Information For

Homeowners

Miss Utility is your partner when it comes to safe digging! Having a variety of utility services could mean you have lines and pipes running underground – do you know where they are? If you plan on any type of excavation or digging on your property, Miss Utility can help.


How it Works

What exactly does Miss Utility Do?

Miss Utility is the official one-call notification center for Maryland, Washington, DC, and Delaware. The law in these states requires prior notice to all utility operators of any proposed excavation or demolition so that they can mark the locations of any underground infrastructure they have that may be affected by your project. The Miss Utility Call Center does not perform locating or marking services. We inform subscribing facility/utility owners of proposed excavation so you don’t have to call them each individually. They, in turn, will locate (mark your dig site or verify the site is clear). Whether you plan to install a new mailbox or plant a garden, contact the Miss Utility Call Center before you put that shovel in the ground.


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The Process

Call or Click Before you Dig

Underground lines are continually being installed. It is important that each time you plan on digging, you process a locate request regardless of excavation depth, by either using ITIC Lite online or contacting the call center for your region.

  • In Maryland, contact Miss Utility no sooner than 3 business days but no later than 12 business days ahead of planned excavation or demolition.
  • In D.C., contact Miss Utility at least 96 hours but no more than 10 days ahead of planned excavation or demolition.
  • In Delaware, contact Miss Utility not less than 2 working days, but no more than 10 working days ahead of planned excavation or demolition.

Once you have submitted a locate request, owner-members need time to respond to your ticket. The laws that govern how long they have to do that vary by state, but can be found in the FAQ section below. You may also use our free Search & Status® feature to view and print the status of your locate request.

The owner members suggest that the dig site be identified using white paint or stakes. This will not only save locating time, it may also prevent unnecessary property markings.

Once your dig site has been marked or cleared by the member-owners, you may carefully “hand” dig around the marked lines. Do not use mechanized/electric/power equipment within:


Watch on YouTube: “Learn from Kerry – Call 811”
Other

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to contact Miss Utility?

The call or internet request to Miss Utility is FREE!!

If I have filed a locate request, does my contractor need their own locate request?

According to Maryland Title 12 Law; If a contractor is working for you, the contractor must have a ticket in their company name. They cannot perform any work using a homeowner’s ticket number.

What about my private underground lines?

The notified utility owner-members will not mark privately owned underground lines. These include but are not limited to; invisible fencing, sprinkler systems, well and septic systems and their power or electric service, water and sewer pipes from the meter to your home, etc. If you have private underground lines and want them located, you should contact a private locating company before digging. Please refer to your local telephone directory for companies providing private locating services.

Suppose I hit an underground line. What do I do?

Call the Miss Utility Call Center for assistance. If the damage results in a release of natural gas or other hazardous material or the damage creates an emergency – immediately take steps to safeguard life, health and property AND call “911” or your local emergency personnel to report the emergency.

I don’t have internet service. Can I call for a locate request?

YES, simply dial 811 or 1-800-257-7777 to reach a Miss Utility Call Center customer service representative. Please be prepared and have a pen/pencil and paper ready to receive important information.

What do I need when I call?

The customer service representative will ask you a series of questions needed to process your locate request that will include the following;

  • Your home address and contact information including alternate contact information.
  • The County the work or digging will take place in.
  • The type of work you will be doing.
  • The city or town the work will take place in.
  • The physical address of the work site.
  • The name of the closest intersecting street.
  • Will you be digging on State property or within 15 ft of a State Rd?
    • If yes, what state agency is involved and what is the permit number
  • The area you will be working and digging in.
  • Driving directions from a well-known intersection may be needed if your street can not be found on our maps.
  • Additionally, if you need to add notes or remarks to your ticket (i.e. gates will be unlocked) we will be happy to provide those additional remarks on your ticket.

How much notice do I need to give before I plan to dig?

If you are digging in:

  • Maryland: not sooner than 3 business days after the ticket is initiated and not later than 12 business days after the ticket is initiated.
  • Delaware: at least (2) full working days, but not more than 10 working days.
  • District of Columbia: at least 96 hours, but no more than 10 days before the commencement of the proposed excavation or demolition.

What proof do I have that I called?

The Miss Utility Call Center will provide you a unique ticket number after we collect all the data that is required to complete the notice process. Keep the ticket number in a safe place and be prepared to provide the ticket number whenever you call the Miss Utility Call Center. In addition, the customer service representative will provide:

  • A list of utility owner-members who will receive your ticket
  • The ticket’s work to begin date
  • The ticket’s expiration date (MD and DC only)
  • The marking color codes
  • Ticket Check® information
  • Safe work clearance
  • Updating procedures

Do I need to be home to get my ticket located?

No, you do not need to be home for the notified utility owner-members to perform their locating work on your property. But, please make sure gates are unlocked and pets are secured if access is needed to those areas.

What about the paint?

Locating technicians will identify underground owner-member utility lines by using a colored paint that relates to the particular owner-member’s underground lines. The paint is temporary, solvent, biodegradable and either chalk or water based.

APWA Uniform Color Code

The facility owner or their contract locator will mark the ground with either flags or paint. The colors below are industry standard and each color identifies a specific type of utility.

White: Proposed Excavation

Pink: Temporary Survey Markings

Red: Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables

Yellow: Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Materials

Orange: Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit

Blue: Potable Water

Purple: Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines

Green: Sewers and Drain Lines

How will I know if the Utility Owner-Members have located my ticket?

In Maryland, DC, and Delaware, the notified utility owner-members will provide their locate status to the Ticket Check® System. Before digging, use Search & Status, or call 1-866-821-4226, to check each of the owner-member responses to your ticket. REMEMBER, you cannot begin digging until all notified utility owner members have provided a positive response to your ticket.

Help, no one has located my ticket.

If you believe the notified utility owner-members have not responded to your ticket and after you have verified their response via the Ticket Check® System, call the Miss Utility Call Center for assistance.

Can I dig on top of the marks?

The Maryland and District of Columbia law states you must hand dig 18 inches (24 inches in Delaware) on each side of the utility mark(s) to expose the utility line in your excavation area. Once you expose the line, no mechanized equipment is to be used within 18 inches (24 inches in Delaware) on all sides of the outermost extremity of the line/pipe. If you are using a contractor to work on your property, the contractor must have a Miss Utility ticket in their company name. The contractor cannot dig on your homeowner ticket.

Suppose I want to cancel my ticket. What do I do?

Call the Miss Utility Call Center, Monday-Friday from 7:00am to 5:00pm (excluding holidays) and we will process a cancellation notice for you.

What other information should I be aware of?

  • While digging, please respect the marks. If they are obliterated or washed away by rain, call the Miss Utility Call Center so we can inform the utility owner-members listed on your ticket that a re-mark is necessary.
  • It is suggested that you identify your dig site by using white paint. This will save valuable locate time and eliminate unnecessary paint markings on your property.
  • When calling the Miss Utility Call Center regarding your excavation notice, be prepared to provide your ticket number.
  • Contacting the Miss Utility Call Center for ticket processing and using the Ticket Check® System are free services.
  • Remember to provide at least a 96-hour notice when planned digging will take place in the District of Columbia, a minimum of 3 business days after the ticket is initiated in Maryland and 2 full business days when planned digging will take place in Delaware.
  • Underground lines are continually being installed, it is important that each time you plan on digging; you process a locate request regardless of excavation depth.

ITIC Lite

Internet Ticketing for Homeowners

ITIC Lite is a simplified version of our web-based ticket entry system designed specifically for homeowners. Users can begin entering a ticket simply by entering their email address. Special tools make it easy for first-time users to identify their dig site while notification center professionals remain available for assistance.

To begin filing an online locate request, please select your region:

Find a Ticket

Search & Status

Search and Status is an easy to use tool that helps users find processed tickets by entering a ticket number, using search criteria to find a ticket or using the Search and Status map.

The displayed ticket includes the Ticket Check ‘status’ by scrolling down the ticket to the MEMBERS NOTIFED section. A full list of time stamped status’ are available when ‘STATUS HISTORY’ is clicked. From the MEMBERS NOTIFIED section, Discrepancy and Dispute notices can be processed on a valid ticket.

Note: For ticket status codes, please select your state from the ‘Laws by State’ link in the navigation.

Click on, FIND A TICKET to select the Search and Status service area.

APWA Uniform Color Code

The facility owner or their contract locator will mark the ground with either flags or paint. The colors below are industry standard and each color identifies a specific type of utility.

White: Proposed Excavation

Pink: Temporary Survey Markings

Red: Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables

Yellow: Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Materials

Orange: Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit

Blue: Potable Water

Purple: Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines

Green: Sewers and Drain Lines

What Does Not Get Marked

Private Facilities

The notified utility owner-members will not mark privately owned underground lines. These include but are not limited to; invisible fencing, sprinkler systems, well and septic systems and their power or electric service, water and sewer pipes from the meter to your home, etc. If you have private underground lines and want them located, you should contact a private locating company before digging. Please refer to your local telephone directory for companies providing private locating services.

Click image to view full size.

Private Facilities Doc