How to Dig Safely
To prepare for future digging or excavating on your property, color- coded markings and/or flags will be placed to locate underground utility lines. (Flag and marking colors and the utilities they represent are indicated in the graph below.)
They can be requested by you, a utility or a private contractor. They are there for the protection of your family and property. So before you dig, please follow these safe-digging practices to help prevent injury and keep your utilities from being interrupted.
If you called the Utilities Protection Center and made this request, thank you.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Please follow these safe digging practices to help prevent injury and keep your utilities from being interrupted:
- Do not disturb or alter the markings or move the flags.
- If you must mow, cut around the flags. Don’t mow over them.
- Imagine a line that extends from one flag or mark to the next. Do not dig within 24 inches (2 feet) of either side of this marking. (see Figure A)
However, if you must dig within this buffer zone:
- Don’t use picks or mattocks.•When using a shovel, keep face of blade parallel to and pointing away from the “flag line.”
- When using posthole diggers, keep the opening between blades pointing in the same direction as the utility lines.
- In hard compacted soils, pothole to the side of the locate marks and collapse the soil into the hole while digging towards the marks.
APWA Uniform Color Guide for flags and marks
