To choose a private utility locator in Maryland, look for a firm that uses both electromagnetic (EM) locators and ground penetrating radar (GPR), marks to APWA color standards, delivers a written sketch or map, and tells you clearly what it could not find. Miss Utility marks only the lines owned by its member utilities, so the private lines on your site need a separate locator. This guide covers the questions worth asking before you hire one.
Start with Miss Utility
In Maryland, the one-call center is Miss Utility. Contact it before any digging so the public utilities mark their lines. Private locating is added on top of that ticket, not instead of it. The private locator covers the service lines, site utilities and abandoned lines that no utility company will mark.
Questions to ask a private locator
- What equipment do you use? EM locators find metallic lines and tracer wire. GPR helps with plastic, clay and concrete pipe. A firm that uses only one will miss things the other would catch.
- Who is on the crew? Ask about training and experience. Reading GPR well takes practice, and certifications such as NULCA show a baseline.
- What do I get when you leave? Paint and flags fade. A field sketch, photos, or a CAD or KMZ map gives you a record you can hand to the excavator.
- How do you report what you couldn't find? A good locator lists areas it couldn't clear, lines it couldn't trace end to end, and why. Be wary of anyone who claims to find everything.
- Can you confirm a line by exposing it? When a line runs close to a planned excavation, vacuum excavation is the safe way to verify depth and position.
- Do you carry the right insurance? Ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts.
- Do you need engineering-grade data? If the utility data is going onto design plans, ask whether the firm can deliver ASCE 38 quality levels under a licensed professional engineer.
Red flags
- No written deliverable, just marks on the ground
- No explanation of equipment limits in your soil conditions
- Unwillingness to coordinate with your Miss Utility ticket
- Promises of exact depths from GPR alone
Private utility locating in Maryland
Trinity Subsurface locates private utilities across Maryland, from Baltimore and Annapolis to Salisbury and Ocean City, and is led by Greg Finkle, P.E., licensed in Maryland. Recent Maryland work includes switchgear designating at the Community College of Baltimore County in Essex for Whiting-Turner and duct bank locating for electric bus charging in Annapolis. Schedule a crew or call (443) 779-6060.
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