Save Time By Submitting Online

If you’re planning to dig on your property, submitting a ticket online with ITIC Lite or calling 811 can help you avoid hitting underground utility lines, keeping you and your neighborhood safe. Below are five steps to follow when working with Kentucky 811 to notify the member utility operators in your area of your intent to dig. If you have any questions or concerns during the process, don’t hesitate to call Kentucky 811 at 8-1-1. We are open 24/7 to take your call or receive your online request.

1. Plan Your Project

Before you contact Kentucky 811, you will need to know specific details about where you plan to dig, including the county, street address, nearest intersecting street and location on the property. You will also need the name and phone number of the work site contact, which is an individual that will be present at the excavation site when the excavation will occur.

We recommend you mark the designated area with white paint or flags, so the member utility operators know where you plan to excavate.

2. Contact Kentucky 811

You can request underground facility markings online via ITIC Lite or by phone at 8-1-1. After contacting Kentucky 811, you will be given a ticket number and a list of all the member utilities that will be notified. You will need to contact any non-member utilities yourself.

3. Wait for Response

You must contact 811 two full working days, or more depending on the size and scope of the project, prior to excavation to give the member utilities enough time to mark the approximate location of their underground utilities and provide a positive response. Working day means every day, except Saturday, Sunday, and holidays established by federal or state statute from 12:01 a.m. eastern time until 12 midnight eastern time, excluding the day the locate request was made.

4. Confirm Response

Once the two full working days have passed, confirm that all utility operators have provided a positive response. Positive response allows interested parties to determine the status of locating an underground facility and requires the verification by excavators to comply with their respective requirements. The positive response system provided by Kentucky 811 efficiently enhances the overall process and reduces the need for additional notices. To view the status of locate request(s), visit the Kentucky 811 Ticket Search & Status. If an operator has failed to give a positive response within the timeframes provided, the excavator shall submit a second notice to the protection notification center. Within one (1) working day after receiving a second notice request from an excavator, an operator shall locate its facility and update the positive response system.

5. Dig with Care

Now that you’ve received a positive response that the member utilities’ facilities have been marked or are not in conflict, you can begin digging with care. Kentucky law defines the tolerance zone as a strip of land at least four (4) feet wide but not wider than the width of the underground facility plus two (2) feet on either side of the outer limits of the facility. When excavation or demolition is necessary within the tolerance zone, the excavator shall hand-dig or use non-intrusive means to avoid damage to the underground facility. There are some exceptions, learn more by reading the Kentucky Dig Law.