811 Information

Palmetto Utility Protection Service (P.U.P.S.) is located at 810 Dutch Square Blvd, Suite 320, Columbia, South Carolina 29210.  Its function is to provide its member utilities the necessary information they need to locate lines and pipes prior to excavation in correspondence to the state law.

Anyone proposing to excavate, dig, bore, tunnel, blast, or disturb the earth in any manner in which buried utilities may be damaged is requested to call P.U.P.S. at 811 or toll-free number   (1-888-721-7877) between the hours of 7:30 am (EST) and 5:30 pm (EST), Monday through Friday, 72 hours before starting the proposed work.

To learn about who should use P.U.P.S. and how to use P.U.P.S., click here. P.U.P.S. has many members that provide the user with the digging information prior to excavation. This process not only benefits the member companies but also the users of P.U.P.S. Click here to learn about these benefits.

Emergency Locate Memo:

It has been reported to PUPS that some tickets have been called in or entered in the system as an emergency ticket, but these tickets did not adhere to what is defined in the South Carolina State Law as an emergency situation.

P.U.P.S. Board of Directors has instructed P.U.P.S. to notify all P.U.P.S. members of this issue.  Also please notify any of your company contractors of this issue and inform them that an emergency is defined by the state law.

Please note restoring existing services means a service that has been damaged or cut.  This does not apply to new service or a service being reconnected.

§ 58-35-90. Notice in case of emergency excavation or demolition.

Compliance with the notice requirements of § 58-35-60 is not required of persons responsible for emergency excavation or demolition to ameliorate an imminent danger to life, health, or property or to restore existing service. Such persons shall give, as soon as practicable, oral notice of the emergency excavation or demolition to each operator having underground utilities located in the area or to an association provided for in § 58-35-70, that serves an operator where such excavation or demolition is to be per-formed and requests emergency assistance from each operator so identified in locating and providing immediate protection to its utilities. An imminent danger to life, health, or property exists whenever there is a substantial likelihood that loss of life, health, or property will result before the procedures under §§ 58-35-60 and 58-35-80 can be fully complied with.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No.588 § 9, eff July 18, 1978.

Questions please contact Patsy Sharpe or Kellie Howell at (803) 939-1117 press 0.