Does 811 cover utilities on private property?

No. 811 marks public utility lines from the main to the meter. Utilities on private property are not covered.

What color paint marks mean what?

We follow APWA color codes: red = electric, orange = telecom, yellow = gas, blue = water, green = sewer/drainage, purple = reclaimed water.

Utility Locating Services in Florida

Technician locating underground utility lines in Florida

Electric + Telecom Tracing Water and Storm Mapping Paint + Flag Markout

When you call 811, the utility companies mark their lines from the main to the meter — but everything on the private side is your responsibility. Parking lot feeders, interior distribution runs, irrigation systems, site lighting circuits, private storm drains, and any utility installed after the original documentation: none of that appears on an 811 ticket. Private utility locating fills that gap before excavation equipment moves.

What Private Utility Locating Covers

We locate underground utilities on private property that are not covered by the public 811 notification system. This includes:

Electrical feeders and distribution lines from the service point into buildings or across the site
Telecommunications and data conduit runs
Metallic water mains and private water service lines
Metallic gas lines on private property
Storm drain structures and catch basin runs
Unknown or abandoned utilities with uncertain routing

GPR and Electromagnetic Locating — How They Work Together

We use two complementary technologies for utility locating:

Electromagnetic (EM) locating — using the Radiodetection RD8000, we trace active and conductive utilities by inducing a signal onto the line or picking up broadcast signals. This method is fast and precise for known metallic utilities.
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) — using the US Radar Quantum Imager, we scan the subsurface for all buried objects regardless of conductivity. GPR identifies non-metallic pipe, unknown routing, and utilities that EM cannot trace.

Using both together gives a more complete picture than either method alone. We apply whichever method is most appropriate for the site conditions and utility types present.

What Cannot Always Be Located

No locating technology can guarantee 100% detection. Limitations include:

Non-metallic pipe (PVC, HDPE) with no tracer wire installed
Very deep utilities in high-moisture or clay-heavy soil
Abandoned lines with no active signal path
Utilities too close together to distinguish individually in congested corridors

We communicate what we found and what we could not confirm, so your excavation crew has accurate expectations before digging starts.

When to Use Utility Locating

Before trenching for new utility installation
Before directional boring across a site
Before fence post or sign installation in unknown areas
Before grading or site clearing operations
Before tie-in work where private-side routing is uncertain
Before soil testing where sampling must avoid buried utilities

What You Receive

Paint and flag markout of identified utilities using APWA color coding
A verbal briefing with the excavation foreman on findings and limitations
On request: photo documentation of the markout for planning records
On request: written summary for phased scopes or subcontractor coordination

Schedule Utility Locating Before You Dig

Tell us the site address, planned trench routes, and whether 811 has already been called. We will confirm scheduling and scope quickly.

Request Utility Locating

Frequently Asked Questions

No. 811 marks public utility lines from the main to the point of delivery — typically the meter or property entry point. Utilities on private property beyond that point are not covered. Private utility locating is required to identify those lines before digging.

Non-metallic pipe without a tracer wire cannot be traced electromagnetically. GPR can sometimes identify PVC pipe depending on soil conditions and pipe size, but results are less reliable than for metallic utilities. We will tell you clearly what we can and cannot confirm at your site.

Same-day or next-day scheduling is available for most Florida locations. Contact us with the site address and trench scope for confirmation.

We follow APWA color codes: red = electric, orange = telecom/signal, yellow = gas, blue = water, green = sewer/drainage, purple = reclaimed water. White = proposed excavation limits (set by the contractor).