Utility Line Location Information/811 Services

The 811 dialing code is a nationwide public safety service for any excavation project, whether by professional contractors or by homeowners that may break electrical, gas, telephone or water lines buried beneath an excavation site. A call must be placed at least 2 days prior to the digging and not earlier than 14 days prior. There are no charges for the request or for the marking services done by utility companies who are mandated to identify their lines before excavation. There are no geographic restrictions.

People planning a digging operation dial 811, and the call will be routed to a local One Call Center. The reporter should tell the operator where they are planning to dig and what type of work they will be doing. The center notifies the affected local utility companies and they send a locator to mark the approximate location of their underground lines, pipes and cables.

Professional Contractors planning to conduct an excavation will call and give at least two working days notice prior to excavating; delineate (outline) their job in white paint; and hand expose to the point of "no conflict" within the zone.

Utility Crew members will mark or locate their lines within two working days of the start of construction. They use a Universal Color Code to mark their facilities. The markings must be accurate within 24 inches either side of the buried facility (tolerance zone). Each color indicates a universal color to indicate what is buried below ground.

White Premark site of intended excavation
Red - Electric
Orange - Communications, Telephone/CATV
Blue - Potable Water
Green - Sewer/Drainage
Yellow - Gas/Petroleum Pipe Line
Purple - Reclaimed Water
This process is mandated by California Law and failure to comply will result in a fine up to $50,000, which does not include any civil law suits that may result from a explosion or loss of service. The law applies to professional contractors, not individual homeowners. Homeowners may, however, be sued for damage done to property of others if lines are damaged.