MORE INFORMATION

COMMON QUESTIONS

When should I call?

Anytime you plan to excavate, including digging. Whether it’s a small or a large construction project or homeowner project, call Iowa One Call at least 48 hours prior to excavating (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays). Iowa One Call will notify the owners/operators of underground facilities who participate in Iowa One Call. The various underground facility operators will dispatch “locate” personnel to the area to mark the underground facility locations with flags and paint markings, showing where underground facilities are located so the excavator can avoid damaging the facilities.

Iowa law applies to professional contractors as well as homeowners, and encompasses a wide array of outdoor projects including:

  • Installing a fence
  • Planting trees or shrubs
  • Building a patio, addition, deck, garage, outdoor shed or any similar structure that requires any form of digging
  • Putting in a new driveway
  • Installing a septic system or water drainage system
  • Terracing or landscaping

When should I not call?

Iowa One Call provides notification service for utility location requests only. Iowa One Call should not be contacted for any of the following reasons:

  • To report any type of service outage due to weather conditions
  • To resolve any type of utility billing problem
  • To report any excavation outside of Iowa
  • To request any type of facility removal or relocation (including meter removals prior to demolition of a building)
  • To request initiation of any type of utility service
  • To provide maps, plans or drawings of the proposed excavation

What is a job request number?

Each locate request that is processed is assigned a serial number by the computer. This number contains all the information about your call. It is important to write this number down and keep it with your records. Iowa One Call retains this information for six years.

Is there a charge for locating?

No, the locate service is free as long as there is at least a 48-hour advance notice given prior to excavation (excluding weekends and holidays). Be aware that any underground facilities utilized only for the benefit of the property owner or occupant, or homeowner-added improvements, will not be marked.

What is the tolerance zone digging around markings?

Facility operators mark the horizontal location of underground facilities but do not locate for depth. “Horizontal location of any underground facility” is defined as including an area 18 inches on either side of the underground facility.

Should I mark the digging site?

Operators of underground facilities mark the location of their underground facility to conform with the uniform color code established by the American Public Works Association’s utility locations and coordination council. It is extremely helpful for any proposed excavation site to be outlined in white paint or white flags by the excavator to reduce any confusion as to where the proposed excavation will occur. Let the Iowa One Call representative know if you have outlined your site with white paint or flags.

How long is the marking good for?

Markings will be done in a manner that will last for a minimum of five working days on any non-permanent surface, or a minimum of ten working days on any permanent surface. If the excavation will continue for a longer period of time, the excavator may contact the Iowa One Call Center to have the lines re-marked.

Can I dig after the 48-hours advance notice?

Yes. However, you have an obligation to dig in a reasonable and prudent manner, taking all necessary and required measures to avoid damaging underground facilities. An operator of underground facilities (who determined they do not have any underground facilities located within the proposed area of excavation) will notify the excavator prior to the indicated date of the commencement of excavation.

Are all utilities in the area of excavation being notified?

All underground facility operators participating in Iowa One Call will be notified. However, be aware that there may be some operators of underground facilities not registered with Iowa One Call in the area of excavation.

What is a joint meeting and when should I ask for one?

A joint meeting is an additional service provided by Iowa One Call. It is requested by an excavator to arrange for a meeting with locating personnel from one or more underground facility operators participating in Iowa One Call. The excavator must give at least 48-hours notice (excluding weekends and holidays) and specify the time and place to meet. Requesting a joint meet would be good for an extensive project or an excavation that may be confusing on paper. The meeting will allow you to discuss any particulars with the locators, reducing any confusion as to exactly what is expected during the excavation.

What is an emergency excavation?

An emergency excavation is defined as a condition where there is clear and immediate danger to life, health, or essential services, or a potentially significant loss of property. When calling in an emergency excavation request, inform the Iowa One Call representative that an emergency situation exists and be prepared to explain. The request will be processed immediately.

Emergency excavations are normally performed under the following circumstances:

  1. An unforeseen excavation is necessary in order to prevent a condition that poses a clear and immediate danger to life or health.
  2. An excavation is required to repair a utility service outage.
  3. An immediate excavation is required in order to prevent significant property or environmental damage.
  4. The repair of an existing unstable condition which may result in any of the conditions listed above (for example, a leak in any service or main, or a fault in a primary or secondary wire or cable).

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Homeowners

Enter Locate Requests Online

All Iowans are required by law to notify the Iowa One Call System at least 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays) prior to engaging in any type of digging or excavating.  Homeowners and private residents are not exempt from making this important notice.

For More information Click on the Following Links:


What constitutes digging and excavating (When notification to Iowa One Call is required)?

Anytime you plan to excavate, including digging. Whether it’s a small or a large construction project or homeowner project, call Iowa One Call at least 48 hours prior to excavating (excluding weekends and/or holidays). Iowa One Call will notify the owners/operators of underground facilities who participate in Iowa One Call. The various underground facility operators will dispatch “locate” personnel to the area to mark the underground facility locations with flags and paint markings, showing where underground facilities are located so the excavator can avoid damaging the facilities.

Iowa law applies to professional contractors as well as homeowners, and encompasses a wide array of outdoor projects including:

  • Installing a fence
  • Planting trees or shrubs
  • Building a patio, addition, deck, garage, outdoor shed or any similar structure that requires any form of digging
  • Putting in a new driveway
  • Installing a septic system or water drainage system
  • Terracing or landscaping


How to initiate a locate request through the Iowa One Call System

Information required for requesting locate facilities:

When you call, please be prepared to give an Iowa One Call operator the following information:

Within a city:

  • A street address or block and lot numbers, or both, of the proposed area of excavation.
  • The name and address of the excavator.
  • The excavator’s telephone number.
  • The type and extent of the proposed excavation.
  • Whether the discharge of explosives is anticipated.
  • The date and time when excavation is scheduled to begin.
  • Approximate location of the excavation on the property.
  • If known, the name of the housing development and property owner.

Outside a city:

  • The name of the county, township, range, and section.
  • The name and address of the excavator.
  • The excavator’s telephone number.
  • The type and extent of the proposed excavation.
  • Whether the discharge of explosives is anticipated.
  • The date and time when excavation is scheduled to begin.
  • Approximate location of the excavation on the property.
  • If known, the quarter section, E911 address and global positioning system coordinate, name of the property owner, name of housing development with street address or block and lot numbers, or both.

Each locate request processed is assigned an eight-digit serial number by the computer. This number contains all the information about your call. It is important to write this number down and keep it with your records. Iowa One Call retains this information for six years.

* If you need additional assistance, call your local County Recorder’s office.

Location Accuracy is Important

A common mistake in utility locates is not properly identifying your excavation/digging location. Prior to making a request, be sure to determine whether your excavation site is located in a village/city or a township. Often, your mailing address may include the name of the nearest village/city, when you are actually located in a township.


How to identify the actual site where planed excavations may occur (“White-Lining”)

The best way to identify the proposed excavation area for the locators who apply the markings is to white line the area prior to their arrival. Marking the proposed excavation area in white allows the locators to concentrate their efforts in a specific area, which allows for more accurate markings and safer locates. White lining is a process that enhances communication between the excavators and locators and should be practiced at all excavation sites. Another advantage of white lining is the reduction of paint and flags at the site, which can become an eyesore to property owners.

What do the colored flags and paint marking placed at proposed excavation sites mean?

Underground Utility Markings
What the Markings Mean

American Public Works Association Utility Location & Coordination Council Uniform Color Code:

 
  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 Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines
 
  GREEN Sewers and Drain Lines
 
  PINK Temporary Survey Markings
 
  WHITE Proposed Excavation
 
  PURPLE Reclaimed Water

Am I liable for damaging underground facilities?

All excavators, including homeowners, may be liable for any damages they cause to underground facilities. Simply calling Iowa One Call does not relieve an excavator of these liabilities. Excavators need to take precautions and dig safely to avoid damaging buried facilities. In the event an underground facility is damaged, the responsible excavator (including homeowners) may be liable for the repair costs, loss of product/services, property damage, etc. In the event the locate markings are clearly inaccurate the liability for damages may shift to the facility operator.

How accurate are the markings?

Underground facilities will be marked with paint and/or colored flags to approximate the location of the buried facilities. Iowa law allows for an 18-inch Tolerance Zone on each side of the buried facility. Excavators should try to avoid digging in this tolerance zone. If your plans demand that you must excavate in the tolerance zone, Iowa law requires that the buried facility within that tolerance zone be exposed. You expose the buried facility by hand digging with extreme caution. You must not use any type of power equipment to expose a buried facility within the tolerance zone (vacuum excavation is an example of an accepted means of exposing a buried facility in the tolerance zone other than hand digging).

 

Keep in mind that the 18 inches is to be measured from both sides of the buried facility. While most buried facilities in a homeowner’s yard are no greater than 2 inches in diameter, some facilities may be larger (18 inches on either side of a 4 inch facility requires a 40 inch tolerance zone – refer to chart). If you must excavate within the tolerance zone it is a good idea to call the operator of the buried facility (i.e.: gas & electric utility company, telephone company, etc.) to verify the size/diameter of the facility in question.

 

How long are the locate markings good for?

Under Iowa law the locate markings are good for as long as they are maintained and clearly visible. It is the responsibility of the excavator to maintain the original markings throughout the duration of the excavation even if it requires establishing reference points in the event the markings may be destroyed. Iowa law requires that the facility operators apply the markings in a manner that will last a minimum of five days on non-permanent surfaces and ten days on permanent surfaces. At the end of the five or ten-day period, depending on the surface type, excavators may call for relocates if they are not able to maintain the markings. However, to be compliant with the law, excavators must take the necessary precautions to maintain the original markings. Keep in mind that the original markings applied by the facility owners/operators (through their in-house or subcontracted locators) must not be altered. In the event a relocate is needed, the excavator should use the existing dig-ticket number as a reference for the call center operators. Iowa One Call does error on the side of caution. However, contractors and excavators must not take the system for granted. Misuse of the system will be reported to the Iowa One Call Board of Directors and possibly the Iowa Attorney General.

Are all underground facilities located and marked (“Private Facilities”)

Be aware that only the buried facilities registered with Iowa One Call will be located and marked. All owners and operators of buried facilities, including public and private utilities, used in the storage, conveyance or provision of services, must register with Iowa One Call. Currently there are more than 1,500 registered members in Iowa. Private facilities not registered with Iowa One Call will not be marked for locates. Private facilities include LP gas lines, sprinkler systems, gas grill lines, invisible dog fences and any buried cables, wires or plumbing installed by the current or previous homeowners.

Homeowners may call private locating companies to have their private facilities marked. While all locates provided through the Iowa One Call notification system are free of charge, private locating companies will charge the homeowner for the locating process. Keep in mind that some buried facilities, such as plastic lines without tracer wires may not be located with conventional locating equipment and will not be marked. For private locating companies in Iowa refer to Great Plains Locating Services, Vannguard Utility Partners and OCL of Iowa under the Related Links page.

Please note that some utility companies may only mark their facilities up to the termination point, point of attachment or service entrance – not all the way to the house or other structure. Iowa law requires facility owners and operators to mark only the portion of the buried facility that they own and maintain. While many facilities terminate at the house, such as gas, electric, telephone and cable TV, some facilities may terminate at a service entrance under the street, point of attachment on a utility pole or other location. An example may be the water utilities in your area. Lateral sanitary sewer lines (from the house to the street) are the property of the homeowner and not owned or maintained by the city, sewer or water utilities.