Missouri’s municipalities play a critical role in protecting underground infrastructure. From water and sewer lines to electric, communications, and gas facilities, cities and towns are responsible for safeguarding the utilities that keep their communities running.
Damage to underground facilities can result in service disruptions, safety hazards, costly repairs, and legal exposure. The good news is that there are proven, practical steps municipalities can take to significantly improve protection of their rights-of-way and underground infrastructure.
Below is a step-by-step framework your municipality can use to strengthen damage prevention efforts and reduce risk.
Step 1: Build Internal Buy-In from Top to Bottom
Successful damage prevention starts inside your organization.
It is essential to get everyone aligned from directors and managers to supervisors and field personnel. While this may sound simple, failing to achieve organization-wide commitment dramatically reduces the likelihood of meaningful improvement.
Damage prevention must be viewed as:
- A safety priority
- A financial protection strategy
- A legal safeguard
- A public service responsibility
When leadership and field crews share the same expectations and goals, municipalities are far more successful at implementing lasting improvements.
Step 2: Organize a Damage Prevention Workshop
Bring all relevant stakeholders to the table.
This workshop should include:
- Municipal department representatives such as public works, utilities, engineering, and inspections
- Contractor swho frequently work within your right-of-way
- Neighboring utility owners
- Other affected organizations
The purpose of this meeting is to:
- Identify key issues affecting your right-of-way
- Discuss recurring challenges
- Establish measurable goals for success
- Improve communication between all parties
Many damage prevention problems stem from miscommunication or unclear expectations. A collaborative workshop helps surface issues before they become costly incidents.
Step 3: Learn from Others and Engage Missouri 811
You do not have to solve this alone.
Reach out to neighboring municipalities that have successfully improved their damage prevention programs and contact your local Missouri 811 Damage Prevention Specialist.
These resources can provide:
- Sample ordinance language
- Proven policy strategies
- Industry best practices
- Real-world solutions implemented across Missouri
Some approaches work well in large cities but may need adjustment in smaller communities. Missouri 811’s Damage Prevention Team understands these differences and can help tailor recommendations to fit your local needs.
Step 4: Refine the Plan to Fit Your Community
After gathering insights, bring your team back together.
Revisit the key issues identified in your workshop and evaluate solutions gathered from peers and Missouri 811. Work collaboratively to develop a practical plan that addresses your specific challenges, fits your available resources, establishes clear expectations, and improves compliance with Missouri law.
A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. Customization is key.
Step 5: Implement Policy and Ordinance Improvements
Once your plan is developed, it is time to put it into action.
Policy changes can be implemented quickly and may serve as a short-term improvement measure. However, policies do not carry the same legal weight as ordinances in court.
Ordinance changes require formal approval by a board or council and may take longer to implement, but once adopted they carry the force of law within your municipality and provide stronger enforcement authority.
Ordinance Ideas Being Used Across Missouri
1. Reinforcing State Law
Require all excavation within yourmunicipality to comply with Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 319 and CommonGround Alliance Best Practices.
Missouri Revised Statutes Chapter 319governs excavation safety and outlines the legal responsibilities of excavators and facility owners in Missouri. Municipalities can reference the law directly online or through the Missouri 811 Excavator Manual, which is available free of charge at:
https://missouri-811.org/order-materials/
Making this information easily accessible to contractors and internal staff helps reinforce expectations and reduce misunderstandings.
Common Ground Alliance Best Practices provide nationally recognized standards for damage prevention. These best practices can be downloaded at:
https://missouri-811.org/resources/download-library/
When municipalities formally reference both RSMo 319 and CGA Best Practices in their ordinances, policies, or pre-construction materials, they strengthen their legal standing while promoting consistent, industry-aligned safety standards.
2. Setting Allowed Working Hours
Some municipalities align excavation hours with noise ordinances or further restrict trenchless excavation to align with utility crew staffing availability. This ensures repair crews are adequately staffed when higher-risk excavation methods are underway.
3. Mandatory Pre-construction Meetings
Requiring a mandatory pre-construction meeting with every excavator prior to starting work can dramatically reduce damages and misunderstandings.
At these meetings, municipalities can:
- Outline excavation and permitting expectations
- Clarify marking procedures and timelines
- Review Missouri 811 notification requirements
- Discuss project scope and potential conflicts
- Communicate consequences for non-compliance
Missouri 811 also offers a free Pre-Excavation Damage Prevention Checklist that municipalities and contractors can use to ensure all required steps have been addressed before work begins. This checklist is available at:
https://missouri-811.org/order-materials/
Providing contractors with structured tools and documented expectations improves compliance and strengthens your municipality’s defensibility should a dispute arise.
4. Managing Workload Capacity
Municipalities should assess how much excavation activity their infrastructure and staff can reasonably manage. When workload exceeds capacity, consider increasing communication to streamline work, temporarily reassigning staff as a short-term solution, or expanding resources by hiring additional staff or qualified subcontractors.
Protecting Your Community Starts with Prevention
Every municipality in Missouri owns and operates underground infrastructure. With that ownership comes responsibility not just to maintain utilities, but to actively protect them.
Improving right-of-way protection reduces costly damages, minimizes service disruptions, protects public safety, strengthens legal defensibility, and improves contractor relationships.
Missouri 811 Is Here to Help at No Cost to You
Missouri 811’s Damage Prevention Team is available as a free resource to every municipality in the state.
Our specialists can help you evaluate your current processes, facilitate stakeholder workshops, review or draft ordinance language, develop customized damage prevention programs, and provide training and education.
If your municipality is ready to strengthen protection of its rights-of-way and underground facilities, contact Missouri 811’s Damage Prevention Team at:
https://missouri-811.org/about/missouri-811-staff/
