Call Before You Dig

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG!

If you plan on doing any digging on your property, make sure you remember to Call Before You Dig. It is very important to have all underground utilities located before digging to prevent costly and potentially dangerous contact with buried utility lines. It is not only the smart thing to do, it is also the law. 

No matter how large or small the digging project is, it is important to “Call Before You Dig” or “Click Before You Dig!” By making a simple FREE phone call or by simply filling out the online form you can protect yourself and your community from costly fines, repairs, personal injury or inconvenient outages.

At least 3 full working day notice at 11:59 p.m. (not including the day of the call) prior to digging, call SC811 by dialing 811 or (888) 721-7877. A SC811 representative will record the location of the digging site and notify member companies of your intent to dig. Each member company will then send either one of their employees or a contract locator to your dig site to mark the location of their underground facility lines.

Once the lines have been marked, you may begin carefully to dig, keeping in mind the 2 feet allowance on either side of the markings.

You may submit a locate request notice by calling 811 or (888) 721-7877 or by entering it on the SC811 website.

Be prepared to provide the following information:

1. The name, address, and telephone number of the person providing the notice, and, if different, the contact information and name of the site contact.
2. The person or company doing the work;
3. How long the work will take;
4. The type of work;
5. If the area will be pre-marked;
6. Whether or not drilling, boring or explosives will be used in the area of excavation.
7. The location of the job site (including county, town, nearest intersection or cross street and directions to the site);
8. Where on the property the underground utilities need to be located. 

These questions are asked so that the customer service representative can determine which utility companies should be notified and which should not. This process makes sure that all the utilities at your worksite are located, and the underground facility owners who do not have lines in your general area are not needlessly notified. Calling before you dig ensures that any publicly owned underground facilities will be marked according to the APWA color code so that you can dig safely.