Welcome to Oregon 811! We are in an exciting phase where companies are dedicated to bringing essential broadband to rural communities. Your efforts contribute to various ongoing infrastructure initiatives across the state, utilizing locate resources to safeguard existing utilities. It’s crucial to adhere to the process, ensuring that your work requests align with permitted activities and fall within the required timeframe to maintain compliance.
When working underground in Oregon, the law requires excavators and operators to perform specific activities during the process. As this varies from state to state, the key points to understand in Oregon include:
- Excavators should secure any city, county or state permits or encroachments prior to requesting locates.
- Excavator must request locates 2 full business days (but not more than 10) prior to the excavation. (952-001-0050).
- Facility Operators must respond to the locate request during the 2 full business day window. (952-001-0070).
- If an excavator is aware of facilities at the site, regardless of operator reported status, the excavator is requested to notify Oregon 811. (952-001-0090)
- White lining is required of the excavator when the location of excavation cannot be adequately described. (952-001-0040)
- Positive Response (locate status) provides an online status from the operator and that status can be checked by the excavator. Details about positive response including meaning of the codes may be found here.
- Operators are required to provide their ID with marks to distinguish each utility from the others. (952-001-0070(1)(a)). Oregon follows the APWA color code standard for marking colors.
- Attend your local Utility Coordinating Council to discuss, meet and coordinate projects with industry stakeholders. Visit oucc.net/councils for your local meeting.
- In addition to UCC attendance, conduct regular pre-construction meetings with locators and utilities in the areas you will be working.
If you have any questions or need training or additional assistance with submitting locate requests, you can email [email protected], call (877) 668-4001 or use the Live Chat feature.
