Why You Must Call 811 First: The Essential First Step in Any Construction Project
811 State One-Call is the LAW!
Approximately 65% of all underground utilities are privately owned and won’t be located by 811. But 811 is the law and must be called first. They have contracts with public utility companies and should respond first to discover the utilities for which they are responsible.
Step 1. Before starting any construction or excavation project, you must dial 811 FIRST and request a State One-Call representative to complete a service ticket. After the ticket is created, a utility locating professional will arrive on-site to mark utilities from the street to the service meter for FREE within 72 hours. Remember, 811 does not locate everything.
Step 2. Next, call The Underground Detective for Private Utility Locating. We are the SECOND call. We’ll double-check the 811 markings. Occasionally, inexperienced technicians can inaccurately locate utilities, so getting another set of eyes on the project is a good idea. The goal is to keep everyone safe and not slow the project down.
Why Call Us? We show up to the job with ALL the tools in our toolbox to help locate your utilities on the site, not just one piece of equipment. On every job, we have ground-penetrating radar (350, 400, 450, 1600, and/or 2600MHz antenna), electromagnetic locating equipment, and pipe inspection cameras used for tracing the paths of pipes, ducts, sewers, and drains. All this equipment assists in locating utilities that are difficult to find.
What is considered a Private Utility? Any utility beyond the service meter is a private utility. This includes parking lot lighting, fire mains, building-to-building utilities, sanitary or storm sewers, electric to detached buildings, gas lines, and potable water. Some utilities can be even inches below the surface of the ground. So, whether you need to make one or two calls, always call before digging.
The ground beneath our feet is more than just soil and rock. It’s a complex network of utilities, some of which aren’t always documented or mapped by public services. While calling 811 State-One-Call is an essential first step before any excavation, it’s only the beginning of ensuring a safe and efficient dig.
Enter The Underground Detective. We’re not just an added layer of safety; we’re your assurance against the unexpected. While 811 can help identify public utilities, the vast web of private utilities – from gas lines to communication cables – remains unseen. These veins make modern conveniences possible, and striking them can lead to costly disruptions, dangerous outages, and potential liabilities.
“811 is always our first call, but we have The Underground Detective out after them to promptly provide us with more detailed information for private utilities on site.” – Matt Habedank, Survey Group Leader, The Kleingers Group.
