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811 centers report record ticket volumes in 2025; Dig Alert marks 50th year
Summary
Presenters from USA North 811 and Dig Alert told the board 2025 saw record ticket volumes and rising renewals; Dig Alert said it will stop manually sending some 'no response' tickets and is launching outreach tied to its 50th anniversary.
Representatives from the regional notification centers told the California Underground Safety Board on Feb. 29 that 2025 saw heavy ticket volumes and operational shifts intended to improve clarity of electronic positive responses and excavator communications.
James Wingate of USA North 811 said overall ticket volume rose in 2025, with Northern California up roughly 14% and the two centers processing more than 1.1 million tickets when certain auto no-response flows are included. He described a sustained increase in renewals and noted the centers are tracking response times, ticket types and code usage to identify areas for improvement.
Anne Diamond of Dig Alert discussed a recent policy change: Dig Alert has stopped sending certain manually-submitted "no response" tickets and is encouraging excavators to use other ticket types or dispute mechanisms when they disagree with an operator’s response. Diamond said the change aims to reduce inaccurate "no response" flags that can arise when excavators and operators disagree about markings.
"Once it's explained that the operator did provide an EPR, but it may not be what the excavator agrees with, there are other remedies for tickets that can be sent," Diamond said, summarizing the center’s revised practice.
Dig Alert also rolled out a refreshed website and mobile app and announced a 50th-anniversary outreach campaign that includes a monthly raffle of $50 gift cards and social-media reminders to "contact Dig Alert every dig, every time." Wingate and Diamond discussed the high share of professional excavators in the ticket mix (homeowner tickets remain about 2–4%) and operational topics such as renewals versus remarks and the potential for design-ticket workflows to reduce unnecessary renewals.
Board members and stakeholders raised questions about how to measure excavation "readiness" from positive-response codes and how to balance operator workload with planning and design tickets. Staff said the board will consider the data and policy implications as it develops regulation under SB 2 54.
