How to Get Buried Lines Marked Before You Dig

Fall is planting and fence season, and the shovel goes in first. The wrong assumption is that a shallow hole in your own yard is too small to matter. Gas, power, and fiber lines can sit a few inches down, a strike can mean injury or an evacuation, and the person digging may be liable for the repair. The marking is free, but it takes a few business days, so request it before you buy the posts.

Outline the dig area in white

For a small project, mark the spots you plan to dig with white paint or white flags from a home improvement store. White is the color for proposed excavation in the APWA uniform color code, and it tells the locators exactly where to look.

Submit a request to your state 811 center

Call 811, or open 811 in your state, pick your state, and use that center's online request. Do it a few business days ahead. North Carolina requires three working days, and New Mexico asks for at least three days. Write down the ticket number you get back. The service is free.

Wait and confirm every utility responded

Locators mark buried lines with paint or flags. Before you dig, check the ticket status using your ticket number and confirm every utility on it has answered. No marks from one company can mean it has no lines in your area, but only the ticket status tells you that. In North Carolina the marks are good for 28 calendar days; other states set their own limit, and you need a new request every time you dig.

Read the colors on the ground

Red is electric. Yellow is gas, oil, or steam. Orange is communication lines and cable. Blue is drinking water. Green is sewer and drain. Purple is reclaimed water and irrigation. Pink is temporary survey marking.

Hire a private locator for lines past the meter

811 marks utility-owned lines only. Anything between the meter and your house, or that you installed, is private and stays unmarked: sprinkler systems, invisible pet fences, propane lines from the tank, power to a shed or lamppost, satellite cables, and water and sewer lines past the meter. Pay a private line locator for those, or ask your propane supplier.

Dig beside the marks, not on them

Stay 18 to 24 inches to each side of a mark, 24 inches in North Carolina. If you must work inside that zone, dig by hand and go slowly.

If you hit a line. Stop digging. If gas is escaping, leave the area, call 911, then call the gas company. For even a scrape or dent on a gas line, call the gas company and do not repair it yourself, and notify your 811 center.

Sources. 811 before you dig steps, 811 for homeowners, 811 in your state, NC811 frequently asked questions, APWA uniform color code via Louisiana One Call, New Mexico Gas Company call before you dig.