A markout is about to expire: what to do before anyone digs

Every contractor with open digs eventually sees the warning: a locate ticket is close to its expiration date, or it is already past it, and the crew is due out Thursday. The rules for what happens next are set by your state's One Call center, and you should know them before you need them. This is the order of operations that keeps the crew safe and the job defensible while you sort it out.

It is general guidance, not legal advice. When you are unsure what your state allows, call your One Call center before you dig.

Step 1: stop treating it as a scheduling problem

The first instinct is to get the dig done before the ticket dies. Resist it. An expired ticket means the marks on the ground may no longer reflect the buried lines, and if a line gets hit, the expired ticket is the first thing anyone asks about. Decide whether to dig at all before you think about how to fit it in.

Step 2: find out what the ticket actually says

Pull the ticket number, the date it was marked and the expiration date from the job record, not from memory. Then check the answer from each utility that was notified. A ticket is ready to dig only when every utility has answered and none has reported a conflict. A ticket with a utility still pending, or a conflict, is not ready, whatever the date says.

Step 3: renew or request a new locate

Depending on your state, you may be able to renew the existing ticket, or you may need a new request. Your One Call center sets the rules for which applies, how far ahead you need to ask, and what the new dates are. Get the new ticket number and the new expiration, and write both down.

A renewal does not make the marks fresh. If the paint is faded or the ground has been disturbed, ask the locators to re-mark, and photograph the new marks.

Step 4: record what changed

Whatever the outcome, write it on the job the same day: the old ticket number, the new one if there is one, the dates, the utility answers, and who made the decision. If the dig slips a day, the record shows why and shows that you handled it properly.

In TrackOver, each job's 811 box keeps the ticket, the marked and expiration dates, and the utility answers. Changes to the ticket and to each utility's answer are kept as history, so a new ticket number or a renewal leaves a trail rather than overwriting the old one. TrackOver does not file tickets for you. You still make the call with your One Call center, then record it.

Step 5: decide the dig before the crew arrives

If the ticket is not valid when the crew shows up, the answer is no dig until it is. A "dig anyway?" decision made on site, by a foreman under schedule pressure, is the one most likely to end badly. Make it a rule: if the ticket is expired or in conflict, the crew does not dig, and the foreman does not have to ask anyone.

TrackOver's Dig Guard board lists every open job with an 811 ticket, worst first, with what is wrong and whether the crew has recently answered "dig anyway?" on it. That gives the office one place to see which digs are at risk before the crew is on site.

Prevent the scramble

Most expired tickets were not forgotten. They slid: a job moved two weeks, a weather delay, a crew pulled to an emergency. Check every open ticket when a job is rescheduled, and look at expiration dates a few days ahead. Our article on markouts and the 811 clock covers these habits in more detail, and the 811 ticket tracking page describes how TrackOver keeps the dates on the job.

Common questions

Can I dig on an expired ticket if the marks are still visible? Do not rely on that. Visible paint does not prove the marks match the buried lines, and an expired ticket is where most damage claims start. Ask your One Call center what your state allows.

What if a utility has not answered? A ticket with a pending utility is not ready to dig. Call the utility, confirm the status, and wait for the answer before the crew goes in.

Who should own the 811 tickets? One person in the office, usually whoever schedules the jobs, with the foreman able to see the status on site. The point is one clear owner for the dates.