CALL

All digging projects require a call to 811 two full business days before you dig. If you want to dig on a Saturday, call on Wednesday. Sunshine 811 sends the location and description of your digging project to any affected utility companies.

Note: If you are digging in only a small portion of the yard, outline that area with white spray paint.

WAIT

Wait two full business days. During that time, utility companies mark underground lines in your yard with paint and flags in colors that match the utility type..

Locate marks are good for 30 calendar days. Any work beyond that requires another call to 811. If the marks are destroyed before your project is done, stop digging and call 811. Then wait two full business days.

CHECK

No marks in your yard does not always mean no utilities. Verify whether a utility has cleared your property of its line with Positive Response. To access, enter your ticket and phone numbers online or call (800) 852-8057.

Note 1: Utility companies are automatically notified if they have not responded.

Note 2: Not all utility owners will locate privately owned utilities such as water and sewer lines from the meter to your house.

DIG CAREFULLY

Locate marks only tell you the approximate location of underground utilities. If you are digging within 24 inches of the marks, dig carefully. For more information, click here.

How deep is the utility? Some may be buried a few inches, others deeper. Dig carefully to find how deep the line is buried. 

Even if you think you know where an underground line is, time tends to change things. Erosion or tree roots can shift those utility lines. For more information on how utility depth changes, click here.