Before we dig
The one-call locate, step by step
811 is the national number that connects you to your state's one-call center. It is how a buried line gets marked before anyone digs near it. Here is the whole path on one of our jobs.
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Step 1: 1. The site walk
We walk the lot with you, ask what is buried that you know of, and mark the route we'd like in white paint or flags. You see the line before it is a line.
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Step 2: 2. We place the request
The one-call center takes the address and the route. It tells every utility that has a line near your lot. You don't have to call for a dig we are doing.
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Step 3: 3. The utilities answer
Each utility marks its line in a color or tells us it has none there. Our dispatcher tracks every answer, and we don't start with one missing.
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Step 4: 4. We find your private lines
811 doesn't mark what you own. We check your records and the county's, probe the ground, bring in a locator for a long run, and hand-dig to look when it is unclear.
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Step 5: 5. The dig
Machine where the ground is clear. Close to a mark we use hand tools, at the distance your state sets. If a mark is gone after rain or a mower, we stop and call it in again.
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Step 6: 6. The record
Before we backfill we photograph the pipe in the trench. You get the depth, the pipe type and the distance from the house in writing, so whoever digs next knows.
Waiting periods and the distance to hand-dig near a mark are set by state law. Ask us what applies at your address.
The marks
What the paint and flags mean
Colors are the same across the country. If you see one on your lot, leave it alone until the job is done.
Red
Electric power lines, cables and conduit
Yellow
Gas, oil, steam and other flammable material
Orange
Phone, cable TV, fiber and alarm lines
Blue
Drinking water
Green
Sewer and storm drain
White
The route a dig is planned to take; we mark this one
Pink
A survey mark or a temporary marker
Purple
Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry
Before we come out
What you can do to help
A few things on your side save a day on the schedule.
Tell us what you know
Where the well is, where the tank is, where the old line to the barn ran. A sketch on the back of an envelope helps.
Leave the marks alone
Paint and flags are the record. Don't mow over them, rake them or pull them up.
Clear a way in
A gate code, a lane the truck can use, and a spot to turn the machine. Move livestock and dogs before we come.
Look for a record
A septic permit, a plat, an as-built from the builder. Any of them tells us where to look first.
Questions
Questions about the locate
Do you call 811, or do I?
We do, for any job we dig. We place the request, track each utility's answer and tell you when the marks are in. If you dig anything yourself, even a fence post, the call is yours, and it costs nothing to make.
How long after the call can you dig?
Not until every utility has answered. Your state sets the waiting period, and it is usually a few working days. We don't start early to save a day, and we tell you the date once the request is in.
Does 811 mark my septic line, well line or the wire to my barn?
No. 811 reaches the utilities that own the buried lines, and they mark those up to your meter. Everything you own past that point is on you or on us: the septic line, the well line, yard lights, the buried wire to a shop. We look for those before we dig.
How do you find lines that aren't marked?
We start with what you know, the county's records and the original install if there is one. Then we walk the ground with probe rods, and for a long run we bring in a private locator. If we can't tell what is down there, we hand-dig to look before the machine goes in.
What do the paint colors and flags mean?
Red is electric, yellow is gas or oil, orange is phone and fiber, blue is drinking water, green is sewer and drain, and white is where a dig is planned. Pink is a survey mark and purple is reclaimed water. The Before we dig page has the full set.
Ready for the site walk?
Send the address and what you want to run. We call back, walk the lot and place the 811 request.