Is everyone being notified about excavation projects in your area except you? Are your underground facilities cut as regularly as the sun comes up? Then you should have information regarding membership in the North Carolina 811. It is not expensive and can save you and your company big headaches. IT IS THE LAW.
§ 87-120(b) Operators who are members of the Notification Center by whatever name that is in existence on October 1, 2013, must remain members. Operators with more than 50,000 customers or 1,000 miles of facilities who are not members on October 1, 2013, must join no later than October 1, 2014. Operators with more than 25,000 customers or 500 miles of facilities who are not members on October 1, 2013, must join no later than October 1, 2015. All operators that do not meet one of the criteria provided in this subsection must join no later than October 1, 2016. Each engineering division of the Department of Transportation established pursuant to G.S. 136-14.1 must join no later than October 1, 2016. The board of directors of the Notification Center shall develop a reasonable method of apportioning the costs of operating the Notification Center among the member operators. Prior to adopting a method of determining such cost allocation, the board of directors shall publish the proposed method of cost allocation to the member operators, and the proposed method of cost allocation shall be approved by the member operators.
CATEGORY ONE – UTILITY
This is for a facility owner/operator
CATEGORY TWO – LOCATORS
This is for contract locators or screening companies
CATEGORY THREE – ASSOCIATE
This is for contractors who support NC811 or companies that are private line locators
NC811 Membership FAQ
What will it cost me to become a member?
It doesn’t cost anything to become a member. Once actively receiving locate requests, the member will pay a per transmission fee until transitioning later to a flat rate fee. The fees for each cost method may change each year. Members may obtain the fee changes from the Member Services Department once they become available.
What is the difference between the per transmission and the flat rate cost?
The per transmission cost is where the member pays a set amount per transmission (ticket). Fluctuations in the amount of tickets received each month will affect the amount of the following month’s invoice.
The flat rate fee is where the member pays a prorated share of each year’s Board approved operating budget. Members transition to the flat rate fee once transmissions are received for a full year from July 1st of the previous year to June 30th of the current year. The tickets transmitted to the individual member is divided by the total tickets transmitted to all members to calculate the percent of tickets received by the member. The member then pays this percent of next year’s budget, which is divided by 12 for equal monthly payments. The minimum flat rate is $25 per month.
Members receiving 200 tickets or less from July 1st to June 30th will pay an annual flat rate for the next calendar year as follows:
- From 0 to 24 tickets: the member will be billed $50 for the calendar year.
- From 25 to 100 tickets: the member will be billed $100 for the calendar year.
- From 101 to 200 tickets: the member will be billed $150 for the calendar year.
How many tickets can I expect to receive each year?
The amount of tickets received by a member each year varies depending on the amount of excavation projects going on in the member’s coverage area and/or the size of that area.
How will I receive the locate tickets from NC811?
Members receive locate requests by email. However, members may opt to get their tickets using our free NC811 Ticket Management System (WebTMS) to make for easier ticket handling. If a member chooses to use a contract locator, NC811 will transmit tickets directly to the contract locator.
Do I need to have my facility data in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to become a member?
No, you do not need a GIS for membership. While digitized facility data make for faster database creation and updating, members may create their database manually, using our free Polygon Maintenance software.
How will NC811 know where my facilities are?
NC811 does not automatically know where your facilities are. Members must create a database in our Newtin system specifying their facility coverage area. The Newtin system uses the database to determine which tickets to send the member based on proximity to excavation sites.
How often should I update my facility information with NC811?
Members are required to update/check their databases on an annual basis; however, a member may update as often as necessary to ensure that they are notified whenever digging is taking place near their facilities. Some members update online daily and some members send updated shapefiles containing full replacements or just additions on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.
Will I be charged for tickets that I submit?
Yes, this is the case for all members.