Private Utility Locating
811 marks public utility company lines. We locate the privately owned underground utilities 811 doesn't cover — the lines that often cause the most expensive surprises.
The private lines we locate.
Many private utilities are owned by the property owner — not the utility company — and are not part of the public 811 system. Layered locating helps fill the gap.
- Private electric lines
- Private water lines
- Private sewer laterals
- Private storm lines
- Private gas lines (where applicable)
- Irrigation systems
- Communication lines
- Fiber optic lines
- Site lighting circuits
- Outbuilding utility feeds
- Parking lot lighting circuits
- Private force mains
- Unknown underground facilities
Why this matters
Property owners are typically responsible for the underground utilities installed on their property. The 811 one-call system does not guarantee that these private lines will be marked. When excavation strikes an unmarked private utility, the costs — repair, downtime, injury risk, and liability — usually land on the excavator and property owner.
Private utility locating uses electromagnetic induction equipment to trace conductive lines and tracer wires across the work area. Identified utilities are marked on the ground using APWA color codes and, when requested, documented with sketches, photos, and GPS data.
We always recommend a layered approach: call 811 first, then bring in a private locator to address what the public system doesn't cover.
Don't guess what's beneath your site.
Schedule a private utility locate and dig with more confidence.