Before anyone digs in Indiana, the person digging has to contact Indiana 811 at least two full working days ahead so the utility lines get marked. You can call 811 or submit a ticket online, and the law applies to homeowners as well as contractors.
What Indiana 811 is and why the call matters
Indiana 811 is the state's one-call center. You tell it where you plan to dig, and it sends that notice to the utility companies with lines in the area. Each one then marks its buried lines on the ground, or reports that it has nothing there.
The call is required by Indiana law, in Indiana Code 8-1-26, and the law defines the person who must give notice broadly: individuals, companies and government agencies alike. It is not just for big jobs. A fence post, a new tree, a mailbox, a drain line or a pond can all put a shovel or a bucket into a gas line or a buried electric cable. Hitting one can hurt someone, cut service to the whole street and leave the person digging paying for the repair.
How far ahead to call, and how to file a ticket
The law says the notice must reach Indiana 811 at least two full working days before digging starts, and not more than ten calendar days before. Weekends and holidays do not count as working days, so a request made late in the week may not be marked until the next one.
You can call 811, call the toll-free line listed on Indiana 811's site, or file online. Homeowners can set up an account for a single address. Have the street address ready, plus a clear description of where on the property the work will be. If the site has no street address, the law asks the person digging to mark the area with white paint, flags or stakes so the locators know where to look. A ticket does not last forever. Check Indiana 811's site for how long yours is good for, and call again if the job runs past it.
What the paint and flag colors mean
Locators mark lines with paint, flags or both, in colors set by state law. Red is electric power. Yellow is gas, oil and other dangerous product lines. Orange is phone, cable and other communications lines. Blue is drinking water. Green is sewer. White is the dig area you or your contractor marked yourselves.
The marks show the approximate location of a line, not its exact path or depth. The law sets a tolerance zone around each mark, and inside it the line has to be exposed by hand digging or vacuum methods rather than by machine. Leave the marks in place until the job is finished. Once the paint has faded or been dug away, nobody can see where the line is, and a fresh locate is the safe answer.
Lines Indiana 811 does not mark
This is the part most people miss. Indiana 811's members mark the lines they own. Lines you own are yours to find. Indiana 811 lists examples such as propane lines from a storage tank, electric or water lines to a pool, electric lines to a shed or landscape lighting, and lawn sprinkler systems.
For those, Indiana 811 points property owners to private utility locating companies, which usually charge for the service. Old field tile is another private line that nobody marks, and on ground that was farmed it runs almost everywhere. If you know where a private line runs, tell whoever is digging before they start, and mark it on the ground if you can.
What a contractor should handle for you
When you hire someone to dig, the person doing the digging gives the notice. A good contractor files the ticket, waits for the marks, checks every utility on the ticket has responded, and digs carefully around anything marked. Ask whether they have done it, and ask for the ticket number if you want to check.
What you can do is tell them about anything private: a line to a barn or shop, a buried gas line to a grill or generator, an invisible dog fence, irrigation, or a tile outlet you have seen in the ditch. That five-minute conversation saves a lot of digging around later, and it is the step most often skipped. Confirm the current rules on Indiana 811's own site before any job.
Hiring On Grade for work that breaks ground
Every On Grade LLC job that puts a bucket in the ground starts with an Indiana 811 locate and a walk around the site to ask about private lines. That applies to drainage, culvert and utility trenching, to foundation and basement digs, and to smaller jobs such as regrading a wet yard or replacing a driveway culvert.
If you are planning work that digs, call Travis at (317) 203-8928. He will come out, look at the site, ask about the lines you know of and plan the timing around the locate, so the job starts on a date that works for everyone.
The Short Version
- Contact Indiana 811 at least two full working days before digging, and not more than ten calendar days ahead.
- Call 811 or file online; homeowners digging their own projects are covered by the law too.
- Red is electric, yellow gas, orange communications, blue water, green sewer and white the planned dig area.
- Private lines, such as power to a shed or a sprinkler system, are not marked by 811 members.
- Leave the marks in place and hand dig near any marked line.
Quick Answers
How many days notice does Indiana 811 need before I dig?
At least two full working days, and not more than ten calendar days, before work starts. Weekends and holidays are not working days. Confirm the current rule on Indiana 811's own site.
Do homeowners in Indiana have to call 811 to dig in their own yard?
Yes, as a rule. The law covers individuals as well as companies, and Indiana 811 has a ticket path for homeowner projects such as fences and planting. Read its site for the narrow exceptions rather than assume one applies.
Will Indiana 811 mark the line to my shed or pool?
No. Indiana 811 members mark the lines they own. Lines you own, such as power to a shed, lines to a pool, propane from a tank and sprinkler systems, need a private locator.
Does On Grade call Indiana 811 before digging?
Yes. Every job On Grade LLC does that breaks ground is located through Indiana 811 first. Tell Travis about any private lines when you call (317) 203-8928.
See the drainage & utilities service or call (317) 203-8928.