Gas Safety – Call 8-1-1 before you dig

8-1-1 is the national call-before-you-dig phone number. Anyone who plans to dig should call 8-1-1 or go to their state 8-1-1 center’s website a few business days 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.

8-1-1 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 8-1-1 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.

Any digging requires contacting your 8-1-1 center, either by calling 8-1-1 from anywhere in the U.S. or making your request through your state 8-1-1 center’s website. Planting a garden? Installing a fence or mailbox? You must contact 8-1-1.

When you dial 8-1-1, you will automatically be connected to a representative from the Connecticut 8-1-1 center who will ask you simple questions about the location and details of your digging project. If you make your request online, you will enter the same information into a form. Either way, you will receive a ticket number and instructions for how much time utilities have to respond to your request, as well as how to confirm that all utilities have responded before you can safely dig.

Utilities will mark their buried lines on your dig site. In Connecticut, utility companies have a few days to respond to your request and will send out locators who will come to your dig site to mark the approximate location of buried utilities with paint or flags so that you can avoid them. Each utility type corresponds to a specific color of paint or a flag — for example, gas lines are marked with yellow paint or flags. In addition to waiting for marks, you must use the info on your ticket to confirm that all utilities have responded before you can dig.