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Frequently Asked Questions
Click on the question to see the answer.
1. I'm not digging very deep. Do I need to call?
2. I call Blue Stakes frequently. Can I submit requests through the Internet?
3. What do the colored markings mean?
4. Can I dig near the markings?
5. What should I do if the markings are faded or have been destroyed?
6. Will water, sewer and private utility lines be marked?
7. I’m not sure if all utility lines have been marked. What should I do?
8. How do I know which utilities Blue Stakes has notified?
10. What do I do if I have an emergency situation during the hours the Blue Stakes Center is closed?
11. What information do I need to have before calling Blue Stakes?
12. What are my responsibilities when requesting an area to be checked for lines?
13. What is the cost to have an area marked?
14. What should I do if I damage a line?
16. What terminology do the utilities and Blue Stakes use to describe the area to be marked?
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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
1. I'm not digging very deep. Do I need to call?
Yes. You should call no matter how deep you are digging, since many cables and pipes lie at extremely shallow depths. Utah law defines "excavation" as "an operation in which earth, rock, or other material on or below the ground is moved or displaced by tools, equipment, or explosives." The law specifies to contact Blue Stakes before excavating.
2. I call Blue Stakes frequently. Can I submit requests through the Internet?
Frequent callers can be trained to submit requests through our web site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are many advantages to submitting requests this way. Click on the Web Applications link on the main menu or send an email to remoteaccess@bluestakes.org for more information. We currently do not accept requests by email and we no longer accept requests by fax.
3. What do the colored markings mean?
Utility owners follow the APWA (American Public Works Association) standard to mark the locations of their underground facilities. The following colors are used:
4. Can I dig near the markings?
After the markings have been made, excavators should maintain a minimum clearance of 24 inches between a marked and unexposed underground facility and the cutting edge or point of any power-operated or earth moving equipment. If excavation is required within 24 inches horizontally of any marking, the excavation should be performed with extreme care utilizing hand tools or vacuum excavation techniques.
5. What should I do if the markings are faded or have been destroyed?
It is the excavator’s responsibility to respect and protect the markings. If the markings have faded or been destroyed by weather or construction, the excavator should contact Blue Stakes and request to have the area marked again. Member utility companies are then required to re-mark the area within two business days.
6. Will water, sewer and private utility lines be marked?
Participating utility companies are only responsible to mark lines that they own and maintain. This usually means up to the meter or along a main line. Service lines that extend beyond the meter or main line, such as water and sewer laterals to a home or building, power lines to a garage or lamppost, and sprinkler system lines usually are not installed by a utility company and belong to the property owner. Privately owned underground lines are common on property around apartment complexes, mobile home parks, gated subdivisions, cabin communities, rural settlements, schools and universities, hospital complexes, government facilities and military installations but are also in many other areas. Excavators should contact the property owner directly before excavating to determine if private lines are in the area. The City, County or property owner may have maps or blueprints of the property showing the locations of private lines. Some contract locating companies can be hired to locate privately owned lines.
NOTE: Union Pacific Railroad and Utah Transit Authority do not participate with Blue Stakes. Contact them directly if you need to dig in a railroad or UTA (Trax) right of way.
7. I’m not sure if all utility lines have been marked. What should I do?
Blue Stakes recommends that excavators perform a thorough visual inspection of the entire dig site area to determine if all underground utility facilities have been located prior to beginning excavation. Excavators should keep notes to make sure that each utility owner was notified and has responded. If an excavator suspects the presence of unmarked facilities, he should contact the Blue Stakes Center or the utility owner directly and ask that the unmarked utilities be marked immediately.
8. How do I know which utilities Blue Stakes has notified?
Contact Blue Stakes and they will provide a list of the member utility companies notified. You must have your Location Request Assignment (LRA) number to obtain this information. Remember that not all utility owners participate with Blue Stakes.
9. How much notice should I give Blue Stakes before starting to dig? How long will I be legally covered to dig?
Utah Law requires two full business days’ notice before excavation begins to allow the utility companies time to mark their lines. This does not include weekends or holidays observed by Blue Stakes. In emergency situations, member utilities will attempt to respond as soon as possible but preferably within 2 hours.
A locate request expires 14 calendar days after the time it was created. If you need to dig beyond the expiration date, you must contact Blue Stakes again two business days before the expiration date to update your request. Utility personnel will visit the dig site again and provide fresh markings if needed.
10. What do I do if I have an emergency situation during the hours the Blue Stakes Center is closed?
You must contact the appropriate utility companies individually and ask them to mark their lines. To look up the utility owners in your area, use the Utility Contacts lookup page.
11. What information do I need to have before calling Blue Stakes?
The following questions will be asked by the Blue Stakes operator. Questions to which an answer is required are marked with an (R).
@ (R)What is the name, phone number, and mailing address. of the party calling in the request?(Required.)
The party who will be actually conducting the excavation must contact Blue Stakes as part of their legal responsibilities -- no party (such as a general contractor or homeowner) can assume responsibility or call in a request for the excavator. If more than one excavator will dig at the site, they must each create their own locate request.
@ (R) What is your name and best contact number? (Required.)
This allows the utilities to contact you if they have questions or problems marking the area. In addition, you can supply a field contact if you would like the utilities to contact someone else (e.g. a site foreman).
@ Who is the work being done for?
The utilities have asked us to provide this information.
@ Do you have a fax number or e-mail address?
Some utility companies may have lines in the area, but not directly where you plan to excavate. Listing a fax number or email address provides a convenient way for them to notify you that their lines are not in conflict with your proposed excavation.
@ (R) What type of work will you be doing?
Specify the purpose of your excavation -- such as sprinklers, fence, irrigation, etc., rather than the type of excavation, i.e. trenching, backhoe, post-hole, etc.
@ Will you be using directional boring or trenchless excavation techniques? (Required.)
This is any type of excavation that goes horizontally underground without disturbing the surface.
@ (R) What county and city will the excavation take place in?
If the excavation is not within any city limits, please state how many miles and in what direction the site is from the nearest incorporated city or town.
@ (R) What is the address of the dig site?
We require one of the following:
(a) A posted address, or directions from the nearest posted address.
(b) A posted intersection, or directions from the nearest posted intersection.
(c) A highway and mile post marker, freeway and exit number, or directions from one of these.In Salt Lake county, we also require a grid coordinate for any address (e.g. Redwood Rd = 1700 W).
@ Is there a subdivision name or lot number?
If you have this information, it may help the utilities find the location. We will not accept a lot number as the only address, except for rare subdivisions that do not use regular addresses.
@ Which side of the street is the property on?
This helps the locators to find the site. Please give absolute directions such as north, south, east, or west. If you are on a corner lot, please state either the NW, NE, SW, or SE corner.
@ (R) Which part of the lot would you like marked?
Please state the area you are going to be excavating in, rather than the area where you think the lines are located. For more specific information, see FAQ #16.
12. What are my responsibilities when requesting an area to be checked for lines?
13. What is the cost to have an area marked?
Member utility companies will mark their lines at no cost. If you need the lines remarked as you continue excavating, they will be marked again at no charge.
However, if you request the same area to be marked multiple times and do not excavate, the utility companies can bill you for their costs to mark the area.
14. What should I do if I damage a line?
Utah Law specifies that if a utility line is damaged during excavation, the excavator should immediately inform the appropriate utility owner so the line can be repaired and immediately call 911 if the damage may result in an immediate risk to human life. Refer to your local phone book to contact a utility owner directly.
If the line was marked, refer to FAQ #3 to determine what kind of line it was. If the line was not marked, please do not call Blue Stakes to determine what kind of line it is. Our phone operators are not trained to identify them. If you do have the locate request assignment number (LRA), Blue Stakes can tell you which utilities were notified, but that does not necessarily mean the line belongs to one of them.
Common Utility Company Repair Departments:
Comcast 800-770-4824 Rocky Mountain Power 888-221-7070
Questar Gas 800-323-5517 Qwest Communications 800-573-1311 16. What terminology do the utilities and Blue Stakes use to describe the area to be marked?
The following are explanations of important terms used by the Blue Stakes location center. Use these terms correctly to describe the area you need checked for utility lines:
Front: From the middle of the house/property forward to the curb.
Rear: From the middle of the house/property back to the rear property line.
Side: From the middle of the house/property out to the side property line.
Short: From the curb to the middle of the street.
Long: From curb to curb.
Both sides of the road: You must specify what part of the lot you want marked on both sides of the road. For example "Stake the fronts of the lots on both sides of the street." This does not include any of the road. You must specify short or long to have the road staked.
Sample Staking Instructions Diagrams
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