Safe Digging Starts Here!
Residential RequestCheck StatusPrivately Owned and Residential Property
Stay safe and compliant with Colorado law by contacting Colorado 811 before you dig. Even if your digging project is small, it is always best to call! Calling 811 before you dig helps keep you, your family, and your community safe.
Safe digging starts here! All Colorado property owners must contact Colorado 811 at least 48 hours (excluding weekends, the day of the notification, and legal holidays) before beginning any excavation project – as required by Colorado law. Examples of work are:
Landscaping (Don’t just rely on your landscaper to do it, if in doubt, call 811 yourself).
Digging holes for fences, decks, swing sets, or mailboxes
Planting shrubs and trees and removing tree roots
Driving landscaping stakes into the ground
Installing a retainer wall
Calling 811 is the only way to determine the exact location of underground public utility lines or line structures. By not calling, you risk:
Costly property or environmental damage and may be subject to fines
Explosion or fire on your property
Power or utilities services interruptions in your neighborhood
Injury—or even death to you or your excavator or landscaping crew on your property
Remember, know what’s below! Even if your digging project is small, it’s always best to call.
Start here! Quickly create an online locate ticket request or call 811 to get your dig area marked so you know where your underground public utilities are located.
Understanding the colors of markings or flags once the locate is done will allow you to know what type of utility lines are underground.
State law requires you to contact Colorado 811 at least two full business days before you dig (not including the day of notification).
1
Contact 811
Visit colorado811.org or call 811 to request a free underground public utility line locate. This service protects public underground utilities such as gas, electricity, water, sewer, and internet lines. Remember, “privately owned utilities” won’t be included in this service.
2
Wait and Track your Request
Wait at least 2 full business days and track your request on colorado811.org. Utility companies will respond with a message indicating the status of your request.
3
Respect the Marks
Make sure paint and flags remain visible while you dig. Do no dig on top of the markings with machinery without knowing where the lines are underneath.
If utilities are present, the location of the utility line will be identified by paint and/or flags. Once marked, maintain the marks to ensure they remain visible while digging so you do not hit the lines below.
4
Dig Safely, Dig Carefully
Dig with care, using extra caution near markings.
Always dig cautiously with hand tools when digging within 18 inches of a mark or flag for a public utility line. Ask your landscaper or excavator do to the same.
What is Colorado 811?
Colorado 811 is the State approved communication Association that acts as the official link between you and owner/operators of public utility lines.
Colorado 811 DOES NOT mark the utility lines.
Colorado 811 DOES provide an easy, fast, and FREE way for you to request public utility line markings (also called utility locates) for any excavation project on your property.
What you need to know before you dig!
Get answers to the most common questions from other property owners.
Yes! Shallow digging is still digging and no dig is to small! Underground utilities are often located very close to the surface. No matter how shallow or how deep you are digging, you must contact 811 first for any excavation including digging by hand, digging with machinery, grading, scraping, trenching, tunnelling, plowing—and more.
Learn more about how to dig safely and how to submit a request.
It's free! There is no cost to have public underground utility lines located on your property.
Yes, submit an online locate ticket and request the marking of your property. It is fast, easy and free. Get started here.
You can contact Colorado 811 using several convenient methods:
Phone: Call Colorado 811 directly at 811 or (800) 922-1987 to speak with a representative. Phone support is available during business hours to assist with your inquiries.
Online Request: Visit the Colorado 811 website at colorado811.org to access the online ticket request system or submit general questions. The online platform is user-friendly and available 24/7.
Live Chat: Use the live chat feature on the Colorado 811 website to connect with a representative in real time. Chat is an efficient option for quick questions and guidance.
Owner and operators of public utility lines either mark your lines or contract with a vendor to mark your lines. There may be private utilities within your dig area such as sprinkler lines, gas lines, or a BBQ, that require you to higher a private locating company in addition to calling 811. Private Utilities are lines on your property now owned by a public utility company. It is your responsibility to have private utilities marked before digging. Colorado 811 does not mark private utility lines. Learn the difference between public and private utilities and contact a private locate company.
You can start digging once all markings or flags are clearly visible on the ground of your excavation areas and you receive a status update from all utilities located in your excavation area indicating an all clear. Check your ticket status here.
Once an underground utility owner has completed your locate or has determined that there are no public underground utilities in your dig area, the will post a status message—known as “Positive Response” to your request—through the 811 system, allowing you to check your locate request ticket status and see if your utility locate is complete and it’s OK to dig. Learn more about how to dig safely and check your status.
Utility owners and operators use the American Public Works Association (APWA) standard color codes to mark the locations of their underground facilities. Learn more about Dig Safe Colors
A public utility facility owner or operator is an public utility company, a municipality, or any other organization that owns and operates underground utilities such as electricity, gas, water, internet, sewer, etc. Public facility owners and operators are required to register their underground utility lines with Colorado 811 and are members of Colorado 811.
Your Second Call:
Private Utility Locating Companies / Services
Public utility companies will mark only the lines that they own. To find out If you have private utilities within your dig area, you’ll need to contact a private locate company to mark the location of these utilities. Fees for private locate services in average range from $100 to $350, depending on the company you use and the property type and size located. [Link to private utility locator’s directory]
Always Dig Safe! Damage to any utility line can cause injury, expensive damages, or death. If you are not sure if you have private utilities or not, contact a privately owned locate company AND also sent your public utility request to Colorado 811.
Find Private Locate Companies in Your Area
