Prior to digging in Minnesota, it’s required for the excavator – including professional contractors and homeowners or other non-professionals – to submit a locate request with Gopher State One Call (GSOC) to have underground facilities marked before breaking ground. But exactly how far in advance do you need to submit your ticket? Great question!

Locate requests have a 48-hour waiting period after submission, excluding the day of submission, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. The 48-hour period will begin at 12:01 a.m. the business day after the request is made. This means that if you submit a ticket on Tuesday, you can start digging on Friday. If you submit on a Friday, you can start digging on the following Wednesday.

Prior to August 1, 2024, the date the locate request was submitted did count in the 48-hour waiting period. Changes made to Minnesota State Statute 216D – also known as the “One Call Law” – changed this requirement to exclude the day of submission on that date. See the graphic below for a visual reference of the call timeline.

If you’d like to save or print the call timeline graphic for visual reference, you can download the PDF.

We’ve answered a few common questions about the waiting period and locate request submission. Keep reading to learn more.

Why is there a 48-hour waiting period before you can dig?
The 48-hour period after submitting the locate request enables facility operators to respond by sending locators to the dig site and mark their underground facilities or confirm if there is “no conflict” within the designated area.

Can I submit my locate request earlier than the 48-hour period?
If you’d like to submit your locate request earlier and provide more time for the underground facility lines to be marked, locate requests can be submitted up to 14 calendar days before the start date and time of the excavation. This can be helpful for companies looking to submit multiple tickets at once or for excavators who want to avoid any potential locating delays.

How do I know if all of the facility operators have responded to my request?
There are multiple ways to check statuses provided by facility operators, also known as “positive response,” on your locate request. While all facility operators are required to provide positive response statuses, not all of them provide it through GSOC’s positive response system. The GSOC Handbook lists and defines types of statuses you may see in the system, and the following are ways you may confirm the status of your locate request.

Marks at the Dig Site
Performing a locate and providing marks or clear/no conflict flag(s) at the dig site is one way that facility operators may respond to the locate request. If you see marks and/or flags that match a facility listed on your ticket and the 48-hour waiting period has been completed, you can assume their response is complete.

Communication Directly from the Facility Operator
A facility operator may communicate directly with you – most often via email – about the status of their underground facility lines within the dig site. Please note that any communication from a facility operator only pertains to their lines, not all of the lines near the dig site.

Confirmation Email Link
Click the link included on the ticket in your confirmation email. You will also receive an email when the excavation start date and time passes showing the current positive response status for all notified member utilities.

Ticket Search
Use the GSOC Search & Status tool, you can search for any locate request using the ticket number. After searching, scroll down to the “members notified” section.

Gopher State One Call App
Use the Gopher State One Call app to access Search & Status while on the go.

What do I do if not all of the facility operators have responded within the 48-hour period?
If a facility operator has not responded, you will need to contact the utility company directly using the “marking concerns” number found on the provided copy of your ticket. You can also get this information by contacting the call center.

If you have questions regarding the locate request submission process, positive response, or anything 811-related, contact our Customer Support team at 651-681-7326 or send us an email at customersupport@gopherstateonecall.org.