If you’ve ever planned an outdoor project, you’ve probably heard the phrase “contact JULIE before you dig.” But despite serving as Illinois’ FREE notification system to prevent underground utility damage for more than 50 years, many misconceptions still exist about who JULIE is and the role we play in the safe digging process.
Let’s clear up some of the most common misunderstandings.
JULIE personnel never visit your property. We do not locate underground utility lines nor mark the ground with paint or flags. Instead, JULIE serves as the communication link between individuals planning to dig and the utility companies that own or operate underground facilities.
Think of JULIE as the messenger that starts the process, ensuring the right utility owners know where and when digging is planned. Once you submit a locate request, either online or by calling 811, our system notifies utility companies that have facilities in the area of your planned excavation. Those companies—or professional locating contractors they hire—are responsible for marking the approximate location of their underground lines.
Many people assume JULIE maintains a map of every underground utility line in Illinois. In reality, we do not own or manage utility infrastructure and do not have access to specific utility line locations or depths. Our notification center agents cannot tell you where underground facilities are buried or how deep they are. The utility owners themselves are responsible for maintaining records of their facilities and providing that information after a locate request is submitted.
While utility companies locate and mark the underground lines they own, operate or maintain, not every buried line falls into that category. Private underground utility lines are not located through the JULIE process. These customer-owned lines are typically installed after the utility company’s service connection and may include:
Property owners are responsible for hiring an independent locating service to identify and mark private underground facilities.
Professional excavators rely on JULIE every day, but safe digging isn’t just for contractors. Illinois law requires anyone planning to disturb the ground to contact JULIE at least three days before beginning excavation. That includes homeowners planting, building, adding, or fixing anything outdoors…even if digging in the same area as before. It doesn’t matter if you’re using heavy equipment or simply a shovel, underground utility lines may be present where you plan to dig.
JULIE is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to public safety. Our mission is to help prevent damage to underground utilities, reduce service interruptions, protect property and the environment, and ultimately save lives. For more than five decades, we’ve been the foundation of safe digging in Illinois, working alongside utility companies, contractors, homeowners, municipalities, and farmers to promote safe digging practices across the state.
JULIE doesn’t own utility lines. We don’t locate them. And we don’t mark them. But what we do is equally important: we connect people planning to dig with the utility companies responsible for protecting underground infrastructure. Our service is free and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.