Mission

To operate and maintain a state-of-the-art one-call system for the State of Oregon to reduce damages to underground facilities and to promote public safety related to excavation issues.

History

The 1995 legislature created the Oregon Utility Notification Center (OUNC) as a state agency with the mandate to:

1. Solicit prospective Board Members from organizations that have a vested interest in excavation related activities and submit those nominees to the Governor for appointment to the Board of Directors.
   
   
2. Develop, adopt and implement the Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR's) necessary to protect excavators, the general public and buried facilities from damages caused by excavation activities.
   
   
3. Institute a statewide one-call system that will provide the critical communication link between those planning to dig and those operators that may have buried facilities in an area of proposed excavation so that those facilities may be located and marked before excavation begins.
   
   
4. Require all operators of buried facilities in a public right of way, or utility easement, to register those facilities with the OUNC so that a statewide inventory could be created.
   
   
5. Require all excavators to call the OUNC and request locates prior to excavation. All operators of buried facilities identified within an area of proposed excavation shall be notified of the impending excavation and shall be required to accurately mark their facilities within two business days.
   
   
6. Establish an equitable rate structure to support all activities required by the Board of Directors.