Dig safe
Working safely should be the top priority on every project, large or small. Don't cut corners: have the private lines marked so everyone leaves the job site safe.
Private utility locating · 50 states and D.C.
Find a Private Utility Locator Near You
811 marks public utility lines up to the meter. Everything on your side of the meter is yours: water and sewer laterals, power to pools and shops, gas to grills, irrigation and fiber. Find a private locator in your state to mark them before you dig.
811 vs. private utility locating
Does 811 mark everything? No. Here's what it leaves out.
811 is free and required before you dig, but its member utilities only mark their own lines, up to the meter. Every line after the meter belongs to the property owner and is not marked. That's what a private utility locator is for.
| Topic | 811 One Call | Private locator |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Paid service: get a quote |
| Who arranges it | Anyone digging. Required by law in every state | You hire a locator for your property |
| What gets marked | Member utilities’ public lines, up to the meter | Lines on your side of the meter, and anything you ask them to find |
| Typical lines | Gas, electric, phone, cable, public water and sewer mains | Sprinklers, pool and shop power, sewer laterals, gas to grills, septic, yard drains |
| Equipment | Utility records and electromagnetic (EM) locators | EM locators, ground penetrating radar (GPR), sondes and sewer cameras |
| Timing | Usually 2 to 3 business days after you submit a ticket (varies by state) | Scheduled with the locator, often same week |
| What you get | Paint and flags, plus a ticket number | Paint and flags; many also provide a sketch, photos or GPS map |
You need both: call 811 first for the public lines, then a private locator for the rest.
Will 811 mark it?
Tick everything near where you're digging.
Your results will show here.
1. Call 811 first
Your state's One Call center sends utility companies to mark their public lines up to the meter. It's free.
2. Know what's private
Sprinklers, pool power, sewer laterals, gas to grills and lines to shops belong to the property owner.
3. Hire a private locator
GPR and EM equipment find metal and plastic lines and mark them on the ground before you dig.
What 811 doesn't mark
Private lines a locator can find
On most properties, the lines installed by the owner, a builder or a contractor after the meter are private. They are the lines most often hit by fence, deck, pool, landscaping and solar projects.
Electric
Power to pools, hot tubs, detached garages, shops, gate operators, landscape and parking lot lighting, EV chargers and standby generators.
Gas
Lines from the meter to grills, fire pits, pool heaters, generators, outdoor kitchens and detached buildings.
Communications
Fiber, data and low-voltage cable between buildings, and wiring for security cameras, alarms and gates.
Water
The service line from a curbside meter to the house, private fire lines and hydrants, and lines to barns and outbuildings.
Irrigation
Sprinkler mains, lateral lines and zone valve wiring, which are often shallow and run across the whole yard.
Sewer and drains
Sewer laterals to the street, septic tanks and drain fields, storm drains and buried downspout lines.
Reading the marks
What the paint colors mean
Public and private locators use the same APWA uniform color code, so marks look the same no matter who placed them. Lines are shown with paint, flags or both.
- RedElectric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables
- YellowGas, oil, steam, petroleum or other gaseous or flammable material
- OrangeCommunication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit
- BluePotable (drinking) water
- PurpleReclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
- GreenSewers and drain lines
- PinkTemporary survey markings
- WhiteProposed excavation: the area where you plan to dig
Marks show the approximate location of a line, not its exact position or depth. Dig by hand near any mark, and check your state's 811 center for the required clearance.
How private utility locating works
A private utility locator is a company you hire to find and mark the buried lines on your property that 811 member utilities don't mark. The work is done with the same kinds of equipment the utilities use, plus tools made for lines that are hard to trace.
Electromagnetic (EM) locating
Most metal lines and tracer wires are found with an EM transmitter and receiver. The locator connects the transmitter to the line at a meter, valve or riser, or induces a signal into it from the surface, then walks the route with the receiver and paints the path. EM locating is fast and accurate on electric, gas lines with tracer wire, metal water pipe and communication cable.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR)
GPR sends radar pulses into the ground and records what reflects back. It can pick up plastic and concrete pipe, abandoned lines and other buried objects that carry no signal. How deep it can see depends on the soil: dry, sandy soils work well, while wet clay can limit it to a shallow depth. That is why a good locator uses GPR alongside EM, not instead of it.
Sondes and sewer cameras
Sewer laterals and drain lines are often clay, cast iron or plastic with no tracer wire. A locator can push a camera or a small transmitter called a sonde through the pipe from a cleanout and follow it from the surface, which also shows the depth and the condition of the pipe.
What you get at the end
On a typical job the lines are marked on the ground with paint or flags in the standard colors. For larger commercial and engineering projects, many locators also provide a sketch, a GPS map or CAD files so the results can be used in design and kept for later work.
Who hires a private locator
For homes, job sites and engineering projects
Homeowners
Before a fence, deck, pool, patio, tree, mailbox or garden goes in, and before hiring someone to dig.
Contractors and trades
Fence, landscape, irrigation, plumbing, electrical, solar and EV charger installers who need to protect crews and avoid repair bills.
Engineers and surveyors
Subsurface utility engineering (SUE) and utility mapping for site design, often to ASCE 38 quality levels.
Drilling and environmental
Clearing locations for soil borings, monitoring wells, geotechnical testing and directional boring.
Facility and property managers
Campuses, plants, schools, hospitals and multi-family properties with private networks that 811 never marks.
Commercial builders
Renovations and additions on developed sites where old, undocumented and abandoned lines are common.
Before the locator arrives
- Call 811 and keep your ticket number handy.
- Outline the dig area in white paint or flags so the locator knows where to focus.
- Find your meters, cleanouts, irrigation controller and electrical panels, and make them reachable.
- Gather any site plans, as-built drawings or old permits you have.
- Tell the locator about anything you already know is buried: a septic system, an old tank or lines to an outbuilding.
What affects the price
- The size of the area and how many utilities need to be found.
- Whether GPR, a sewer camera or a sonde is needed in addition to EM locating.
- Site conditions such as pavement, heavy vegetation, fencing or limited access.
- Travel distance and after-hours or emergency scheduling.
- Deliverables such as a written report, GPS mapping or CAD files.
Quick tips
Locating utilities the smart way
Dig safe
Plan ahead
Don't gamble
Questions about private locates
Does 811 mark backyard lines?
Only some of them. 811 member utilities mark their own lines up to the meter, so a gas or electric service that crosses the backyard to reach the meter is marked. Lines that start after the meter are not: power to a pool, hot tub or shed, gas to a grill or fire pit, sprinklers, landscape lighting, septic systems and yard drains. Those belong to the property owner and need a private utility locator.
What is the difference between 811 and a private utility locator?
811 is a free service required by law before digging. It sends member utilities to mark their public lines up to the meter. A private utility locator is a company you hire to find and mark the lines on your side of the meter, such as water and sewer laterals, irrigation, power to outbuildings and gas to grills, using electromagnetic locators and ground penetrating radar.
Does 811 mark sprinkler lines?
No. Sprinkler lines and valve wires are installed by the property owner, so 811 member utilities do not mark them. A private locator can trace the valve wiring and find the pipes with ground penetrating radar.
Does 811 mark sewer lines?
811 marks public sewer mains where the sewer utility is an 811 member, but the sewer lateral from your house to the main is usually the property owner’s and is not marked. A private locator can find it with a sewer camera and sonde or with ground penetrating radar.
Is calling 811 free?
Yes. Calling 811 or submitting a request online is free in every state, and the member utilities mark their lines at no charge. Private locating is a paid service because the lines being located belong to the property owner.
What utilities are marked by 811 One Call?
Calling 811 is free. Your state's One Call center notifies its member utilities, and they mark their public lines up to the meter. It does not cover lines installed on private property after the meter, which are the owner's responsibility. Private utility locators use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) equipment to find those lines: power to pools and outbuildings, water and sewer laterals, irrigation, gas to grills and heaters, communications conduit, storage tanks and other buried features.
What utilities are considered private?
Private utilities are the buried lines after the meter or main line. If your meter is at the curb, the line from the meter to your house is private and will not be marked by 811 member utilities. Other lines that usually are not marked include sewer laterals, private lighting, sprinklers, fire mains, power to detached garages and septic lines.
Is a private locate free?
No. Private locating companies charge a service fee. The private lines belong to the property owner, so the owner covers the cost of locating them. Price depends on the size of the area, how many utilities need to be found, the equipment needed and travel. Request a price quote to compare.
I found an unmarked buried line. What should I do?
Stop digging near it and contact your state's 811 One Call center. They will ask member utilities to check whether the line is theirs. If no member utility claims it, it is a private line and will need to be traced by a private utility locator. If you damage a line or smell gas, move away and call 911.
Do I still need to call 811 if I hire a private locator?
Yes. In every state you must contact 811 before you dig, even when a private locator is coming. 811 gets the public lines marked for free, and the private locator marks the rest, so you need both to see everything that is buried on the site.
Can a locator find plastic pipe?
Often, yes. Plastic pipe can be found with ground penetrating radar, by tracing a tracer wire if one was installed, or by pushing a small transmitter (a sonde) or camera through the pipe. No method finds every line in every soil, so locators combine methods and you should still dig carefully by hand near any mark.
How do I use this website to find a private locator near me?
Choose your state from the list at the top of this page, the Search by State map, or the state links below. Each state page lists the private locators who serve that state, with a phone number and a quote request button, plus the 811 center for the state.
Find private locators by state
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington, D.C.
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Are you a private utility locator?
List your company on your state's page and get web quote requests and calls from homeowners, contractors and engineers who need lines marked.