Each year Colorado 811 observes and celebrates April as National Safe Digging Month.
This year Colorado 811 and the Underground Damage Prevention Safety Commission partnered with the state and Colorado Governor Jared Polis to secure a proclamation declaring April as Safe Digging Month.
What is 811?
811 is the national number designated by the Federal Communications Commission to help protect homeowners and professional excavators from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects - large and small.
Why Contact 811?
Every digging project requires contact to 811. Hitting an underground utility line while digging can harm the environment, cause serious personal injuries, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially incur fines and repair costs.
When should I contact 811?
- Installing a mailbox
- Putting in a fence
- Planting trees or shrubbery
- Building a patio or deck
- Excavating a new garden area
These are a few common examples of when to contact 811. You or your contractor should call at three business days before any digging project.
How does 811 work?
- Call or go online to www.colorado811.org/idig811/ at least three business days prior to digging to start the process of getting your underground utility lines marked for free.
- When you contact 811 from anywhere in the state, a representative from Colorado 811 will answer your request. The Colorado 811 representative will ask you for the location and description of your digging job, and will notify affected utility companies, who will then send a professional locator to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines within a few days of your request.
- Once your underground lines have been marked, you will know the approximate location of your utility lines and can dig safely.
- Please visit www.colorado811.org for more information on how to stay safe while digging.
What happens if I don't contact 811?
Every nine minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first contacting 811. Knowing approximately where underground utility lines are buried before each digging project helps to prevent these situations.
If you have any questions regarding utility locates or for help with a message received from a utility locator, contact the District office at 303-979-2333. District Construction Programs Manager, Tony Cocozzella, has served on the Colorado 811 Board of Directors for six years and currently serves as Secretary of the Board.