Each year, Gopher State One Call compiles ticket submission and transmission volume data. This information is shared to help make correlations and gain insights about the state of Minnesota’s damage prevention efforts.

2021 Highlights

Here are some of the noteworthy numbers from 2021:

• 918,814 total tickets were filed through GSOC in 2021. This is a 2.4% decrease from 2020 tickets, driven largely by a decrease in homeowner-submitted tickets. There were 801,533 Normal tickets, 15,482 Emergency tickets and 18,953 Meet tickets filed.
• June was the highest-volume month of 2021, with 115,683 tickets during that month alone. May was close behind with 114,027 tickets.
• The lowest-volume month of 2021 was February with 18,385 tickets.
• 83.8% of tickets in 2021 were submitted online, a slight increase from 83.1% in 2020.
• 46.1% of 2021 tickets were for locations in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area, while 53.9% were in greater Minnesota.
• There were 90,024 homeowner-submitted tickets (9.8% of total volume). Of those, 42.1% were from the seven-county metro area and 57.9% from greater Minnesota.

Make sure to check the 2021 GSOC Annual Report for more details about ticket numbers, trends and financial information.

Get a closer look at the current state of damage prevention by attending one of this year’s in-person damage prevention meetings, held for the DP community this March and April in cities across the state. Learn how to register here.

What’s in Store for 2022

Gopher State One Call is projecting a 1% increase in ticket volume in 2022. Ticket volume hit an all-time high in 2020, and 2021 the volume was not far behind. With projected growth for 2022, it will continue to be important that all stakeholders plan their excavations, effectively communicate plans and execute jobs efficiently.

On bigger projects, GSOC reminds excavators to utilize Non-Excavation and Meet tickets to help facilitate planning and communication. Meet tickets are recommended for large, complex projects, projects that last longer than a month and projects where sections will need to be marked at different times. If you haven’t already, read up on tips for deciding when to use a Meet ticket, as well as guidelines for handling Meet tickets safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

White marking, which is required by law, also continues to be crucial for timely and accurate locates. Read up on white lining best practices here.

Don’t forget that Gopher State One Call’s handbook has been updated for 2022. View or download it here.