Notify Dig Safe Before You Dig
Be careful where you dig: It’s FREE and easy to prevent damage to natural gas pipelines
Dig Safe is a not-for-profit clearinghouse that notifies participating utility companies of your plans to dig. In turn, these utilities (or their contract locating companies) respond to mark out the location of their underground facilities. Dig Safe is a free service, funded entirely by its member utility companies.
Many of the pipeline leaks and emergencies we respond to each year happen when homeowners and businesses dig on their property without knowing the location of underground utility lines. These types of accidents are called third-party damages, and they are easily avoided by calling 811 before you dig – anywhere on your property.
Calling 811 is FREE.
When you call 811, the utility lines on your property will be marked, preventing you from damaging them when you dig. Project examples that warrant a call to 811 include the installation of:
- Septic tanks and sewer lines
- Swimming pools
- Wells
- Sprinkler systems and water lines
- Basketball goal posts or mailbox posts
- Fence and deck posts
- Trees and shrubs
- Mailboxes
It’s a risk to make faulty assumptions about when to notify Dig Safe. That’s why state law requires you to notify Dig Safe for even small projects, like installing a mailbox or planting shrubs. The depth of utility lines vary, and there may be multiple utility lines in a common area.
It’s important to know what’s below. Call 811 to avoid utility service disruption to an entire neighborhood, harm to you and those around you, as well as fines and repair costs.
Other Critical Steps Before Digging
Notify Utility Companies that are not Dig Safe Members
There may be underground lines in the area where you are planning to dig that belong to organizations that are not members of Dig Safe, like some municipalities. You must contact these non-member utility companies directly to mark out their underground lines before
digging. Visit DigSafe.com for a list of member utilities.
Visit Maine Public Utilities Commission’s OK-TO-DIG directory for contact info for non-member, underground facility operators in Maine.
Check for Private Utilities
Member utility companies are responsible for marking the underground lines that they own or maintain in the area where you are planning to dig. Property owners are responsible for ensuring private lines are marked.
Common examples of private lines include sprinkler systems, gas lines to service a pool or fire pit, and electric lines to service a detached garage or outside lighting.
Private utility lines can be located and marked by a private locating company. Visit DigSafe.com for a list of private locating services by state.