2025 Alabama Damage Prevention Summit:
READY TO START DIGGING?
811 is the national call-before-you-dig phone number.
811 is a national number established to contact notification centers to have underground facilities located prior to the start of excavation work. When you dial 811, dependent on your location, you will be directed to the appropriate 811 center for where you are. Anyone who plans to dig should contact 811 or go to their state 811 center’s website before digging to request that the approximate location of buried utilities be marked with paint or flags so that you don’t unintentionally dig into an underground utility line.
811 protects you and your community! Hitting a buried line while digging can disrupt utility service, cost money to repair, or cause serious injury or death. Always contact your 811 center, wait the required time for utilities to respond to your request, and ensure that all utilities have responded to your request before putting a shovel in the ground.
In Alabama you can call 811 (800-292-8525 if calling outside of Alabama) and select locate request above to begin placing your locate request online.
READY TO GET STARTED
Homeowner
I’m planning to dig
on my own property.
Excavator
I’ve been hired to complete a project on someone else’s property.
Homeowner
I’m planning to dig
on my own property.
Excavator
I’ve been hired to complete a project on someone else’s property.
DO I REALLY NEED TO CALL?
Yes! Even projects you might think are “small,” like planting a garden, require you to contact 811.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
There is no fee to have your lines marked or to dial 811. Alabama 811 is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to keeping Alabama safe and connected. There is no charge for the utilities marking facilities they own and operate. If you need private facilities marked, Alabama 811 can put you in contact with someone who can mark those for you. This is not part of the free service.
It is the law in the state of Alabama to have utility lines marked before conducting mechanized digging. Alabama 811 receives notifications, or locate requests, from individuals planning to dig and transmits them to our member utility companies so that they may mark their lines and digging can commence, safely. Contacting Alabama 811 is one of the best ways to protect the public from harm, prevent utility services interruptions, and avoid costly damage.
Even if you are not using mechanized equipment, we encourage you to place a locate request to minimize any risk of damage to the facility or service outages.
Anyone planning to excavate can contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by submitting an online locate request (HERE), or by calling 811.
You should submit a locate request a minimum of 2 – 10 working days, not counting the day of notification, prior to the proposed start of excavation. Online requests received after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays may be processed on the next business day.
The law designates that anyone planning to use mechanized equipment for excavation, tunneling, grading, boring, blasting, demolition, or similar work should contact Alabama 811. However, for safety’s sake, we recommend you utilize 811 services for any project in which you plan to break ground. Underground utilities can be damaged while individuals are installing mailboxes, building fences or decks, or even planting trees. Remember, even if your project is small, it’s always best to call!
You’ll need the following information handy when you contact us:
• Company Name/Name, area code, phone number, address of entity doing the work, the county, city, address, and nearest cross streets of the proposed excavation site.
• Type of work to be done.
• Date and start time digging is scheduled to begin.
• On-site contact person and phone number.
• Where on the property you want marking done.
• Specific directions to your property – landmarks, etc.
Yes, absolutely! It makes the locating process more efficient.
Alabama 811 recommends marking the area in white paint, flags, or stakes. Please, only use WHITE PAINT to pre-mark where you plan to dig — do not use any other colors as they represent the presence of underground utility lines.
Utility companies (NOT Alabama 811) mark their own lines. Alabama 811 functions as a communications link between our member utility owners/operators and individuals planning to dig on their property or work site. We electronically notify our members who are operating utility lines in the proposed digging area once we have received a locate request. Keep in mind that companies often hire locating services to mark the lines for them.
The marking guide from the American Public Works Association provides for universal use and understanding of the temporary marking of underground facilities.
Our member underground facility owners must provide positive response, or give the “all clear,” before you can begin digging. You can check the status of your request online HERE by clicking the “Find Locate Request” option. You will need your locate request number to access the system. If a facility has not responded, we suggest that you contact Alabama 811 to have a second notice sent to members to let them know it has not been marked so that they can get it marked for your safety and protection.
NEED SOMETHING ELSE?
Online Ticketing System
Visit our ticketing system for the tools to quickly:
- Submit locate requests
- Update ticket
- Renew ticket
- Check the status of ticket/view ticket responses
Click below for available resources that will help you navigate some of the Web Portal features.
subscribe
Don’t make a judgment call – make the call (or online request) to 811 every time you dig.