Tennessee: Dial 811 or 1-800-351-1111
North Carolina: Dial 811 or 1-800-632-4949
Utilities Protection Center
A new federally mandated “call before you dig” three digit number, 811, has been launched to provide ease in contacting your local Utilities Protection Center. This new number will route you to one of the 62 One Call centers located in the U.S. based on the area in which you are dialing from. By placing this call, it will notify the appropriate utility companies in your area to send out location technicians to your area of proposed excavation to mark underground utility lines. Excavation includes many things such as planting a tree, digging a hole for your mailbox, installing a pond, basically anything that requires digging. The call to 811 and the service are free. At least 72 hours prior to beginning your digging project, call 811; it’s the law and it could protect you from injury and costly repairs should you dig into an underground utility line. For more information visit www.call811.com.
When you call, you should have the following information ready:
- County, City or Township
- Location of Work – Street Address
- Intersecting Streets/Roads
- Distance from Intersection/Direction
- Extent of Work Front/Rear/Both Sides
- Date of Excavation
- Start time of Excavation
- Type of work
- Caller’s Name
- Contractor/Contact Number
- Contact Person/Additional Information
If you don’t call the One-Call System, you may have an accident or suffer injuries; cause interruption of services; damage the environment; or experience job delays.
When the utilities locate your utility lines, they will be marked with a colored flag. The following is a list of the color code and what it represents.
- Red – Electric Power Lines, Cables Conduit and Lighting Cables
- Yellow – Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Materials
- Orange – Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit
- Blue – Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines
- Green – Sewers and Drain Lines
- Pink – Temporary Survey Markings
- White – Proposed Excavation
(Tolerance Zone: Width of Underground Facility Plus 24″ on Each Side)