Locating Underground Utility Lines

If you have a project in your yard that requires digging, protect yourself and others from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines. Call 811 before you begin.

By law, everyone —including homeowners—must contact the Ohio Utilities Protection Service (OUPS), the Oil and Gas Producers Underground Protection Service, 8-1-1 or 1-800-362-2764, at least 48 hours but no more than 10 working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) before beginning any digging on their property. The depth of utility lines varies and there may be multiple utility lines in a common area, so it’s always smart to have them marked.

Source: Ohio Public Utilities Commission

It is important to understand that the utility lines are only owned by the public utility companies up until a certain point. After that, those lines are owned by you or the property owner and are your responsibility.

In order to make sure that your construction can proceed with the correct precautions taken, you need to know the exact location of the existing lines on your property. Public utility companies are notified by the One Call Center, so that they can protect their facilities from damage and service interruptions; but they will only mark the public utility lines, not the ones that are privately owned.

Locating underground lines you own
Consolidated will locate member owned lines within 5 business days at a cost of $75 per line.

The charge is per service line, such as:
• Electric meter away from the building/home, usually on a pole or pedestal.
• Propane tank (or meter) away from the building/home, usually near or on the tank.
• Gas meter away from the building/home, usually near the main line.

In all these cases, we will locate the member’s service lines from the respective meter to the building.

Example: If you have an electric meter at the pole and a propane meter at the tank. You will have to pay for two private locates. Same 5 business days applies to both services, no additional time needed.

Consolidated will locate:

  • Electric Service wire from meter to building or first structure.
  • Propane Service line from meter (or tank) to first structure, if line is metal.
  • Gas Service line from meter to first structure, if line is metal.

Consolidated will not locate:

  • Electric lines that do not originate in the meter base.
    Example: A wire from the member’s home or building to a swimming pool, light, shed, or barn.
  • Gas or Propane lines that are plastic, and/or do not originate at the meter.
    Example: A gas or propane line from the your home or building to a pool heater, grain bin, gas grill, light, shed, or barn.

Locating Contractor’s in Central Ohio

Frostline Utility Services
1-855-437-6785
www.frostlineutilityservices.com

Jones GPR
614-887-7226
www.JonesGPR.com

USIC
800-262-8600
www.isicllc.com

Blood Hound, LLC
888-858-9830
www.bhug.com