Homeowners

Homeowners and nonprofessional excavators are required by law to notify Iowa One Call at least 48 hours prior to excavation (normal business hours excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays).

The law specifies that ALL excavators must call the Iowa One Call notification center prior to ANY excavation. Define Excavation: Chapter 480.1(4) If the excavation on a homeowner’s property is to be done by a contractor or professional excavator, the locate request should be made by the contractor or professional excavator – not the homeowner. Homeowners planning to do their own excavation work must make the locate request through Iowa One Call.

Homeowners who request locates through Iowa One Call will be assigned a nine-digit serial number, known as a “dig-ticket number” that should be kept as reference throughout the excavation. Iowa One Call keeps all information pertaining to all locate requests assigned a dig ticket number on file for six years. This includes a recording of the conversation between the call center operator and the party making the locate request.

Locate requests to the Iowa One Call center are accepted 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The call center, which is located in Davenport, IA, is open 365 days a year. Notifications must be made at least 48 hours prior to all excavations. The 48 hours timeline will commence only during normal business days between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and does not include weekends or legal holidays (the 48 hours timeline on calls after 5:00 p.m. will begin at 7:00 a.m. the following business day). Excavating prior to the required 48 hours is a violation of the law Civil Penalties: Chapter 480.6 Iowa Code Owners/operators of buried facilities will respond to emergency locate requests as soon as reasonably possible. Emergency: Chapter 480.1(3)

How to Make a Request

Homeowner Liability

All excavators, including homeowners, may be liable for any damages they cause to underground facilities. Simply calling Iowa One Call does not relieve an excavator of these liabilities. Excavators need to take precautions and dig safely to avoid damaging buried facilities. In the event an underground facility is damaged, the responsible excavator (including homeowners) may be liable for the repair costs, loss of product/services, property damage, etc. In the event the locate markings are clearly inaccurate the liability for damages may shift to the facility operator.

How accurate are the markings?
Underground facilities will be marked with paint and/or colored flags [Color Code Chart] to approximate the location of the buried facilities. Iowa law allows for an 18-inch Tolerance Zone on each side of the buried facility. Excavators should try to avoid digging in this tolerance zone. If your plans demand that you must excavate in the tolerance zone, Iowa law requires that the buried facility within that tolerance zone be exposed. You expose the buried facility by hand digging with extreme caution. You must not use any type of power equipment to expose a buried facility within the tolerance zone (vacuum excavation is an example of an accepted means of exposing a buried facility in the tolerance zone other than hand digging). Keep in mind that the 18 inches is to be measured from both sides of the buried facility. While most buried facilities in a homeowner’s yard are no greater than 2 inches in diameter, some facilities may be larger (18 inches on either side of a 4 inch facility requires a 40 inch tolerance zone – refer to chart). If you must excavate within the tolerance zone it is a good idea to call the operator of the buried facility (i.e.: gas & electric utility company, telephone company, etc.) to verify the size/diameter of the facility in question.

How Long are the Marks Good For?

Not all buried facilities are located.

Be aware that only the buried facilities registered with Iowa One Call will be located and marked. All owners and operators of buried facilities, including public and private utilities, used in the storage, conveyance or provision of services, must register with Iowa One Call. Currently there are more than 1,500 registered members in Iowa. Private facilities not registered with Iowa One Call will not be marked for locates. Private facilities include LP gas lines, sprinkler systems, gas grill lines, invisible dog fences and any buried cables, wires or plumbing installed by the current or previous homeowners.

Homeowners may call private locating companies to have their private facilities marked. While all locates provided through the Iowa One Call notification system are free of charge, private locating companies will charge the homeowner for the locating process. Keep in mind that some buried facilities, such as plastic lines without tracer wires may not be located with conventional locating equipment and will not be marked. For private locating companies in Iowa refer to Great Plains Locating Services, Vannguard Utility Partners and OCL of Iowa under the Related Links page.

Please note that some utility companies may only mark their facilities up to the termination point, point of attachment or service entrance – not all the way to the house or other structure. Iowa law requires facility owners and operators to mark only the portion of the buried facility that they own and maintain. While many facilities terminate at the house, such as gas, electric, telephone and cable TV, some facilities may terminate at a service entrance under the street, point of attachment on a utility pole or other location. An example may be the water utilities in your area. Lateral sanitary sewer lines (from the house to the street) are the property of the homeowner and not owned or maintained by the city, sewer or water utilities.

What happens if my project is delayed?

If weather or construction delays cause your project to be postponed after your site has been marked and the markings have not been preserved, be sure to call back toll-free to the Iowa One Call center for remarking the locates. Have your nine-digit “dig ticket number” available for reference to the excavation site.