Under almost every street, sidewalk and yard in New Jersey there is a network you cannot see: gas, electric, telecom, water and sewer lines, often within a few feet of each other. Hitting one can cause injuries, outages and expensive repairs. That is why locating them comes before any shovel or bucket touches the ground.
What 811 does
New Jersey One Call, reached by dialing 811, notifies the owners of underground facilities in the area of a planned dig so they can mark their lines on the surface. State law requires a request before excavation, and the marks tell the crew where to take extra care.
Marks are a starting point
Paint and flags show approximate locations. They do not show exact depth, and not every private line is marked by a utility. Careful excavation still means digging cautiously near marked lines and watching for anything unexpected as the work goes down.
It matters even more in old towns
In established neighborhoods, lines have been added, abandoned and rerouted over decades. Utility records are not always complete. That is part of why water, sewer and utility work in older towns takes experience: the crew has to be ready for what the drawings missed.
Homeowners and small projects too
The rule is not just for large contractors. Anyone planning to dig, even for a fence post or a small landscaping job, should call 811 first. For larger site work, the contractor handles the request as part of the job.
Planning a project
If you are planning work that involves digging near utilities, tell us what you know about the site when you request a free estimate. For more on how utility jobs come together, read water main and sewer line work.
