The national “Call Before You Dig” number—811—was created to help protect individuals from unintentionally hitting underground utilities when digging. Every digging job requires a call, even for small projects like planting trees or shrubs.
Dialing 811 sends your call to the One Call Center in your area for processing. The local One Call Center records the location of the proposed excavation and notifies the affected pipeline operators and underground utility companies of your plans. Operators then dispatch a professional locating crew to mark the approximate location of their lines, utilizing small color-coded flags.