811 Marks Their Lines. Somebody Has to Mark Yours.
Calling 811 is required by Texas law before you excavate, and it is not the same thing as having your site cleared. The one-call system covers participating utility operators up to a boundary. Past that boundary, the lines belong to the property owner and so does the risk.
The dividing line is ownership, not geography.
Texas 811 notifies participating utility operators that you intend to excavate. Those operators mark the lines they own. Ownership normally ends at the meter, the service point, or the property boundary, and that is where their marking stops.
Everything downstream of that point was installed by, or for, the property owner. Site lighting, irrigation, private electric between buildings, private sewer, fuel lines, and data all sit in that space, and none of it is covered by the one-call ticket.
- 811 marks participating operators' lines up to the ownership boundary
- Private distribution past that boundary is the owner's responsibility
- Abandoned lines are frequently unmarked by anyone
- Non-participating operators may not respond to a ticket
- A closed ticket does not mean a cleared site
Call 811 because the law requires it. Hire private locating because the ticket does not cover your side of the meter.
What Each One Actually Covers
These are complementary, not alternatives. Skipping either one leaves a gap.
Texas 811
Free, legally required before excavation, and covers participating operators' lines up to the ownership boundary. Turnaround is set by statute, not by your schedule.
Private Utility Locating
Paid, not legally required, and covers utilities past the ownership boundary on private property. Scheduled to your project, with documented deliverables.
Learn more →Potholing / Test Holes
Paid verification that exposes a specific line so depth and material are measured rather than estimated. Used where clearance actually matters.
Learn more →Most private-property strikes happen on a site with a closed 811 ticket.
The ticket was valid. It just never covered the line that got hit.
Send the Address & ScopeHow the Two Fit Together on a Real Job
They run in sequence, not instead of each other.
Call 811 First
File the ticket within the required window before excavation. This is a legal obligation and it is free.
Book Private Locating
Schedule private locating for the property itself, covering the distribution past the meter that the ticket does not reach.
Reconcile Both Sets of Marks
Public marks and private marks together give you the actual picture. Disagreements between them are worth resolving before a bucket goes in the ground.
Pothole the Critical Points
Where a bore or trench has to pass an existing line with required separation, expose it and measure it.
811 and Private Locating, Answered
Is calling 811 legally required in Texas?
If 811 is free, why pay anyone else?
Does 811 mark abandoned lines?
Who is liable if a private line gets hit?
Do I need private locating on a residential job?
Can you do the private locating and I handle 811?
Ticket closed but site not cleared?
Send the address and the excavation footprint and we will cover the private side.
Ready to cover the private side?
Send the site address and the scope of excavation. We will confirm coverage and scheduling.