If you plan to dig anywhere, from home projects to large construction jobs, you must contact 811 before you dig. Thousands of miles of pipeline, wires and cables for critical services such as electricity, natural gas, water, sewage, communications and other utilities are located underground. Damaging these lines could result in large utility outages, expensive repair costs, and could cause injury or even death.
Locating underground lines
- Premark your dig area. The City of Colorado Springs requires excavators to either pre-mark the specific area of excavation using white paint, flags or stakes. The other option is to provide an electronic delineation of the specific area of excavation when requesting the ticket through Colorado 811. If you have questions regarding this process, you may contact Colorado 811 at (303) 232-1991.
- 811 Before You Dig. Call 8-1-1, or visit Colorado811.org at least three business days before you dig. Colorado 811 will notify affected utility owners of your intent to dig. Be sure to provide access to the property, ensuring gates are unlocked and pets are secured until the locates have been completed. If there is a problem with access, a meet request may be processed to ensure accessibility.
- Wait for locates. Utility owners have two full business days, not including the day of the request, to respond to your request for locates. Professional locators will respond within that time to mark the location of underground utilities in your dig area with flags, paint or both. A positive response to your request will be posted at Colorado811.org to include an update on the status and pictures of the locate marks. Colorado 811 and Colorado Springs Utilities provides an email response back to the requestor upon completion of the request. Be sure to read all information provided.
- Dig carefully. Always dig with care. Utility lines are within 18 inches on either side of the marked utility and remember the marks to not indicate depth. Carefully hand dig with non-mechanized equipment around the marked areas and consider designing your project to avoid digging close to underground utilities.
- Respect and protect the marks. Your locate ticket is valid for 30 days or as long as marks are visible within that 30 period. You must request a refresh of your marks if your locate ticket has expired, or if your marks have been destroyed.
If you have contacted 811 and have questions about your marks, please call our locating department at (719) 668-7205.
If you damage an underground line
- Stop work immediately. Don’t attempt to shut off service or repair, clamp or bury the damaged line.
- Warn others around you and leave the area immediately if you know you’ve hit a natural gas line or think you may have hit one. Natural gas is extremely dangerous and flammable when it leaks and a line is exposed.
- If an injury has occurred, call 911.
- If you damage a natural gas line and gas is blowing, you MUST call 911.
- Call us at (719) 448-4800 to inform us of the damage, and we will dispatch the proper crew to make repairs.
- Call 811 to inform the Colorado One Call center of the damage - have your original locate request ticket number available.
- Wait for proper crews to make repairs. They will inform you when it’s safe to continue your project.