Frequently Asked Questions

1. At least 2 business days and no more than 10 business days prior to excavation, contact one of Idaho’s one-number notification services:Digline:
   Call 811; or
   www.digline.com; or
   Call 1-800-342-1585

   Password:
   Call 811; or
   www.passwordinc.com; or
   Call 1-800-669-8737

2. Mark the area of proposed excavation in white paint, per Idaho statute 55-2205.
3. Wait until the legal start time on your ticket and verify that all utilities identified on the ticket have responded. If not, contact the utility or a one-number notification center listed above and issue a 2nd request. Utilities have an additional 8 business hours to respond.

Pelican covers Boundary, Bonner, Benewah, and Shoshone counties. Kootenai convers Kootenai County only. Any other counties in Idaho will be covered by Digline.

This service is free and is provided to you by your local utilities to promote safety and encourage prevention of disrupted services.

See Idaho Statute on Underground Facilities Damage Prevention.

Once you make the call, an operator will ask you a series of questions designed to pinpoint the proposed excavation area. You will be given a reference number and the names of the utilities that have underground facilities in the excavation area. The One Call Center will then notify the affected utilities. The owner of each underground facility (or their locating contractor) will locate and accurately mark their buried facilities with the required color. Pre-marking is done so the locators will know the exact area to be located. As stated in Idaho statute 55-2205(b); Pre-mark on-site the path of excavation with white paint, as the circumstances require, other reasonable means that will set out clearly the path of excavation.

It is strongly recommended that you wait the full two-business day waiting period. This will allow all operators to complete their required responsibilities. If you start before that time you may be accepting liability for damages.

According to Idaho law, the excavator is responsible to make sure the request for excavation is made whether it means you or your excavator doing so. Both names should be indicated on your Request, you as the Owner and the Excavator.

The specific requirements for requesting an emergency locate are: any sudden or unforeseen condition constituting a clear or present danger to life, heath or property, or a customer service outage, or the blockage of roads or transportation facilities that require immediate action. See Idaho statute 55-2202(5).

Once marked by the owner of the underground facility, or the owner’s agent, the excavator is responsible for maintaining the markings. Unless otherwise agreed in writing by the parties, maintained marking shall be valid for purposes of the notified excavation for a period of no longer than 3 consecutive weeks following the date of notification so long as it is reasonably apparent that site conditions have not changed so substantially as to invalidate the markings.

Water and sewer facility owners will only locate up to their meters next to the road right-of-way. It is your individual responsibility to contact a private locator to have the water or sewer service line from your meter to your home located.

After the markings have been determined, excavators should maintain a minimum clearance of 24 inches between a marked and unexposed underground facility. If excavation is required within 24 inches, this should be performed with extreme care by hand digging.

If the damage is life threatening, clear the area, call 911. If it is not life threatening call the utility owner and the one-number notification service, per Idaho statute 55-2208.