What are the hours of operation for BC 1 Call?

BC 1 Call provides year-round service to the British Columbia excavating community. You can submit routine online requests at any time of day (or night!). We are also available to take your call from Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays) from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST for routine requests. The Contact Centre is ready to answer Emergency calls 24/7/365. If a phone call isn't your thing our Live Chat hours are Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm PST.

How do I know if the ticket has been processed? What if it does not go through?

If you submit a web request you will receive a BC 1 Call ticket confirmation number via email. If you do not receive a BC 1 Call ticket confirmation number via email, please contact BC 1 Call at 1 800 474-6886.

How am I contacted once a web request is sent?

You will be contacted with the BC 1 Call ticket confirmation via email. If additional information is required or you have indicated that you want the locator to call to arrange a site meet the members will call you at the number you provide. Please ensure you provide a contact number where you can be reached during regular business hours.

How long is a BC 1 Call ticket valid?

Your excavation must start within 14 calendar days from the request date of the ticket. If excavation has commenced within the 14 calendar days, only then is the ticket valid for 30 calendar days from the request date of the ticket.

Is there a charge for utilizing web (E-ticket) requests?

There is no charge for web (E-ticket) requests.

Do I need to include all information requested on the online form?

Complete and accurate information is the key to ensuring BC 1 Call is able to process your request, identify the appropriate members for notification and for our member companies to identify the location of their buried facilities. Inaccurate and/or incomplete information may result in a delay in processing your request. 

When submitting a web request ensure all mandatory fields are accurately and legibly completed. All additional information is beneficial to include as it ensures locate and member notification accuracy. 

How long do I need to wait for BC 1 Call members to get back to me after submitting my locate request?

BC 1 Call's member companies require 3 working days* notice excluding Saturdays, Sundays & holidays. However, if your excavation is of a short notice or emergency nature, please call BC 1 Call immediately at 1 800 474-6886.

*Large Project response times are 5 business days. A large project is defined as a 60,000m2-800,000 m2 dig site area in a civic setting or an 800,000 m2-4,200,000m2 area in a rural setting. To learn more read our blog post.

What is the Difference between Ground Disturbance and Excavation? Are both types of activity triggers for contacting BC 1 Call ahead of time?

The definition of Ground Disturbance is broader than that for Excavation.  It catches a lot of manual as well as machine-based activities. Anyone planning on undertaking Ground Disturbance should contact BC 1 Call to place a locate request,  and then review and follow safe digging instructions provided by our members to avoid hitting their underground infrastructure lying within the proposed dig site.

  • The definition of Ground Disturbance from the BCCGA Best Practices Version 3.0 is as follows:                                               ]
    • Ground Disturbance: This term refers to any work, operation, or activity on or under the existing surface that results in the disturbance or displacement of the soil or ground cover. The disturbance may include but is not limited to the following activities: digging, excavation, trenching, vertical digging, topsoil stripping, land leveling, tree planting, subsoil aeration, mechanical rock picking, rutting and driving fence posts, bars, rods, pins or anchors.
    • Excavate or Excavation: Excavate or excavation is the movement of earth, rock, or other material below the existing grade. Such an operations may involve the use of explosives, or mechanical or non-mechanical equipment. This activity includes, but is not limited to, auguring, blasting, boring, digging, ditching, dredging, drilling, driving in, grading, plowing-in, pulling-up, ripping, scrapping, trenching, and ,tunneling.
What are the various Locate Requests?

There are two standard locate requests, which should be used whenever possible, with timeframes built into the user's project plans:

  • Regular Locate Request - submitted for ground disturbance that can be planned for, with BC 1 Call members having 3 business days to respond to the notification of the locate request.  This is the one that should be used in almost all cases.
  • Large Project Locate Request - submitted for a Large Project (see definition), with BC 1 Call members having 5 business days to respond to ensure a quality response to these more complex requests.

When, for circumstances beyond the user's control, less than the standard turn-around times are necessitated, the following locate requests may be submitted, but should not be used in lieu of planning that accommodates BC 1 Call's standard response times:

  • Short Notice Requests are locate requests with a requested response time of less than 3 business days (or 5 for Large Project Locate Requests)
  • Priority Locate Requests - requests for BC 1 Call member responses to be provided in more than 2 hours but less than 3 business days (or 5 for Large Project Locate Requests).
  • Emergency Locate Requests - requests for BC 1 Call member responses to be provided in less than 2 hours to correct a condition that poses and immediate threat to life, health or property where the excavator is on site or en route to begin work.  These locate requests should only be used for emergencies as described, and not for routine work.
How is a Large Project defined for the purposes of a locate request?

A large project is defined as a 60,000m2-800,000 m2 dig site area in a civic setting or an 800,000 m2-4,200,000m2 area in a rural setting. 

For more information on how to correctly use the large project function click here.