Know What’s Below BEFORE You Start Digging

You may be surprised by what’s buried in your yard. That’s because most electric, gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications companies are delivering utility services underground. Across the country, every nine minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without contacting a notification center such as JULIE first.

When Should I Contact JULIE?

State law requires you to notify JULIE at least two but not more than 14 business days before any digging project regardless of the project size or depth. Even if you are digging in the same area as a previous project, notify JULIE first.

Weekends and holidays are not included in determining the two working days advance notice required by law. You may submit a locate request on these days and it will be processed; however, member companies will handle emergencies only. If a holiday falls on a Saturday, the Friday before is observed; if the holiday is on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday. The seven holidays recognized by JULIE members are: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day After Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

JULIE personnel do not perform locating or marking services—we alert our member utility companies so they can mark your property for safe digging. Within two business days of receiving confirmation of your locate request, expect professional locators to mark the approximate location of underground utility lines with small color-code flags or paint at no cost to you.

Member utility companies are only required to mark the underground utility lines they own, not privately installed or owned lines. Click here to see what’s not covered.

Common projects that require notifying JULIE before you dig:

TREES AND SHRUBS

FENCING

DECKS AND PATIOS

ROOM ADDITIONS

SWING SETS

MAILBOX POSTS

SIGNS AND SHEDS

GARDENS

FOUNTAINS

SWIMMING POOLS

TENTS

LANDSCAPING

When Not To Call

JULIE’s agents cannot assist customers with any weather-related utility damage or other utility concerns. The appropriate utility should be contacted directly to:

• Report service outages or interruptions due to weather conditions
• Resolve billing or claim issues
• Request any type of utility line removal or relocation, including meter removals
• Start utility service

Please note: JULIE DOES NOT have utility contact numbers for any of the above issues. Contact your local directory assistance or check your utility bill for contact information.