an entity’s underground facilities by that entity solely on its own property. (Note: aboveground use of one’s rights of way or property, such as the transportation of freight or passengers by rail, is not within the purview of the CGA Best Practices.)
References:
- State One Call Laws, 1999 Common Ground Study