If you’re renting a mini excavator, a track loader with an auger, or anything else that breaks ground in North Carolina, you need to contact NC 811 first. It’s free, it’s required by state law, and it’s the single most important safety step on any digging job.
Hitting a gas line, a buried power cable, or a fiber line can injure you, knock out service for your neighborhood, and leave you responsible for repair costs.
When to contact NC 811
Contact NC 811 at least three full working days before you dig, not counting the day you call, weekends, or holidays. Plan ahead: if you want to dig Saturday, submit your request early in the week.
You can call 811 or submit a request online through NC 811’s website.
What happens next
NC 811 notifies the utility companies with lines in your area. Each one sends a locator to mark its buried lines with paint and/or flags. Once the waiting period is up, check that every utility has responded before you dig.
What the colors mean
Locators use a standard color code:
- Red: electric power lines
- Yellow: gas, oil, or steam
- Orange: communications, cable TV, fiber
- Blue: potable water
- Purple: reclaimed water and irrigation
- Green: sewer and drain lines
- White: proposed excavation (you can mark this yourself to show where you plan to dig)
- Pink: temporary survey markings
What 811 doesn’t mark
NC 811 locates lines owned by member utilities, usually up to your meter. Private lines are often not marked. That can include:
- Lines from the meter to your house
- Power to a detached garage, shed, pool, or well pump
- Irrigation systems
- Septic lines and drain fields
- Low-voltage landscape lighting
If you’ve had any of these installed, find the records or hire a private locator before digging.
Digging near the marks
The paint shows the approximate location, not the exact depth or position. Give marked lines a wide berth with machinery, and hand-dig carefully to expose a line before working near it. Never use the excavator bucket to find a marked line.
Before your rental shows up
- Submit your NC 811 request at least three working days ahead.
- Mark your planned dig area in white if you can.
- Confirm all utilities have responded.
- Walk the area and flag private lines, septic, and irrigation.
- Then dig.
Planning a trench or drainage project? See what size mini excavator you need, or request a rental.
This guide is general information. Always follow NC 811’s current instructions and the requirements of North Carolina law.