Survey: Many DIY Homeowners Skip Calling 811 Before Digging Projects

34.9M Americans Plan to Dig Without Contacting 811 First

A national survey reveals that 49% of U.S. homeowners – 34.9 million Americans – admit they plan to dig this year without calling 811 to mark the appropriate location of underground utilities on their property. These individuals will put themselves and others at risk by not making a free call to 811. They include residential do-it-yourself fence installers. Digging without first calling 811 could cause a major catastrophe.

The 2022 survey was conducted by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a national association dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, in observance of National Safe Digging Month in April.

Digging without knowing where your underground utilities are can result in serious injuries, inconvenient service disruptions, and costly repairs, putting families and communities at risk. To avoid this, make a free request to 811 online or by phone to identify underground utility lines and equipment before landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox, building a deck, pond, or patio, or other outdoor DIY projects. 

“It’s alarming that nearly half of American homeowners plan to dig on their property without calling 811. They put themselves at risk of injury or utility service interruptions,” says Anthony Strianese, owner and president of Liberty Fence & Railing. “It is important that homeowners contact 811 to have the approximate location of buried utilities marked a few days before their excavation project so they can safely dig.”

Digging Projects

The CGA survey uncovers that 58% of American homeowners are planning a home improvement project that involves digging in the next year. Unfortunately, 49% of them will take a risk by not contacting 811 ahead of time. These are the most popular planned outdoor projects (that require digging) cited among those surveyed:

• Planting a tree/shrub (80%)
• Building a fence (25%)
• Building a deck or patio (21%)
• Installing a mailbox (11%)
• Installing a pool (3%)
• Something else (19%)

“If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, do the smart thing and plan ahead. Make the free call to 811 a few days before digging, no matter how familiar you are with the land and regardless of depth. Hitting a natural gas pipeline could lead to evacuations, outages, fire, property damage, injury, or loss of life,” says Strianese. “If you hire a contractor, confirm they called 811 and that the underground utility lines are properly marked.”

Safe Digging

On Long Island, New York 811 connects excavators and underground utility operators. Placing a free location request is the first step in a safe digging project, reducing the chances of accidentally damaging buried lines that provide gas, electricity, water and sewage, and communications. Long Island homeowners who do not contact 811 prior to digging are risking disruption to critical services to their property and neighbors.

One of the advantages of hiring a professional excavator, like Liberty Fence & Railing, is they’ll ensure 811 is called before doing any digging on site. 811 marks the locations of underground lines with colored paint and flag any known public and registered utility running through the site. This can help prevent serious injuries and disruptions to you and your neighbors during the installation process. 811 does not mark private sprinkler lines or electrical lines.

Those digging in New York state are legally required to contact 811 at least two full working days (this does not include the day you call) before beginning your project. You’ll need to provide your contact information, location of the job, type of work to be performed, equipment to be used, and details about the excavation. 811 will provide a reference number after placing the location request.

You Dig?

Liberty Fence & Railing encourages all homeowners to take the following steps when planning an excavation project:

1. Place a free location request with 811 at least two business days, but not more than 10 days prior to digging.
2. Planning ahead allows homeowners enough time to have the approximate location of marked utility lines.
3. Confirm that all utility lines are marked before digging takes place.
4. If utility line markings are too close, consider moving the project location.
5. If hiring a contractor to dig, confirm they are licensed and insured and if they have contacted 811. By law, excavators and contractors working on Long Island must contact New York 811. If the contractor has not put in a location request or the lines are not yet marked, don’t allow work to begin.

Call 811 before you dig. Whether you’re a DIY homeowner or a professional excavator, every digging job – even the small ones – requires a call. 

Visit call811.com for complete information or download the free Safe Excavator App by the National Excavator Initiative (NEI) from the App Store or Google Play. Local residents can visit New York 811’s website. 

For more information about CGA, visit commongroundalliance.com.