Call 811 Before Landscaping: A Safe Digging Checklist

Call 811 Before Landscaping: A Safe Digging Checklist

Quick answer

Before digging for a tree, fence, drainage line, irrigation system, lighting cable, or other landscape project in the United States, contact 811 or your state 811 center. Describe and mark the proposed work area, wait the time required by state law, confirm all notified utilities responded, preserve the paint and flags, and follow state rules for digging near marked lines. A locate shows approximate utility positions; it does not make excavation risk-free.

811 is the nationwide before-you-dig service that routes a locate request to the appropriate state one-call center. Participating utility owners then mark the approximate location of covered underground facilities near the planned excavation.

Bosch's Landscaping Specialists

HollandOttawa CountyMichigan

4275 136th Ave, Holland, MI 49424, USA

Landscape projects that need a locate request

Contact 811 for any project that breaks or moves soil where buried facilities could be present. Common landscaping examples include:

• planting or removing trees and large shrubs;
• installing fence, mailbox, sign, pergola, or deck footings;
• building retaining walls or grading slopes;
• trenching for irrigation, drainage, electrical, or landscape lighting;
• driving stakes, anchors, edging, or erosion-control hardware;
• mechanically aerating, stump grinding, or excavating hardscape bases.

Do not assume a shallow project is exempt or that previous markings still apply. Depth changes with grading and erosion, and laws differ by state.

Stillwater Mulch Inc.

EffinghamEffingham CountyIllinois

18802 US-45, Effingham, IL 62401, USA

Prepare an accurate locate request

1. Define the actual work area. Finalize the path, planting bed, or excavation footprint before requesting marks.
2. White-line the proposed excavation. Use the method accepted in your state—often white paint, flags, or an electronic description—to distinguish the work zone from utility marks.
3. Submit early enough. State notice periods, holidays, ticket life, and renewal rules vary. Check the state 811 center rather than relying on a universal number of days.
4. Provide complete access details. Include the address, contact information, gate instructions, pets, and a precise description of where digging will occur.
5. Keep the ticket record. Save the request number, dates, utility response status, and any instructions.

Homeowners and landscape contractors should agree in writing who will submit and manage the request. Do not assume the other party handled it.

What to do after paint and flags appear

Check the ticket response before work begins. Compare the utilities listed on the response with visible clues such as meters, pedestals, valves, manholes, hydrants, and service entrances. If a utility has not responded or a visible facility lacks corresponding marks, use the state center's instructions to request clarification rather than digging.

• Photograph the marks and work area before excavation.
• Do not move flags or obscure paint.
• Explain the markings and work limits to everyone on site.
• Respect the state-defined tolerance zone around a marked facility.
• Use the required safe excavation method near marks; rules may require hand tools, vacuum excavation, or other precautions.
• Stop if the site changes, marks fade, the ticket expires, or an unmarked facility is exposed.

Marks indicate an approximate horizontal route, not exact depth. Never use powered excavation directly over a marked facility unless state rules and the utility owner allow the method being used.

Private utilities may not be marked by 811

The public one-call process may stop at a meter or other ownership point. Privately owned facilities can include irrigation pipes, low-voltage lighting, pool equipment, septic components, propane lines, detached-building services, or customer-installed electric and communications lines.

Review property plans and ask the utility or state center what is covered. When private facilities may cross the project, hire a qualified private locator or appropriate contractor. A sprinkler head or cable route guessed from surface features is not a reliable locate.

What to do if a utility is struck or exposed

Stop work immediately and keep people away. Do not touch, move, bury, repair, or attempt to test the facility. Report even a scrape, dent, coating damage, or pulled cable to the utility owner using the required process.

If there is escaping gas, a hissing sound, unusual odor, fire, sparking, electrical contact, or another immediate danger, move to a safe location and call 911 and the utility emergency number. Do not operate switches, start vehicles, use flames, or create ignition sources near a suspected gas release.

Evidence and scope note: OSHA requires employers to determine the estimated location of underground installations before excavation and contact utility owners. Its current resources direct excavators to the nationwide 811 system. Homeowner obligations and tolerance zones come from state law, so confirm details with your state 811 center. Contractors should also follow applicable OSHA excavation requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need 811 for planting one tree?

Yes, a planting hole can contact underground facilities. Submit a request and follow your state's process before digging.

Does an old utility map replace field markings?

No. Plans can be incomplete or approximate. Use them as supporting information, not as a substitute for the current one-call process.

Can I remove flags after the project?

Follow state and utility instructions. Keep marks intact while the ticket and excavation are active; after work is safely complete, local rules may allow flag removal.

What if my landscaper says the hole is shallow?

Ask for the valid locate ticket and state-specific basis for the work method. Buried facilities are not all at a standard depth.

Next steps

Finalize the landscape footprint, submit the locate request through 811, document every response, identify possible private lines, and brief the crew before soil is disturbed. Build enough time into the project schedule to resolve missing marks or redesign around a utility safely.