Safe Digging 101
WHO NEEDS TO CALL 811?
Effective July 1, 2023, with the passage of Senate Bill 27, contractors must call 811 if they’re planning to use mechanical equipment or hand tools to excavate. In other words, a contractor ALWAYS needs a dig ticket. A non-contractor (i.e., homeowner, boy scout planting a tree) also always needs to call 811 if they’re digging with mechanical equipment, and they will also need to call if they’re digging with hand tools more than 12 inches down.
SB 27 defines non-mechanical equipment, or hand tools, as “equipment operated solely by human power, including, without limitation, a hammer or other device used to drive stakes or rods into the ground, mattock, pickaxe, shovel or spade.”
SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS
- Dig slowly/carefully with hand tools (i.e. shovel) when digging within 24" of utility marks to ensure adequate clearance & confirm the buried utility’s location.
- Never plant trees or other objects directly above buried utility lines.
- Take caution when driving stakes into the ground for tree support or concrete structures to avoid buried utilities.
- Contact the utility for instructions and questions regarding digging around a utility line.
GAS LINES
- Gas main piping may be found in the street, parkway, or right of way.
- A utility locator will use yellow paint to mark where the gas line runs underground from the street to the meter on a house, usually located on the side of the garage.
- The homeowner is responsible for knowing the location of gas lines that run from the home's meter to other structures on the property, such as to a BBQ or pool equipment.
ELECTRIC LINES
- Main electric lines are generally buried in conduit under or behind the sidewalk in a utility easement.
- The utility's locator will use red paint to mark where the electric cable runs underground from the sidewalk area to the meter on a house, usually located on the side of the garage.
- The homeowner is responsible for knowing the location of electric lines that run from the meter to other structures on the property.
COMMUNICATIONS LINES (PHONE & CABLE)
- Main communication lines are generally buried under the sidewalk.
- A utility locator will use orange paint to mark where the communication lines run underground from the sidewalk to a house, usually to the side of the garage.
WATER LINES
- Main water lines are generally buried under the street.
- A utility locator will use blue paint to mark where the water line runs from the main in the street to a residential or commercial meter box, which is usually located in or behind the sidewalk, in the front and usually on the side property line of the home.
- Water lines are homeowner-owned and/or business owner-owned from the meter box to the home or business. It is the homeowner's and/or the business owner’s responsibility to know the water line's location on his property.
SEWER LINES
- Main sewer lines generally run under the street & connect to a home through a line running from the main to the center, front of the home.
- Sewer lines are homeowner-owned from the main to the home. It's the homeowner's responsibility to know the sewer line's location on his property.
- A utility locator may paint a green "T" in the street to indicate where the home's line connects to the main line.
- A utility locator may paint a green triangle to indicate that sewer lateral lines may exist in the area of the dig, but the triangle is not a designation of the lateral line’s location.
- A utility locator may paint a green "S" on the curb to indicate the sewer line is located in that approximate spot.
If you don’t call 811 prior to digging and hit an underground utility line, you could potentially incur fines and be responsible for repair costs.