A Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry is a free request, lodged online or in the app, for plans of underground infrastructure at a work site. BYDA passes it to the asset owners affected, and they send their plans and conditions back.
OpsChase’s utility locating software reads the response packs you already receive and turns them into a draft job.
How an enquiry works
The enquirer finds the site by street address, lot number or coordinates, draws the work area, and gives the start and end dates, and the type of work. BYDA emails a confirmation listing the asset owners affected and their contact details. The plans come from those owners, not BYDA, and BYDA says to allow up to two business days.
What to check in the response
- Every owner on the confirmation has responded.
- The site and scope match the job.
- Each plan is still within its validity date, typically 28 or 30 days from the enquiry.
- Duty of care statements and conditions, including exclusion zones.
Plans show that infrastructure is present, not its exact location, and BYDA notes they generally don’t show the whole domestic connection. Our guide on how to read a response pack sets out an order for it.
When a new enquiry is needed
BYDA says to lodge a new enquiry when the scope of work changes or the plans’ validity dates expire. For long jobs, its auto-renew option resubmits the enquiry every 28 days for up to six months.
How OpsChase uses the pack
Forward the response emails or upload the PDFs. OpsChase lists each asset owner and service type, flags special conditions and attaches the plans to a draft job for you to check and confirm. OpsChase is independent and isn’t affiliated with BYDA.
On OpsChase: one queue for your team and contractors, follow-up when a job goes quiet, and photos or sign-off before it closes. Book a demo — one site or many.
- Is a Before You Dig Australia enquiry free?
- Yes. BYDA describes its underground plan request service as free.
- How early should an enquiry be lodged?
- BYDA’s 5Ps of safe excavation say to lodge it at least one business day before the project begins.
- Does OpsChase lodge enquiries?
- No. Enquiries are still lodged with BYDA in the usual way. OpsChase reads the responses you receive.