PAS 128 Utility Surveys
The recognised UK standard for buried services — located, classified and drawn to quality level D, C or B, whichever your risk assessment and design actually require.
- Standard
- PAS 128
- Quality levels
- QL-D to QL-B
- Methods
- Records, EML, GPR
- Positioning
- Survey-grade GNSS
- Output
- CAD + report
- Reports
- 48 hr standard
- PAS 128 compliant
- £10m public liability
- CHAS accredited
- Survey-grade GNSS
- UK-wide crews
- 48-hour reports
What each quality level means.
The recognised UK standard for buried services — located, classified and drawn to quality level D, C or B, whichever your risk assessment and design actually require.
Records only
A desk study of record plans from the asset owners. A starting point for planning, not a guarantee of what is in the ground.
Records plus site features
Adds a survey of visible features such as covers and chambers, tied to the records so plans can be checked against the site.
Records plus detection
Adds EML tracing and GPR sweeps on site, so services are positioned, drawn with depth estimates and given a confidence level.
How the survey runs.
A named surveyor, a programme before mobilisation, and a report that says plainly what was found and how sure we are.
- 01Surface
Scope & quality level
We confirm what you are building, review your drawings and agree the lowest quality level that still keeps the site safe.
- 020 – 4 m
Desk study & detection
Record plans are ordered and reviewed, then EML tracing and GPR sweeps are run on a controlled grid tied to survey-grade GNSS.
- 03Delivery
Drawings & report
PAS 128 drawings and a plain-English report flagging conflicts, unmapped services and areas to treat with care.
Watch a survey find what the records miss.
Radar and tracing run side by side along the line of the works. Every service found is marked out on the surface and drawn with its depth.
What you receive
- Layered CAD (.dwg / .dxf)
- PAS 128 drawing set
- Survey report
- Confidence level per service
- 3D model on request
Often used for
- Groundworks & civil engineering
- Residential development
- Highways & transport
- Energy & renewables
Before you book.
If your question is not here, call and speak to a surveyor — not a call handler.
01Can I change the quality level later?
Yes. If your design or risk assessment changes, tell us and we will scope the extra work, for example adding detection to an area first surveyed from records.
02Do you mark services out on site?
Findings are marked out on site as they are confirmed, so your team can see them before the drawings arrive.
03What if a service cannot be detected?
We say so. The report flags unmapped services and areas to treat with care, with a confidence level for everything that was located.