In Florida, call 811 before you dig. That number reaches Sunshine 811, the state’s one-call notification center for buried utilities, and the call is free. If 811 won’t connect from your phone, dial 1-800-432-4770. Both lines run around the clock. Under Florida law you have to give at least two full business days of notice before most excavation work, so the time to call is well before the shovel comes out of the truck.1Sunshine 811. Sunshine 811
Two Ways to Submit a Locate Request
Calling 811 or 1-800-432-4770 puts you with an operator who takes your information and generates a locate ticket while you’re on the line. If you’d rather do it yourself, Sunshine 811’s Exactix portal at exactix.sunshine811.com accepts requests any time of day. Either path produces the same ticket and sends the same notifications to the utility companies with lines near your dig site.2Sunshine 811. Homeowner
What to Have Ready Before You Call
The two-business-day clock does not start until the system has a complete request, so gather the details first. Florida Statute 556.105(1) requires every excavator to provide:3Florida Senate. Florida Code 556.105 – Procedures
- Your name, employer, address, phone, and an email for the Positive Response notification.
- The dig site’s county, city or nearest city, street address or nearest road or intersection, and the boundaries of the excavation area.
- Start date and estimated duration of the work.
- Whether you’ll use machinery or dig by hand.
- Who the work is for (homeowner, general contractor, and so on).
- Type of work: fence, pool, drainage, and so on.
- Approximate depth of the planned excavation.
When You Need to Pre-Mark the Site in White
White paint, flags, or stakes are required only when the written description can’t tell a locator exactly where to look.4Florida Statutes. Florida Code 556.114 – Additional Requirements Most contractors white-line anyway because it speeds the locate and cuts down on confusion. If your dig area sits on a large lot or isn’t obvious from the street, mark it before the locators arrive.
Timing: The Two-Day Rule and the 30-Day Ticket
You have to submit the locate request at least two full business days before you start digging. The day you submit does not count, and neither do weekends or state-observed holidays. Call on a Wednesday and the earliest you can dig is the following Monday, assuming no holiday falls in between. Underwater excavation requires ten full business days of lead time.3Florida Senate. Florida Code 556.105 – Procedures
Your ticket is good for 30 calendar days from the date of submission. Longer project? Renew it before the window closes. Florida sun and rain fade paint and flags quickly, so a renewal also refreshes the marks on the ground.
After You Submit: Markings and Positive Response
Sunshine 811 generates a ticket number. Save it. That number is your proof of compliance and your handle for tracking every utility’s response.
Locators use the national APWA color code so you can read the ground at a glance:5American Public Works Association. Uniform Color Code
- Red: electric power and lighting cables
- Yellow: gas, oil, steam, or petroleum
- Orange: communication, alarm, or signal cables
- Blue: potable water
- Green: sewer and drain
- Purple: reclaimed water, irrigation, slurry
- Pink: temporary survey markings
- White: your proposed excavation area
Before breaking ground, check the Positive Response system on the Sunshine 811 site. Every utility on your ticket has to log a status such as “marked,” “clear,” or “no conflict.”1Sunshine 811. Sunshine 811 Don’t start until every one of them has posted a final response. A patch of unmarked ground doesn’t prove nothing is buried there; it may just mean a locator hasn’t been out yet.
Digging Near a Marked Line: The Tolerance Zone
Florida’s tolerance zone extends 24 inches horizontally from each outer edge of a marked utility.6Florida Statutes. Florida Code 556.103 – Definitions Inside that zone, you can’t run mechanized equipment unless the excavator is directly supervising it, and the law requires hand digging, potholing, vacuum excavation, or another careful method to expose the line before you proceed any further.7Florida Statutes. Florida Code 556.105 – Procedures
Who Doesn’t Have to Call
Florida exempts a short list of situations from the notification requirement:8Florida House of Representatives. Florida Code 556.106 – Exemptions
- Homeowners digging 10 inches or less entirely on their own single-family property, so long as the work stays off any utility easement or right-of-way. Due care is still required.
- Normal agricultural and railroad activities, provided the work stays off marked rights-of-way or easements.
- Licensed surveyors and pest control professionals using hand tools at 18 inches or less, off marked utility corridors.
- Member utility operators hand-digging to repair or maintain their own lines at 30 inches or less.
The homeowner carve-out trips people up. Planting a small shrub probably qualifies. A fence post almost never does, because post holes typically run 24 to 36 inches deep. If you’re not sure, call. It’s free and it takes a few minutes.
What 811 Will Not Mark
Sunshine 811 only notifies its member utilities, and those companies only mark the lines they own, which typically stop at the meter. Everything on your side of the meter is a private line, and 811 does not cover it.9Sunshine 811. Private Facilities Common private lines include:
- Electrical runs to detached garages, sheds, barns, or pool equipment
- Sprinkler and irrigation systems
- Septic and sewer laterals
- Propane or natural gas lines to grills and pool heaters
- Invisible dog fences, landscape lighting, and data cables
Commercial sites have the same gap with parking lot lighting, fire mains, and building-to-building connections.9Sunshine 811. Private Facilities A private locating company can scan the area with ground-penetrating radar or electromagnetic detection, usually for a few hundred dollars per job.
Penalties for Digging Without a Ticket
Florida treats unauthorized or reckless digging as a noncriminal infraction, but the fines climb fast. A standard violation, such as digging without a valid ticket, carries a civil penalty of up to $500 plus court costs per infraction. An enhanced violation, usually tied to damage or repeat offenses, runs up to $2,500 plus court costs per infraction.10Florida Statutes. Florida Code 556.107 – Noncriminal Infractions, Penalties, and Enforcement
If the violation causes a high-priority subsurface installation incident, the State Fire Marshal can assess a civil penalty of up to $50,000.11Florida Statutes. Florida Code 556.116 – High-Priority Subsurface Installation Incidents Intentionally removing or destroying valid utility markings is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a $500 criminal fine. Ignoring a citation carries the same misdemeanor charge.10Florida Statutes. Florida Code 556.107 – Noncriminal Infractions, Penalties, and Enforcement None of these figures include the cost of fixing the damaged utility, which the responsible party typically pays on top of any fine.
If You Hit a Line
Strikes still happen. The first few minutes decide how bad it gets.
- Stop all work. Don’t try to cap, patch, or contain the damage yourself.
- Gas: evacuate upwind. Don’t operate vehicles, phones, or anything that can spark. Call 911 from a safe distance.
- Electric: keep everyone away from the exposed line and anything touching it. The shock hazard extends through the ground around the contact point.
- Call 911 for any fire, explosion, gas odor, or live electrical hazard.
- Once people are safe, call the utility company. Most have dedicated emergency response crews.
- Document the scene: photos, time, what happened. File an incident report with the utility and Sunshine 811. Your ticket number proves you followed the law before you dug.
Set up barriers or warning tape before you leave the area. Resuming work or walking off without notifying anyone is the worst available option.