Frequently Asked Questions
Does Call Okie locate underground facilities?
No. Call Okie is a notification center. Call Okie members are responsible for marking their underground facilities.
I called in a request to locate lines from my meter to my house, and the facilities weren’t located. Why?
Owners of underground utility lines (telephone, cable TV, gas, electric, pipelines, sewer, traffic signals, and waterlines) will locate their lines once they have been notified. Water and sewer companies locate main lines in easements and right-of-ways and lines to a meter, but may not locate the water facilities from a meter to a home or sewer lateral to a home. Electric companies usually locate their lines to homes and businesses, but not those running to swimming pool pumps and heaters, irrigation systems or another building on the property. Some service lines extending from the property easement to the house belong to the homeowner and are considered privately owned. Private underground facilities can be located by hiring a contract locator or keeping a detailed drawing of where you placed private lines. If you have any doubts, please contact your utility companies for assistance. For safety reasons, it’s important to know the location of these lines prior to excavation.
I called in a locate request for my back yard. The gate was locked. Locators did not locate. Will locators call me to make arrangements to come back?
Since time is crucial for the customer service representative, locator and excavator, be sure to inform the customer service representative of any special instructions or needs you may have during the call. Make arrangements to secure pets and unlock gates to eliminate unnecessary travel time for the line locators. The locator may or may not return. If the locator has not returned within the 48 hour (2 business days) time period, please call back for a second request.
Will Call Okie tell me the depth of my utilities?
Call Okie does not obtain or have information on the depth of underground facilities. Again, please contact the utility companies for that information.
How much does it cost to use the Call Okie service?
The service is FREE to any one who digs—excavators, contractors, renters, residents, homeowners, business owners / operators, farmers and ranchers.
Are facility locating marks exact?
The approximate location of the underground facility is defined by law as a strip of land two (2) feet on either side of the underground facility. Remember to include the width of the facility!
Who benefits from using Call Okie?
Everyone! Operators, excavators and the general public benefit from elimination of damage to property and - most importantly - injury and possible death.
How long will it take before members locate their facilities after an emergency or noncompliant locate request?
Operators and facility owners who are Call Okie members are notified within moments after a noncompliant or emergency locate request. Length of time before they locate will vary depending on the member. For a noncompliant request, a 48-hour (2 business days) marking period is allowed by law. For an emergency locate request, location is done as soon as possible. Remember if you must dig, dig with care.
Who should call in the locate request?
The excavator. Do not use old markings or another excavator’s locate.
Can I request a locate if I am in the planning stages of a job, but no excavation will occur within the next ten business days?
Yes, please contact the center for more information.
I have waited the required time and there are still no locates. What do I do?
Within 48 hours (two full business days), a member is required to respond to the excavator’s locate request by either marking the ground with flags and/ or paint or by contacting the excavator to give the all clear. If neither have been done please contact Call Okie and have the Customer Service Representative send out a second request. It is highly recommended that you do not dig until you have a response from all utility owners listed on your locate request.
Which days are considered business days?
Business days are weekdays Monday through Friday 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. This does not include legal holidays and Saturdays and Sundays. Per Oklahoma Statute, facility owners are given two business days to locate their facilities per your request. Ticket submission times are based on the business days and should be taken into consideration for planning purposes.
However, you may submit your telephone locate request to our call center during operating hours by telephone. You may also submit a normal compliant locate request 24 hours a day 7 days a week here. If a recognized holiday falls during a business day, the call center will only process emergency tickets by telephone. Call Center operating hours are listed here.
