I contacted 8-1-1.  Now what?

You have taken the first step to Knowing What’s below.  The eleven digit serial number the Customer Service Representative provided to you at the end of the call is your proof that you’ve met your obligations of notification in advance of excavation.  Please keep this important number in a safe place until your project is complete.

How do I Know What’s Below?

In a day or two, each utility company with underground lines nearby will send a professional locator to your home to mark the approximate location of buried utilities with colored paint, flags or chalk.  The color of the paint indicates the type of utility, as indicated in the diagram to the right.

On the morning of the excavation (Friday if you’re starting on the weekend), you will receive an email (or fax) that details what each utility company did to mark the location of their underground lines, if you provided an email address or fax number when you placed your call.

• “Marked” means you should see colored paint, flags or chalk near the excavation site.
• “Clear” means the utility company does not have underground lines nearby.

It is important to note that the utility company may not  mark service drops – e.g. the water line from the curb box to the home, or the gas line from the curb to the meter.  This is because you own the line and not the utility company.  If you see a professional locator marking the lines, they may mark your service drops as a courtesy if you ask them.