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DIG SAFELY New York!  Call 811

Zeppelin, our corgi was a big help digging! Unless you are digging in the garden, you’ll need to know about Dig Safely NY. Whether you are landscaping, building a fence or a deck, or installing a pool, no project that involves digging is too small or insignificant. If you are planning to dig on your property for any reason, state law requires you to place a location request with Dig Safely New York at least two (2) full working days, but no more than 10 working days, before beginning your project, to ensure all underground utility lines are properly marked by their owners. Working days are defined as weekdays (Monday through Friday), excluding holidays. You can place a location request by calling 811 or by using their online Location Request program, Exactix. 

Because the depth & placement of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, including erosion, previous digging projects, & uneven surfaces, making assumptions about where the utility lines are under your property can be extremely dangerous. Striking a single line can result in injury, significant repair costs, fines, & inconvenient outages for you and your neighbors.

https://www.digsafelynewyork.com/homeowners

What will you need when you place your location request?

Whether you call or place a location request online, Dig Safely New York will need the following information in order to create a location request.

  • Home/property owner’s name & telephone number

  • Caller’s name

  • Contact name, telephone number, & e-mail address for questions and stakeout results

  • County & municipality of planned excavation according to legally incorporated municipal boundaries (Note: this is not always the city of that location's postal address)

  • Street address of excavation location

  • Name of nearest intersecting street on either side of excavation location

  • Date & time excavation is scheduled to begin

  • Expected duration of excavation

  • Description of where on property excavation will take place, including distance from road

  • Type of work to be performed (e.g., blasting, drilling, directional boring)

  • Type of equipment to be used to perform work

  • Approximate size of excavation area (length, width, depth)

  • Any special instructions

Once the required information is gathered, you will be provided with:

  • A serialized reference number that you & the member utilities can use to refer to this request

  • A list of member utilities that will receive the stakeout request

Keep this information for your records, so you can confirm your request & that you have received a response from all notified member utilities prior to starting your work. You can use your ticket number & the telephone number provided to the CSR to check on the Automated Positive Response (APR) system to see the status of utility responses at any time. Your call to Dig Safely New York is recorded & archived should any questions arise.