Private Utility Locating FAQ

When you call 811, Colorado's one-call center notifies member utility companies — electric, gas and telecom providers — to mark their lines. Those marks cover only the lines those companies own, typically ending at the meter or property boundary. Everything past that — secondary electric to a shop, private gas from the meter or a propane tank, site lighting, private lines between buildings — is private infrastructure that 811 won't mark. A private locate finds and marks those lines. More detail: 811 vs. private utility locating.

Yes. A private locate doesn't replace your 811 ticket. Colorado law requires excavators to notify 811 before digging so the member utilities can mark their lines. We cover the private side of the site.

Colorado's Underground Damage Prevention Law (C.R.S. 9-1.5) requires excavators to exercise reasonable care to avoid damaging underground facilities. The law doesn't mandate a private locate by name, but it does require reasonable precautions. Hiring a private locator creates a documentation trail showing you did your due diligence — which matters in any dispute after a strike.

For most Front Range jobs, we can typically schedule within 1–3 business days. For urgent situations, call us directly at (720) 514-2876 and we'll do our best to accommodate. Rural or out-of-area sites may require more lead time.

The jobsite address (or nearest cross streets), where you're digging, the type of work and rough depth, when you need it marked, and an on-site contact with any gate or access details. If you know what you're worried about — gas, power to an outbuilding, lighting — tell us. You can send it online or call.

We mark the ground using standard APWA utility color codes and walk you through what we found on site. Need it for the project file? Ask for a written locate report with GPS-tagged photos.

Our equipment traces lines that can carry an electromagnetic signal. Plastic or clay pipe without tracer wire, or a line with a broken conductor, may not be detectable. If we can't trace something, we'll tell you on site so your crew knows where to dig with extra care.

Yes. We work on private property job sites of all types — residential, commercial and rural. We are not part of the 811 system and do not perform public utility locates for municipalities or utility companies. See private locating for contractors.

We use professional-grade Vivax-Metrotech electromagnetic locating equipment — the same class of tools used by utility companies. It detects and traces conductive underground utilities.

The Front Range from Fort Collins to Pueblo, centered on the Denver metro. We take projects elsewhere in Colorado with advance scheduling; travel fees may apply. See our service area.

811 marks lines that utility companies own — the infrastructure that runs up to your meter or property entry point. It doesn't mark anything on your side of that boundary. So if you have a line running to a detached garage, a private gas or propane line, irrigation, or any other privately installed utility, 811 has no record of it and won't mark it. Those are exactly the lines homeowners most often hit.

Any project that disturbs the ground on your property. Common ones include fence installation, landscaping and grading, a patio or deck with footings, drainage work, planting large trees, and adding outbuildings or additions. If a shovel, auger or excavator is going into the ground, get a locate first.

Most residential locates start at $300 ($150/hr, 2-hour minimum). A travel fee may apply outside the Denver metro. That's far less than the alternative: repairing a struck gas line, irrigation system or underground electric line can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars — plus the project delay.

Most residential locates take 1–2 hours on site, depending on property size and complexity. We walk the property, run the equipment, mark what we find, and explain the results before we leave.

We'll locate and mark the areas you need covered. If you want a full-property sweep, we can do that. If you just need a specific zone — like along a fence line or near a driveway — we can focus there. Tell us about your project and we'll scope it.

We're available Monday through Saturday. Call (720) 514-2876 to talk scheduling — as an owner-operated business, we'll do our best to work around your timeline.