GUIDE · GEORGIA 811 & BURIED LINES
Calling 811 before you dig in Georgia: the rules, the wait and what never gets marked
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Do you have to call 811 before digging in Georgia?
Yes. Georgia law requires contacting Georgia 811 at least three business days before digging with mechanized equipment, demolishing, or working within 10 feet of overhead power lines, even on private property. The service is free, the ticket lasts 30 days, and you hand dig within 18 inches of any marked line.
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One crew, raw ground to a working system
- Homes, lake lots and commercial properties around Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
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Key facts
Georgia 811 at a glance
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Notice required | At least three business days before digging, by dialing 811 or online | Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025), 2025 |
| Business day | Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; requests after 4:30 p.m. count as the next business day | Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025), 2025 |
| When the law requires it | Mechanized excavation, demolition, or work within 10 feet of overhead power lines, even on private property | Same source as above |
| Ticket life | 30 calendar days from the effective date (since July 1, 2016) | Same source as above |
| Tolerance zone | 18 inches either side of the outer edge of a marked line; hand dig, pot hole, soft dig or vacuum excavate there | Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025), 2025 |
| Utilities notified | About seven member utilities on an average ticket | Same source as above |
| Damage reports | Nearly 1,600 damages reported to Georgia 811 each month | Same source as above |
| Private lines | The service line past the meter or utility easement is generally private and needs a private locate service | Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025), 2025 |
Plain definitions
811 terms, defined
- Locate request (ticket)
- A locate request is the notice you file with Georgia 811 that tells member utilities where and when you plan to dig, tracked by a ticket number.↗
- Tolerance zone
- The tolerance zone is the 18 inches on each side of a marked line's outer edge, where only careful methods such as hand digging or vacuum excavation are allowed.↗
- White lining
- White lining is outlining the planned dig area in white paint or flags so locators know exactly which ground to mark.↗
- PRIS
- PRIS, the Positive Response Information System, is where each notified utility posts whether it marked lines or has no conflict with your ticket.↗
- Private line
- A private line is any buried pipe or cable the property owner owns, such as a service line past the meter, which utilities are generally not responsible for marking.↗
How the job runs
How a Georgia 811 ticket works, start to finish
- 1
White line the dig
Paint or flag the trench path or footprint in white. For a single trench, locators mark 20 feet on either side of the line and 20 feet beyond its start and end, so mark both ends clearly and label it with your name or ticket number.
Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
- 2
File the request
Dial 811 or file online at Georgia811.com at least three business days ahead. A Friday-afternoon call after 4:30 counts from Monday, so the wait is longer than it looks.
Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
- 3
Wait for the marks
Georgia 811 notifies the member utilities, which send locators to paint or flag their lines in the standard colors.
Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025)
- 4
Check PRIS before you dig
Look up the ticket on the Georgia 811 app or website and confirm every notified utility has responded. Utilities get until noon on the effective date as a second chance; if nothing suggests an unmarked line, digging may start with reasonable care after noon.
Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
- 5
Walk the site for what 811 missed
Look for meters, pedestals, poles with conduit running down them, and anything you own past a meter. Those private lines need a private locator or your own records.
Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
- 6
Dig with care near the marks
Inside 18 inches of a mark, expose the line by hand or with soft-dig methods before any machine works close. OSHA also requires the estimated location of underground utilities to be known before an excavation is opened.
- 7
Renew if the job runs long
A normal ticket is good for 30 calendar days. Lines shift with erosion and root growth, so Georgia 811 asks for a fresh request every time you dig.
Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025)
Start here
What the paint colors mean
- 01
Red
Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables.
- 02
Yellow
Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or other gaseous materials.
- 03
Orange
Communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit.
- 04
Blue
Potable (drinking) water.
- 05
Green
Sewers and drain lines.
- 06
Purple
Reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines.
- 07
Pink
Temporary survey markings.
- 08
White
Proposed excavation, marked by the person digging.
Who owns what
Lines on a lake lot that 811 usually will not mark
Septic tank, pump line and drain field
Entirely private. The county permit drawing or as-built shows where they were approved; trenches sit at least 50 feet from the lake's normal water level.↗
Where the line sits: From the house to the field
Private well and the water line to the house
Owner's line. Septic tanks must stay at least 10 feet from pressure water lines, so the two often run close but not together.↗
Where the line sits: Wellhead to the house
Dock, boathouse and lift power
Wiring past the meter is private. Irrigation pumps drawing from Lake Oconee must be wired by a licensed electrician, and that line is the owner's too.↗
Where the line sits: Meter or house panel to the shoreline
Grinder pump and its discharge line (Piedmont sewer)
Piedmont treats the grinder pump at the house as the homeowner's property and responsibility; ask Piedmont where its responsibility begins on your lot.↗
Where the line sits: House to the street main
New sewer laterals
Under Georgia 811 rules, newly installed facilities, sewer laterals included, must be locatable by standard electronic methods; older ones often are not.↗
Where the line sits: Building to the tap
The whole story
Digging on lake lots: where the surprises are
Inland lots in Morgan or Jasper usually have a power drop, a water meter at the road and a septic system out back. A lake house in Putnam or Greene might add a boathouse feed, a lift, landscape lighting, an irrigation line pulling from the cove, a generator gas line, and a pump line climbing the hill to a drain field. None of that is a utility's to mark.
Slopes make it worse. On a steep lot a line can be shallower than expected where the grade was cut, or deeper where fill was pushed over it during construction. The Georgia 811 guide warns that root growth and erosion move lines over time, and on red clay banks that wash every summer the cover over an old cable can disappear entirely.
Overhead lines matter as well. The law's 10-foot rule applies to equipment near overhead power, and on narrow lake lots the service drop to the house often crosses the only path a machine can take down to the water.
Warning signs
If something gets hit
Need a trench dug the right way? Call (678) 863-5620
- 1. You smell gas or hear hissingShut down equipment, leave the area and call 911 and the gas company from a safe distance. The Georgia 811 manual says never try to stop the flow of natural gas yourself.
- 2. You dent, scratch or gouge a lineEven minor coating damage counts. Stop digging and contact Georgia 811 and the facility owner right away so it can be inspected.
- 3. You expose a line nobody markedStop, check PRIS, and call 811 back. Unmarked facilities are a reason to wait, not to keep going.
- 4. A septic or water line breaksPrivate lines are on you. Shut off the well or water supply, keep people off wet ground near a broken sewer line, and get it repaired and, for septic, permitted.
FAQ
Georgia 811 questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Is calling 811 free in Georgia?
Yes. Georgia 811 is a free service, and the process is the same for homeowners and contractors: contact 811 by phone or online, wait at least three business days while member utilities mark their lines, then dig carefully around the marks. You get a ticket number to track the responses.
Source: Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025)
Do I need to call 811 to dig with a shovel?
Georgia's law requires notice for mechanized digging, demolition and work within 10 feet of overhead power lines. Hand digging is not legally required to have a ticket, but Georgia 811 calls it the safest course and notes that any damage you cause may be your responsibility to pay for. Planting a tree or setting a mailbox still counts as digging.
Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
How long does a Georgia 811 ticket last?
A normal locate request has been valid for 30 calendar days after its effective date since July 1, 2016. If the job runs past that, or the marks wash away or get scraped off, file a new request. Georgia 811 also asks for a new ticket for every digging project because lines can shift with erosion and roots.
Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
How close can I dig to a marked line?
Georgia's tolerance zone is 18 inches on either side of the outer edge of a marked line. Inside it, use hand digging, pot holing, soft digging, vacuum excavation or pneumatic hand tools. The marks show approximate locations, and some lines are not far below the surface, so leave extra room.
Source: Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025)
Will 811 mark my septic system or well line?
No. Septic tanks, drain lines, well lines and other equipment you own are private. Georgia 811's manual says service lines past the meter or easement are generally private and should be marked by a private locate service. For septic, the county Environmental Health permit drawing is the best starting point.
Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
What colors does Georgia 811 use?
Red is electric, yellow is gas and petroleum, orange is communications, blue is drinking water, green is sewer and drain lines, purple is reclaimed water and irrigation, pink is temporary survey marks, and white is the area you plan to dig. Learn them before the locators come, so the marks make sense when you walk the site.
Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
Can I call in an emergency locate?
Only for a real emergency: a sudden danger to life, health or property, an interrupted utility service, or urgent transportation repairs. Requesting an emergency locate when no emergency exists can lead to a $10,000 fine. A planned septic install, driveway or dock trench is not an emergency.
Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
Who calls 811, me or my contractor?
Whoever is doing the digging is responsible for having a valid ticket, and contractors who dig routinely file online. For a job we dig, the locate request is part of the job. Either way, tell whoever is digging about private lines you know of, such as dock power or an irrigation line.
Source: Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025)
Keep going
Related services, places and guides
- Utility trenching and backfilling
- Excavation for lake lots
- Waterline installation
- Sewer line builds and taps
- Septic system installation
- Lake Oconee site work
- Lake Sinclair site work
- Putnam County excavation and septic
- Baldwin County excavation and septic
- Removing an old underground oil tank
- In-ground storm shelters and safe rooms
- Land clearing costs and burn rules
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
- 1Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig, How it Works (2025) (2025)
- 2Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025) (2025)
- 3OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651, Specific excavation requirements
- 4Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF)
- 5Piedmont Water Company: Grinder Pumps
- 6Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
- 7Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.05, Septic Tanks (LII)
Ready when you are
Rather have a pro look at it? Call the crew that digs.
Georgia's Dig Law sets the wait, the marks and the hand-dig zone. On a lake lot, the lines most likely to get hit are the private ones 811 does not cover, so this guide covers those too.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620