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 Whether you're breaking ground or just installing
a new sprinkler system, avoid personal injury and underground line
damage by calling before you dig.
Simply call 811, the nationwide call-before-you-dig hotline. Both contractors
and homeowners are required by law to call 811
at least two days before digging. The service is free.
If you or a contractor you hire hit a line while digging, you can disrupt service to your entire neighborhood and potentially face fines and repair costs. Learn more at call811.com.
Follow these steps to have your site cleared:
- Before calling 811, outline the location where you will be digging
with white chalk or stakes. Your site must be completely outlined
for utilities to mark their lines.
- Call 811 between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. at least
two days before digging. For the shortest wait, call on Wednesday,
Thursday or Friday afternoons. See the call811.com Web site for more information.
- At the end of your call, you will receive a ticket number that
will be good for 14 days. If you need to call 811 back, please
have this number on hand.
- Utility members will either mark the horizontal path of their
underground lines at your site; provide you with information about
the lines; or let you know if there aren't any lines under your
dig site.
What do the markings mean?
When utility companies come to mark your digging
site, they will use colored paint or stakes to mark utility lines
within your digging area. Each type of utility has a unique color:
| Color |
Utility |
| Blue |
Water lines |
| Green |
Sewer, storm drain |
| Purple |
Reclaimed water |
| Yellow |
Gas lines |
| Red |
Electric lines |
| Orange |
Telephone & cable |
If there are no markings, the spot you plan to dig
in does not contain underground utility lines. Utility companies
will confirm that it is safe to dig.
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