BEFORE YOU PUT POLITICAL SIGNS IN THE GROUND
KNOW WHAT’S BELOW!
For decades, utility providers installed thousands of miles of pipelines, wires, cables and other equipment across our state. Now, that complex utility network is buried beneath homes and schools, businesses and roadways, parks, open spaces, forests and farms. Knowing what’s below before installing signs prevents serious injuries and protects the vital utilities we all rely on every day.
INSTALL SIGNS SAFELY
Stay safe and avoid damages by installing signs at least 2 feet (24 inches) from the paint, flags or other marks you see on the ground.
UTILITY MARKING COLORS
Utilities are marked with paint, flags or whiskers in different colors based on what type they are in accordance with the Uniform Color Code of Utility Markings. Review the color code here so you know which type(s) of utilities you are working around!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Click on the question to view the corresponding answer.
A : The law is A.R.S. 40-360.21-31, and requires anyone who is excavating on public or private property for any reason to determine, in advance, “whether underground facilities will be encountered, and if so where they are located from each and every underground facilities operator and taking measures for control of the facilities in a careful and prudent manner.”
A : Yes. Underground facility operators could have utilities buried on your private property, so they must be located and marked to prevent serious injuries and damage. In addition, Arizona law requires anyone who digs for any reason to have underground utilities located before digging begins.
A : Although Arizona 811 processes your request to have utilities marked, Arizona 811 does not provide utility marking services; rather, the underground facility operators who have utilities buried at your dig site will send qualified personnel – called Locators – to your dig site to identify and mark the facilities they own and operate. By law, each facility operators’ Locators must respond to your request within two full working days, excluding weekends and state holidays.
A : NO. If you have not received responses from 100-percent of the underground facility operators listed on your ticket, call 811 to process a priority request. It is not safe or legal to dig if you do not have received responses from all the affected utilities at your dig site.
A : The paint you see in the street near your dig site is called an “offset marking.” When a locator marks a non-permanent surface, such as grass or dirt, he or she can also put an offset marking on the nearest permanent surface (such as a sidewalk, street or driveway) to indicate the distance (in feet) and direction of the underground utility from your dig site. This further protects you from injury, and utilities from damage, in case the marks at the dig site are damaged or destroyed. For example, if you water or mow your front lawn, the paint will be destroyed; but, having the offset marking nearby ensures that you still know the location of the buried facility in the area where you plan to dig.
A : We hope this never happens! If it does, stop digging. Call 911 if necessary; striking an electric or gas line can result in serious or even fatal injuries, fire and catastrophic explosions. In the event of a gas line strike, evacuate up wind and call 911 from a safe area where there are no gas vapors. No matter what type of utility it is, you are also required to call the owner or operator of the utility. Telephone numbers are listed under Emergency Contacts on this web site. Call 811 to document the incident and if you have questions about the location of the marks at your dig site. Never allow any utility strike go unreported, even if the damage seems very minor. Over time, even minor damage can compromise the integrity of the line, cable or pipe and lead to a serious problem later. Also, never try to repair the damage yourself.
A : No, it is correct. Your ticket provides the names of every facility owner/operator that has utilities buried at your planned dig site, even if you do not receive services from all of them. It’s important to remember that hundreds of miles of underground facilities have been installed across Arizona during the past several decades. In many cases utility lines and pipelines were installed long before existing homes and businesses were constructed. It’s not uncommon to see the names of utility companies you don’t purchases services from, or utility types you don’t even use, listed on your ticket. You might even see two of the same type of utility – such as two different cable TV or electricity providers – even though you do business with only one of them. Regardless, be sure that 100 percent of the utilities listed on your ticket have responded before you begin to dig!
A : There is no difference under Arizona law. In fact, Arizona law defines excavating as any operation in which earth, rock, or other material in the ground is moved, removed or otherwise displaced by means or use of any tools, equipment or explosives and includes, without limitation, grading, trenching, digging, ditching, drilling, auguring, boring, tunneling, scraping, cable or pipe plowing and driving.
A : Yes. Effective January 1, 2007, and pursuant to A.R.S. 40-360-32: Every landlord shall file with a one-call notification center (Arizona 811) the property name, property address, contact name and/or job title, contact fax number (if available), contact mailing address, contact email address (if available), contact telephone number and hours of contact, which must be at least 30 hours per week.
– To download the form to use for registration with Arizona 811, please click here.
– There are additional Landlord requirements under A.R.S. 40-360. Please click here for entire text of law.
– To download the form to use for registration with Arizona 811, please click here.
– There are additional Landlord requirements under A.R.S. 40-360. Please click here for entire text of law.
A : By law, you are required to notify the landlord in advance by certified mail. Effective January 1, 2007, and pursuant to A.R.S. 40-360.22: For all excavations in an apartment community or mobile home park, the excavator shall inform the landlord as promptly as practical that the excavator intends to submit an inquiry to the landlord that will trigger the landlord’s obligation provided by section B of this section and the inquiry itself shall be made by certified mail to the landlord, using a form prepared by a one-call notification center.
– To download the form to notify landlords registered with Arizona 811 about your plans to dig, please click here.
– There are additional excavator requirements related to landlord notification and response. Please click here for the entire text of the law.
– To download the form to notify landlords registered with Arizona 811 about your plans to dig, please click here.
– There are additional excavator requirements related to landlord notification and response. Please click here for the entire text of the law.
A : Utility markings are valid for 15 working days, excluding weekends and state holidays. If your ticket expires and you continue to dig, you are in violation of state law. Updating your ticket keeps you in compliance with the law so you don’t risk being cited and fined. The easiest way to remember to update your ticket is to call 811 three weeks from the date you created your original ticket, and continue calling every three weeks for the duration of your project. It’s also important to note that your markings must remain visible and valid. If the markings at your dig site disappear or are destroyed for any reason, you must update your ticket immediately.
A : Yes, you can meet with the Locators at the excavation site. This request is processed as a “Meet Ticket” and is simply a request to meet on site with the Locators at an appointed time. The Locators are not required to mark at this time, so be sure to contact Arizona 811 to request a “Routine Ticket” after the meeting. The facility owners/operators then have two full working days, excluding weekends and state holidays, to mark their facilities.
A : Do not dig. Instead, be sure to process a follow-up transaction on your ticket by 1) calling 811 or 2) by using the “Edit” function in E-Stake and selecting the appropriate description for your situation (“Ready to dig, but one or more facility owner/operator(s) failed to respond.”). You can also process a similar transaction if you received a response from one or more facility owner/operator(s) by telephone, email or electronically posted in E-Stake, which you did not agree to or did not understand (“Ready to dig, but have questions on marks appearing on my job site or on other responses received.”).
Please specify in the “Remarks” section which facility owner/operator(s) are impacted and the details of the issue (Did they not respond at all? Were their marks incomplete? Do you not understand their marks? Did you receive a voice mail message, email or other notice that you did not agree to or understand?).
When you are ready to submit this transaction, have the Arizona 811 Locate Specialist select (if by phone) or you can select (if by E-Stake) only the facility owner/operator(s) that are impacted. This transaction will be treated as a priority and will be sent to the impacted facility owner/operator(s) immediately.
It is important to process this follow-up transaction to document the situation in addition to any other verbal or written communication you have with the facility owner/operator(s) to ensure proper documentation of the situation is recorded on your ticket. For assistance, contact Call Center Operations Manager Brad Simon at (602) 659-7501 or Brad.Simon@Arizona811.com
A : The depth of buried facilities is never guaranteed, and no indication of depth can be given or indicated. Ongoing changes to the surface of the earth, naturally or otherwise, continually change the depth of the buried facilities. For example, it’s possible for a facility that was originally installed several feet underground to be only a few feet – or inches – beneath the surface because of erosion, grading or other factors. For this reason, always use caution when digging!
A : The uniform color code designates specific colors for specific utility types, as well as proposed excavation sites and temporary survey marks:
- White = Proposed excavation site
- Pink = Temporary survey
- Red = Electric power
- Yellow = Gas, oil product lines (includes natural and liquid gases)
- Orange = Communications, cable TV, fiber optics
- Blue = Water, slurry
- Purple = Reclaimed water
- Green = Sanitary sewer system, storm drain
A : The Arizona Corporation Commission is the enforcement agency. The civil penalty is $5,000 per violation.
MARKING COLOR CODES
Proposed Excavation
Electric Power
Communication / Cable TV
Reclaimed Water
Temporary Survey
Gas, Oil Product Lines
Water Systems, Slurry