Colorado municipalities and school districts have been building more underground fiber than ever. It powers traffic and facility cameras, access control, VoIP, building automation, public Wi-Fi, learning systems, and everything in between. While the networks
The challenge is that the most critical part of that network is the part you cannot see. When a third party excavates in the right-of-way (or on campus) and your fiber is unmarked or mapped poorly, a simple daylighting pit can turn into an outage, an emergency repair, and a stack of unplanned costs.
That is where contract utility locating comes in.
Contract locating gives your team a reliable, local partner to receive 811 tickets, mark your facilities, post Positive Response, and help prevent damages before they happen.
What Is Contract Utility Locating (And Who Uses It)
Contract utility locating is a service where a trained locating team acts as your locating arm. For municipal and school district networks, that typically includes:
Monitoring and managing Colorado 811 tickets tied to your service area (both phone calls as
Locating and marking your underground communications facilities (fiber, conduit, handholes, vaults, tracer wire)
Coordinating meet requests with excavators when needed (also including required standbys)
Documenting marks and submitting Positive Response so contractors know the site is clear (or not)
Supporting escalations when markings are disturbed (or weathered), incomplete, or the scope changes
In short, it keeps your underground network “findable” when someone else wants to dig near it.
Why 811 Matters for Municipal and School District Networks
Colorado 811 is the central notification system that connects excavators with utility owners and operators. Colorado 811’s own guidance is straightforward: contact 811 before digging or boring, then wait and track the ticket as utilities respond with status updates.
Two details matter for public-sector network owners:
1) 811 is the start of the process, not the finish
A ticket is only effective if the facility owner (or their contract locator) actually marks and responds correctly.
Many school districts (and college campus networks) and municipalities have communications infrastructure that can fall into that “private” category depending on ownership and where it sits. Even when assets are in public ROW, the key is having a program that consistently gets your facilities marked when a ticket is submitted.
2) Cities and agencies still point everyone back to Colorado 811
Colorado municipal guidance for city-owned utilities generally starts with “Before you dig, you must contact Colorado 811.”
That is the standard across Colorado: 811 is the front door, and a clean locate response is how you protect your network after the ticket is created.
Speed Matters: The Clock on 811 Requests Is Short
In Colorado, state law requires locate marking to be completed within two business days (not including the day of notice).
For school district network administrators and procurement teams, that creates an operational problem:
Tickets come in continuously.
The window is tight.
The consequences of a miss are real.
When response time slips, excavators still have schedules, permits, inspections, and crews on the clock. Delays increase the odds that someone digs with unclear markings, or digs anyway because they believe the site is “close enough.”
A strong contract locating program is built around fast, consistent execution:
Ticket intake with clear ownership
Marking within required timelines
Clean Positive Response
Escalation path for conflicts, access issues, and emergencies
What a “Good” Locating Program Looks Like for Public Networks
Municipal and school district fiber is different than traditional utility plant. Routes change over time. Maps can be incomplete. Tracer wire is not always continuous. Campuses have constant small projects.
A practical Colorado municipal locating program accounts for those realities:
Maintain “locatable” infrastructure
Locating equipment works best when your plant is built and maintained to be located. That usually means tracer wire where appropriate, accessible handholes, and network documentation that reflects the as-built reality (not just original design intent). In many case, CC&E can help make your network more locatable through network audits, documentation updates, and tracer wire repairs.
Align maps with what is actually in the ground
GIS and as-builts are powerful, but only if they are kept current. If your network has grown over time (or has multiple eras of construction), a locating partner can help identify where records and reality do not match, then prioritize fixes. Colorado 811 must have the most current records to ensure that dig requests are matched up against actual network infrastructure.
Document marks and outcomes
Photos, sketches, and ticket notes reduce repeat work and support damage investigations when needed. Colorado 811’s Positive Response system is also where excavators look for status updates.
Why a Local Colorado Locating Partner Is Worth It
Municipal and school district procurement is often about reducing risk, not just getting a low hourly rate. A local locating partner helps in ways that are easy to overlook on paper:
Faster dispatch when a ticket is urgent or an excavator is already mobilized
Familiarity with Colorado ROW realities: snow cover, freeze-thaw, congested corridors, and high-traffic work zones
Better coordination with local contractors, inspectors, and permitting offices
- Local Colorado employees that get to know your network
A realistic understanding of how projects move in your region (and where they usually go sideways)
- Leadership that is also based here in the Front Range who can easily coordinate in-person
Local also matters when something goes wrong and you need a response that same day, not a call center note.
The Bigger Advantage: A Colorado Telecom Contractor When You Need More Than Paint
Locating prevents a lot of problems. It does not prevent all of them.
When a line is hit, or when a project needs to move from “mark it” to “build it,” it is valuable to have a local partner that can stay engaged through the full OSP lifecycle.
CC&E supports Colorado municipal and school district networks with services that pair naturally with contract locating, including:
Directional boring / HDD for new conduit or network extensions
Excavation and repair for access, restoration, and damaged plant exposure
Fiber optic splicing (both loose tube & ribbon fiber) as well as network troubleshooting (e.g., OTDR)
Network repair to restore service quickly when damage occurs
The operational value is simple: fewer handoffs, fewer gaps, and faster decision-making. The team that helps identify risk at the locate stage can also help execute the construction or repair plan when the situation changes.
Contract Utility Locating for Colorado Public Networks: What to Ask in an RFP
If you are scoping locating services for a municipal or school district network, these are a few practical requirements that prevent headaches later:
Ticket monitoring hours and after-hours escalation
Response timelines and coverage area
Positive Response process and documentation standards
Experience locating communications plant (fiber, conduit, tracer wire, campus environments)
Coordination process with your facilities team and your GIS/records owner
Path to construction and repair support when the project needs it
Keep Your Underground Network Safe, Marked, and Operational
Contract utility locating is not just a compliance task. For public networks, it is part of uptime.
If you want a Colorado-based partner that can manage 811 responses quickly and also support construction, engineering, and repair when needed, CC&E can help.
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