Before You Dig

Planning a home improvement job? Planting a tree? Installing a fence or deck? WAIT! Here's what you need to know first: Whether you are planning to do it yourself or hire a professional, smart digging meanscalling 811 before each job.

Homeowners often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked, but every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees and shrubs. The depth of utility lines varies and there may be multiple utility lines in a common area. Digging without calling can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, harm you and those around you and potentially result in fines and repair costs. Calling 811 before every digging job gets your underground utility lines marked for free and helps prevent undesired consequences.

One easy phone call to 811 starts the process to get your underground utility lines marked for free. When you call 811 from anywhere in the country, your call will be routed to your local One Call Center. Local One Call Center operators will ask you for the location of your digging job and route your call to affected utility companies. Your utility companies will then send a professional locator to your location to mark your lines within a few days. Once your underground lines have been marked, you will know the approximate location of your utility lines and can dig safely, because knowing what's below protects you and your family.

Always call 811 before starting any digging project!

For a step-by-step overview of how Calling Before You Dig works, review the Call Before You Dig brochure in English or Spanish. For state-specific information, click local One Call Center then click the link for your state. For our Oklahoma members, that local center isCall OKIE and can be reached at (800) 522-OKIE or (800) 522-6543. Members in Kansas can reach their local Kansas One Call center at (800) DIG-SAFE or (800) 344-7233