Sunday, August 11 is National 811 Day. Whether you’re planting a tree or building a deck, always call 811 before you dig — it’s the law. Underground utility lines may be only inches below the surface and may be ruptured with a shovel or other household tools. Hitting a line could cause an outage, property damage or the worst-case scenario — an explosion.
To dig safely — and legally in Minnesota — you need to do three things:
- Call 811 at least two business days before you dig.
- Mark your yard (in white) so the locator knows where you’re digging and can mark the utilities in your yard appropriately.
- Respect the locate marks and hand-dig carefully around them.
Utility locators follow the uniform color codes mandated by the American Public Works Association (APWA) for locate marks.
