50-State 811 Utility Daylighting & Hydro-Vac Laws
State-by-state Underground Utility Damage Prevention Acts, 811 Call-Before-You-Dig tolerance zone boundaries (18″ to 24″ on each side of marked line), mandatory non-destructive vacuum hydro-excavation daylighting before power equipment digging, and pipeline safety codes.
| State | Governing Underground Damage Prevention Authority | Statutory Tolerance Zone (Each Side of Mark) | Mandatory Non-Destructive Hand / Hydro-Vac Rule | High-Pressure Gas / Petroleum Pipeline Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama 811 / Alabama PSC (Title 37-15) | 18 inches + half diameter | Mandatory hand dig or vacuum hydro-excavation | PHMSA / Pipeline Operator on site |
| Alaska | Alaska 811 (Alaska Statute 42.30.400) | 24 inches on all sides | Mechanical digging banned until visual contact | Special safety watch for gas mains |
| Arizona | Arizona Blue Stake / ACC (A.R.S. § 40-360.21) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory vacuum hydro-excavation / soft dig | Pipeline operator standby required |
| Arkansas | Arkansas 811 / Arkansas PSC (Ark. Code § 14-271) | 18 inches + half diameter | Non-mechanical soft digging required | Transmission line emergency protocol |
| California | USA North 811 & DigAlert / CA Dig Safe Board (Gov Code § 4216) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory non-destructive vacuum hydro-vac | Strict CPUC high-priority gas safety |
| Colorado | Colorado 811 / Safety Commission (C.R.S. § 9-1.5) | 18 inches + half diameter | Mandatory soft digging / vacuum excavation | Critical infrastructure daylighting |
| Connecticut | Call Before You Dig (CBYD) / PURA (CGS § 16-345) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand or vacuum excavation mandatory | High pressure transmission watch |
| Delaware | Miss Utility of Delmarva / PSC (26 Del. C. § 8) | 24 inches on all sides | Mechanical excavation prohibited in zone | Pipeline operator notification |
| Florida | Sunshine 811 / Florida PSC (Chapter 556 FS) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory soft excavation / hydro-vac | High-consequence pipeline daylighting |
| Georgia | Georgia 811 / Georgia PSC (O.C.G.A. § 25-9) | 18 inches + half diameter | Mandatory hand tools or vacuum hydro-excavation | Mandatory utility representative on site |
| Hawaii | Hawaii One Call Center / PUC (HRS § 269E) | 24 inches on all sides | Non-destructive exposure required | Transmission main standby |
| Idaho | Dig Line 811 / Idaho PSC (Idaho Code § 55-22) | 24 inches on all sides | Hand digging or hydro-vac mandatory | Gas pipeline operator clearance |
| Illinois | JULIE 811 & Chicago 811 / ICC (220 ILCS 50) | 18 inches on all sides | Mechanical digging prohibited until exposed | Peoples Gas / Nicor high-pressure watch |
| Indiana | Indiana 811 / IURC (IC § 8-1-26) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory vacuum hydro-excavation in zone | Mandatory pipeline daylighting |
| Iowa | Iowa One Call / Iowa Utilities Board (Iowa Code § 480) | 18 inches on all sides | Precise soft dig exposure mandatory | Transmission pipeline verification |
| Kansas | Kansas One-Call / KCC (K.S.A. § 66-1801) | 24 inches on all sides | Non-mechanical methods required | Gas operator safety standby |
| Kentucky | Kentucky 811 / Kentucky PSC (KRS § 367.4901) | 18 inches + half diameter | Hand tools or non-destructive hydro-vac | Critical petroleum pipeline exposure |
| Louisiana | Louisiana 811 / Louisiana PSC (La. R.S. § 38:2223) | 18 inches on all sides | Mandatory soft dig / hydro-excavation | Petrochemical pipeline corridor rules |
| Maine | Dig Safe 811 / Maine PUC (23 MRSA § 3360-A) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand tools or vacuum excavation | Natural gas main exposure protocol |
| Maryland | Miss Utility 811 / MD Authority (PUA § 12-101) | 18 inches on all sides | Non-destructive hydro-vac mandatory | BGE / Washington Gas pipeline watch |
| Massachusetts | Dig Safe 811 / DPU (M.G.L. c. 82 § 40) | 18 inches on all sides | Mechanical digging strictly banned in zone | High pressure gas daylighting required |
| Michigan | MISS DIG 811 / MPSC (Public Act 174) | 48 inches (24″ each side) | Mandatory soft excavation / hydro-vac | Enbridge / DTE pipeline standby |
| Minnesota | Gopher State One Call (GSOC) / DPS (Minn. Stat. § 216D) | 24 inches on all sides | Hand tools or vacuum hydro-excavation | High-pressure petroleum daylighting |
| Mississippi | Mississippi 811 / Mississippi PSC (Miss. Code § 77-13) | 18 inches on all sides | Soft dig exposure mandatory | Transmission pipeline verification |
| Missouri | Missouri 811 / Missouri PSC (RSMo § 319.015) | 24 inches on all sides | Hand digging or non-destructive vacuum | Spire Gas / pipeline daylighting |
| Montana | Montana 811 / Montana PSC (MCA § 69-4-501) | 18 inches on all sides | Mechanical power equipment banned in zone | NorthWestern Energy pipeline standby |
| Nebraska | Nebraska811 / Nebraska AG (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-2301) | 18 inches + half diameter | Non-destructive soft excavation required | Black Hills / OPPD pipeline clearance |
| Nevada | USA North 811 / PUCN (NRS § 455.080) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory vacuum hydro-vac exposure | Southwest Gas transmission safety |
| New Hampshire | Dig Safe 811 / NH DOE (RSA § 374:48) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand tools or vacuum excavation | Gas transmission line exposure |
| New Jersey | NJ One Call / NJ BPU (N.J.S.A. § 48:2-73) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory non-destructive hydro-vac | PSE&G / NJNG high-pressure gas watch |
| New Mexico | New Mexico 811 / PRC (NMSA § 62-14) | 24 inches on all sides | Soft digging or hydro-vac required | Oil/gas gathering line daylighting |
| New York | Dig Safely NY (UDIG NY) / NYS PSC (16 NYCRR Part 753) | 24 inches on all sides | Power equipment banned without visual daylighting | ConEd / National Grid high-pressure safety |
| North Carolina | NC811 / NC Utilities Commission (NCGS § 87-115) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory soft excavation in tolerance zone | Piedmont / Dominion pipeline watch |
| North Dakota | North Dakota One Call / PSC (NDCC § 49-23) | 24 inches on all sides | Hand or vacuum excavation mandatory | Bakken oil/gas pipeline daylighting |
| Ohio | OHIO811 / PUCO (ORC § 3781.25) | 18 inches + half diameter | Mandatory non-destructive soft dig | Columbia Gas / high-pressure exposure |
| Oklahoma | Okie811 / Oklahoma Corporation Commission (Title 63 § 142) | 24 inches on all sides | Soft dig or vacuum excavation required | Midstream pipeline exposure verification |
| Oregon | Oregon 811 / OPUC (OAR 952-001) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory non-destructive hydro-vac | NW Natural gas pipeline daylighting |
| Pennsylvania | PA One Call 811 / PA PUC (Act 287 as amended) | 18 inches + half diameter | Power equipment prohibited until daylighted | Marcellus Shale transmission pipelines |
| Rhode Island | Dig Safe 811 / RI DPUC (RIGL § 39-1.2) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand tools or vacuum hydro-excavation | National Grid gas line clearance |
| South Carolina | SC811 / SC ORS (SC Code § 58-36) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory soft dig / hydro-vac | High-pressure transmission standby |
| South Dakota | South Dakota 811 / PUC (SDCL § 49-7A) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand tools or vacuum excavation | Pipeline operator safety clearance |
| Tennessee | Tennessee 811 / TPUC (TCA § 65-31) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory soft digging / hydro-vac | TVA / Piedmont gas pipeline watch |
| Texas | Texas811 / Railroad Commission of Texas (Texas TAC Title 16) | 18 inches on all sides | Mandatory soft dig / vacuum hydro-vac | RRC Class 1-4 pipeline daylighting |
| Utah | Blue Stakes of Utah 811 / PSC (Utah Code § 54-8a) | 24 inches on all sides | Mechanical digging prohibited in zone | Dominion Energy gas line verification |
| Vermont | Dig Safe 811 / Vermont PSB (30 V.S.A. § 7001) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand tools or vacuum excavation | Vermont Gas transmission clearance |
| Virginia | Virginia 811 / State Corporation Commission (Va. Code § 56-265) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory non-destructive soft dig | Colonial / Columbia Gas pipeline standby |
| Washington | Washington 811 / UTC (RCW § 19.122) | 24 inches on all sides | Mandatory vacuum hydro-excavation | Puget Sound Energy pipeline daylighting |
| West Virginia | WV811 / WV PSC (WV Code § 24D-1) | 24 inches on all sides | Power equipment banned in zone | Appalachian gas gathering exposure |
| Wisconsin | Diggers Hotline 811 / PSC (Wis. Stat. § 182.0175) | 18 inches on all sides | Hand or vacuum excavation mandatory | We Energies / pipeline safety watch |
| Wyoming | One-Call of Wyoming / WY PSC (W.S. § 37-12-301) | 24 inches on all sides | Soft dig exposure mandatory | Oil/gas high-pressure pipeline clearance |