What 811 actually is
811 is the national "call before you dig" number. Dialing it (or filing a request online) connects you to your state's one-call center — Washington 811 or Idaho 811, depending on where the job is — which notifies the utility companies with lines near your address. It's a free service; there's no charge to request a locate.
Why it matters more for stump work than most yard projects
A mower or an edger never leaves the top inch or two of soil. Grinding a stump goes well below that, and digging out a root ball for a full removal goes deeper still — right into the zone where sprinkler lines, low-voltage lighting, invisible fence wire, and utility lines often sit. Most of that is invisible until someone hits it.
What's usually down there
The important nuance: 811 locates mark utility-owned lines up to the meter or connection point. Anything on your side of that — your own sprinkler system, landscape lighting, or invisible fence — is usually not covered by the free locate. That part relies on what you know about your own yard.
How the process works
In broad strokes:
- A locate request goes in with the address and a description of the work area.
- Utilities are notified and typically have a couple of business days to respond by marking their lines — flags or spray paint, color-coded by utility type (the industry-standard colors: red for electric, yellow for gas, orange for communications, blue for water, green for sewer).
- Once everything's marked, or the ticket clears with no conflicts nearby, the locate is good for a set window before it expires and needs to be refreshed.
Exact wait times and ticket validity windows are set by each state's one-call center, not by us — if timing matters for your project, confirm current numbers with Washington 811 or Idaho 811 directly.
Who requests the locate
We do. When you book a job with us, we submit the 811 request as part of scheduling — you don't need to call it in yourself.
What you can do to help
- Flag or mark anything you know is private — sprinkler heads, low-voltage wire, invisible fence — since the utility locate won't catch those.
- Keep the marked area accessible until the work is done: no parking over flags, no fresh mulch or mowing over paint marks.
- Mention any known buried lines in the notes box when you request service — it's the same thing we ask about on that form.