When to Use Texas811
When working through construction, what exactly lies underground and where it’s located can sometimes be a mystery. Drainage pipelines, gas pipes, utility wiring, telecom services, foundational structures and more might be hiding beneath the surface of any property. When you are building something, you really need to plan ahead to know exactly where it’s safe to dig so you don’t disrupt utilities that serve your property and thousands of properties nearby.
To assist in this problem, an organization called Texas811 was formed to give designers, builders and land surveyors in Seguin, TX insight into what infrastructure sits below the ground’s surface. Knowing when it’s necessary to open a ticket with Texas811 can help prevent utility-related disasters, construction hurdles and more.
What is Texas811?
If you aren’t already familiar, Texas811 is a non-profit organization that works with over 1,700 utility and municipal members in the state of Texas. The organization runs a complex call center that connects surveyors and excavators to local utility providers to ensure underground utility lines are properly identified before construction.
Texas811 runs a program that creates a ticket when you are building or excavating. This ticket alerts nearby utility companies and allows them to visit your worksite and identify where underground utilities are located. This process is instrumental for proper site management and utility avoidance.
Texas811 does not mark the land itself—it merely links you with the appropriate utility providers who will come and use designated markers for each utility present. The organization’s goal is to mitigate damage or injury due to uninformed excavation into underground utilities.
When you should use Texas811
The main reason Texas homeowners or excavators should use Texas811 is when they have a plan to excavate on their property. Per Texas state law, you must contact Texas811 and open a ticket at least two business days prior to excavation work beginning in order to allow utility providers to mark the property accordingly.
According to Texas811, a ticket is necessary for any excavation over 16 inches in depth. This means that “excavation” isn’t always major in scale. It might include services provided by a land surveyor in Seguin, TX, such as placing boundary markers and marking property corners using steel rods.
Additionally, Texas811 offers another type of ticket that is used prior to excavation planning. The Survey/Design ticket option can be used during the planning stages of a project, which is when surveyors are identifying boundaries, topography, easements and more.
This type of ticket will provide the list of utility operators in your area so you are aware of who you may need to work with once excavation is necessary. It can also be a useful tool for land surveyors to achieve a complete picture of the land. Then, plans for construction and excavation can be made more thoroughly and safely.
Work with land surveyors for a complete understanding of your land
If you’re purchasing new land or beginning the design of a construction project, it’s in your best interest to contact a land surveyor in Seguin, TX. Bettersworth & Associates, Inc. has an award-winning team of land planners and civil engineers prepared to evaluate and improve the value of your land. Call us today!
Categorised in: Land Surveyor