What You Should Know About the MS811 Positive Response Information System
Mississippi 811 (MS811) deployed a new Positive Response Information System (PRIS) on May 1st, 2019. PRIS is an automated information system that is operated and maintained by MS811. The system is built into the MS811 Client, Web Portal and Mobile Applications. The system allows excavators, locators, facility owners or operators, and other affected parties to enter and/or determine the status of a locate request. The following information explains how to utilize the MS811 PRIS.
Member Utility/Facility Companies
How to submit responses to the MS811 PRIS:
The submission of response information to the PRIS is not currently required by law; however, it is likely to be passed into law in the future, so we encourage all member utility/facility companies or their locating services to begin submitting responses to the PRIS as soon as possible. Response information can be submitted using any of the following methods.
- Ticket Management System
o If set up to do so, response information can be entered into your ticket management system and transmitted from your system to MS811.
o Contact (601) 368-1150 to see if your system has been set up to transmit response information to MS811.
o If you are not currently utilizing, but are interested in using a ticket management system, KorTerra is free for MS811 members.
- MS811 Web Portal or Mobile App
o An account with Positive Response (PR) permissions assigned is required to submit response info. when using this method.
o Click here to sign up for a PR Portal/Mobile App account.
What you should know when submitting response information:
The following are the different options available to select from when submitting a response for a locate request and information you should know about each. We recommend that you share this information with anyone that will be submitting response information on behalf of your company.
If you are submitting responses in the Portal or Mobile App you will see the following selections. You also be able to enter comments and are required to enter your first and last name when submitting a response.
- Located: Facilities marked
- Clear: No conflict
- On Site Meeting Request: Utility representative is requesting to be on site during excavation
- Locate Delayed: Locate Delayed
- Located To Meter Only: Private property beyond meter not located
If you are submitting responses through a Ticket Management system that has been set up to automatically transmit your responses to the MS811 PRIS, you will likely only see the following list of responses to select from. You should also be able to submit comments along with your response.
- Located
- Clear
- On Site Meeting Request
- Locate Delayed
- Located To Meter Only
No matter how you are submitting responses these are the things you should keep in mind when submitting the following responses.
- Clear: No conflict
o The MS811 PRIS can improve communication between the excavator and utility/facility operator. However, until submitting responses to this system is required by law, you are still required to notify the excavator, directly, that your lines are not in conflict with the excavation.
- On Site Meeting Request: Utility representative is requesting to be on site during excavation
o The operator may request to be present at the site upon commencement of the excavation, so long as the operator complies within two (2) working days of the receipt of the notice. However, you are required by law to contact the excavator, directly, to set up the meeting. MS811 will not set up this meeting for you. We recommend that you enter a call back number into the comments section in case the excavator needs to reach you after your initial contact with them.
- Locate Delayed
o You should always notify the excavator, directly, anytime there is a delay in locating. We recommend that you enter a reason for the delay in the comments section. E.g. “Must excavate to locate water line”, “Locked gate”, “Weather” as well as call back number in case the excavator needs to reach you after your initial contact with them. Once the lines have been located, you will need to select the ticket & change the response status to “Located”, for the response to be closed.
If a response is not submitted to the PRIS prior to the expiration of a ticket the following response will be automatically submitted by the system.
- No Response: Utility did not submit response
If a utility/facility company is not currently participating in the PR program, the system selects the following response as soon as a ticket is created.
- Non-Participant: Company is not currently participating in Positive Response
Excavators
How to view response information for your ticket:
We encourage all excavators to begin reviewing the response information for their tickets prior to excavation or before calling to report a “No Response”. Response information can be viewed using any of the following methods.
- Click here to access the MS811 Web Portal
o You do not need an account to view ticket response information
o Click on “Find Tickets”
o Enter your ticket number
o Click Search
o Current responses submitted will be listed under the “Response Status As of” section of the ticket.
- The MS811 Mobile App is available for download on iTunes and Google Play.
o You do not need an account to view ticket response information
o Click on 
o Click on “Find Tickets”
o Enter your ticket number
o Click Search
o Current responses submitted will be listed under the “Responses” section of the ticket.
- Ticket Confirmation Email – When MS811 sends you a ticket confirmation email, the ticket number contains a hyperlink to the Portal. If you click on the ticket number, the ticket will be automatically opened for you to view responses in the Portal. g. Ticket #: 19070509580229
- Ticket Response Status Notification Email
o On September 3rd, 2019 MS811 will begin transmitting Ticket Response Status Notification emails to the excavator. The notice will only be transmitted to the excavator if a valid email address is provided upon submitting their locate request. The notice will include response status information submitted to the MS811 Positive Response Information System (PRIS) by participating member utility/facility companies, as well as, a hyperlink that will open the ticket for viewing in the Web Portal. The status notification will be transmitted before, if all utilities have responded, or on the legal ‘locate by’ date and time.
What you should know when reviewing response information:
The following are the different responses you may see when reviewing the response status of your ticket, followed by information you should know about each. When a member selects a response, they also have the option to enter comments and their name. When entered, this information is displayed behind the selected response. If the member has multiple utility types, there may be a separate response submitted for each utility.
- Located: Facilities marked
o If you encounter or see evidence of unmarked underground utility/facility lines, cease excavation and contact MS811 immediately.
- Clear: No conflict
o If you encounter or see evidence of unmarked underground utility/facility lines, cease excavation and contact MS811 immediately.
- On Site Meeting Request: Utility representative is requesting to be on site during excavation
o The utility/facility company should have contacted you to set up the meeting. If they have not done so you should contact them yourself directly.
- Locate Delayed: Locate Delayed
o The excavator should always contact you, directly, anytime there is a delay in locating. If the utility company must excavate to locate their lines, by law, they have an additional 2 working days to get their lines located. If the utility/facility does not have a legitimate reason for the delay you may file an violation against them using the Alleged Violation Reporting (AVR) tool locating on the MS811 website or by clicking here.
- Located To Meter Only: Private property beyond meter not located
o Most utility companies will only mark up to their meter or the property line if there is no meter. The landowner will be responsible for locating any underground utilities beyond that point.
- No Response: Utility did not submit response
o The utility/facility company did not submit a response prior to the expiration of the ticket.
- Non-Participant: Company is not currently participating in Positive Response
o The utility/facility company is not currently participating in the PR program. Keep in mind that utility/facility companies are not currently required by law to submit response information to the MS811 PRIS.
Any time a utility/facility has not marked, submitted a response or contacted you within 2 working days of the notification and you are not sure what to do, contact MS811.
We hope that the PR program will improve communication as well as increase safety and reduce the number of unnecessary second request notices generated.
If you have any questions or concerns about the PRIS, feel free to contact (601) 368-1150.
