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Why Call?
• It’s Free Calling Diggers Hotline three working days before you begin your project to have buried lines beneath your jobsite located is free. But if you damage a buried facility without a call to Diggers Hotline, you will be financially responsible for the damage, as well as a fine of up to $2,000.
• It’s Easy Protect yourself from putting a s hovel through a buried electric line or from damaging a gas pipeline by calling Diggers Hotline first.
• It’s THE LAW Wisconsin Statute 182.0175 requires all excavators - including homeowners and construction contractors
- to contact Diggers Hotline at least three working days before starting the work.
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Did You Know...?
Diggers Hotline does not locate underground facilities. It’s up to the member utilities to put the paint and flags on the ground.
Diggers Hotline takes calls from anyone who is excavating, including homeowners. We then relay that information to the owners of underground facilities in that area who mark the location of any buried lines they may have in your area.
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3 Working Days
You must contact Diggers Hotline at least three working days before beginning excavation. But what is a working day?
As defined by the law, a working day is any day other than Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
Legal holidays are determined by state statute, and Diggers Hotline does not decide which holidays to recognize or when to recognize them.
Making the Call
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Remember, you can always file your locate request online.
Plan ahead! Give Diggers Hotline a call at least three working days prior to the start date of your excavation. The call center is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, and the busiest times are Monday and Tuesday mornings.
An operator will ask several questions about the nature of the work. Some of the questions may not apply to you, but all questions need to be asked of all callers.
Having this information ready will shorten the call and ensure accurate locate markings from Diggers Hotline member utilities:
• Specify you are a homeowner and give your name, telephone number and address.
• Specify if you are doing the work for yourself or for someone else.
• The city, township, village, or unincorporated area you are planning to work in.
• The street address of your work site.
• The nearest intersecting road and the distance to that road.
• The kind of work you are doing, such as planting a tree or putting up a fence.
• Whether any explosives, boring equipment or equipment reaches 14 feet into the air or higher will be used.
• The date you plan to start your work.
• The area you would like to have marked for underground facilities on the property. For example, “a 20-foot radius of the tree in the back yard,” or “a 10-foot perimeter of the staked area west of the garage.”
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After the Call
Keep the ticket number you receive from Diggers Hotline; it is your legal proof that you have called Diggers Hotline and complied with the state law.
You have 10 calendar days from your project’s start date and time (which you receive from Diggers Hotline) to begin your work. The markings remain valid if you continue to work on your project without interruptions of more than 10 calendar days. If there is inactivity on your project for more than 10 calendar days, you’ll have to call Diggers Hotline to get a new three working day start date and time.
Contacting Diggers Hotline will not get private facilities marked. Examples of private facilities include an electric line to a detached garage or lamp, underground sprinkler systems, security systems, sewer or water laterals and walkway lights connected by underground cables. These are facilities that are owned by the person who owns the property and will not be marked by locators working for the utilities. To get private facilities marked, contact a locating company.
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At the Dig Site
After the utility markings have been placed and your start date and time have passed, you may begin your project. But remember, you can’t excavate with power tools within 18 inches of the markings. If you need to dig closer to the marks, hand tools, such as shovels, may be used with caution.
If you expose an underground facility, it is your responsibility to inspect it before backfilling. If damage of any kind is discovered or suspected, you are required to notify the affected utility immediately.
If the markings are destroyed or tampered with, just call Diggers Hotline and you can get facilities relocated within 24 business hours.
After you are done with your project, it is your responsibility to remove any flags that have marked underground facilities.
If you find paint marks or flags on your property and you did not call Diggers Hotline, leave the marks or flags in place, as they are for a professional excavation in your area.