Tennessee 811: what happens before anyone digs

Every excavation job in Tennessee starts the same way, with a locate request to Tennessee 811. The rules are set by the Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act, Tennessee Code Annotated 65-31. Here's how the process works in plain terms, using what Tennessee 811 and the Tennessee Public Utility Commission publish.

Who has to call, and for what

Whoever does the digging. In 2023 the Tennessee Public Utility Commission noted that a change in state law extended the 811 requirement from mechanized equipment to hand tools like shovels. The examples it listed include excavating, grading, installing a pool, setting a fence or mailbox, landscaping, and building a deck or patio. The call is free. When you hire an excavation contractor, the contractor normally files the request because they're the one digging. Ask for the ticket number.

The timeline

1. Request. Call 811 or (800) 351-1111, or use the online ticket entry at tenn811.com. Have the address, nearest cross street, the type of work and where on the property you'll be digging.
2. Wait three working days. Tennessee 811 says a standard request needs about three working days' notice, roughly 72 hours not counting weekends and holidays. You can postdate a ticket up to ten working days out, which helps when you're lining up a machine.
3. Utilities mark. Tennessee 811 doesn't mark anything itself. It notifies member utilities, and they or their contract locators paint and flag their own lines.
4. Check Positive Response. Each utility reports whether it marked or has nothing in the area. Digging can start when every utility has responded or when the legal start date and time arrive. Starting early can cost you the legal protections Tennessee law provides.
5. Dig within the ticket's life. According to the 811 FAQ, tickets are valid for 15 calendar days after the legal start date. For longer jobs, request an update three working days before it expires. Digging on an expired ticket is a violation.

The tolerance zone

Paint marks are approximate. Tennessee 811 defines the tolerance or safety zone as the width of the buried line plus 24 inches on either side (TCA 65-31-108). Inside that strip, the excavator has to take reasonable care. Hand digging, potholing, hand-held pneumatic tools and vacuum or hydro excavation are the methods the FAQ names. For a grading job that crosses a gas service, this is where the operator gets off the machine and picks up a shovel.

Lines 811 doesn't cover

The big gap is private lines. Tennessee 811 points out that water services, sewer laterals, sprinkler lines, propane lines and some electric and gas lines that belong to the property owner may not be marked through 811. On rural East Tennessee property, add lines that go out to a barn, a well pump, a gate opener or a septic field. Tennessee 811 lists private locating companies on its site. If you know where something runs, mark it yourself or show the contractor before work starts.

If something gets hit

Stop digging. If it's gas, get people away and call 911 and the gas utility from a safe distance. For any damaged line, the utility needs to know, and 811 should be notified. Tennessee 811's FAQ says that reporting a damage isn't an admission of fault. Even a scraped coating on a pipe should be reported, because damage that looks minor can fail later.

Where this fits with permits

An 811 ticket isn't a permit. It's a separate step. Grading, land disturbance and floodplain permits come from the county or city. See Knox County and Knoxville grading permits, and for the digging itself, trenching and excavation.

Frequently asked