There is no depth that is safe to dig to without calling 811 in New Jersey. The law does not set one. The exclusions are narrow: routine residential maintenance with non-mechanized equipment, and a hand tool no deeper than six inches to repair a sprinkler or find a property marker. Setting a fence post, pulling a stump or digging a trench for anything all count as excavation, homeowner or not.
People search this one constantly, usually in the hope of a number like twelve inches that lets them skip the call. There is no such number, and the reason is worth knowing, because it is also the reason the call is worth making.
What New Jersey actually says
New Jersey's One Call rules define an excavator to include a homeowner digging on their own residential property. The definition of excavation expressly names tree and root removal, fence post driving, cable or pipe plowing, boring and trenching. Those are ordinary weekend jobs, and every one of them is covered.
The notice has to go in not less than three business days and not more than ten before the dig, and business days exclude weekends and holidays, so a Monday call is clear on Friday. The call and the markout cost you nothing. We cover the rest of the permission questions on Can I do it myself?
Why depth is the wrong question
Because a lot of what is in the ground is much shallower than people picture.
- Telecom. Our own practice for mainline telecom conduit is about eighteen inches of cover, and buried service wire runs eight to twelve inches. A cable or fiber drop to a house can be shallower still, especially where someone ran it in rocky ground or years ago.
- Grades change. A line buried at a proper depth ten years ago may have a lot less over it today after a patio, a regrade, or a flower bed that was dug down.
- Nobody's line is quite where you think. Services rarely run in the straight line from the pedestal to the house that everybody assumes.
A spade in the wrong place at eight inches can take out a neighborhood's internet, and a post-hole digger in the wrong place can find something far worse.
What the paint means, and what it does not
Each color is a utility: red for electric, yellow for gas, orange for communications, blue for water, green for sewer. White is the one you put down yourself, marking where you intend to dig. Our markout colors page has the full key.
Two things the paint does not tell you. It does not mark anything the utility does not own, so your sprinkler system, dog fence, the line to a detached garage or a lamp post are yours to find. And no paint at all does not mean nothing is there. It can mean the locators have not been yet, or that the ticket was never called in.
The two foot rule once the marks are down
Under New Jersey's One Call rules, mechanized equipment may not work within two feet horizontally of the outside of a marked facility until the facility has been exposed by hand. That is why a good crew digs by hand around every mark, every time. We wrote about it in the 24 inch rule.
A markout is good for 45 business days from the notification, about nine weeks, and only if the marks are kept visible. After that you need a fresh ticket.
What happens if you skip it
Under N.J.S.A. 48:2-89, evidence that an excavation which damaged a facility was done without the required notice is prima facie evidence that the damage was caused by the excavator's negligence. In plain terms: if you did not call and you hit something, the argument about who pays is mostly over before it starts. Knowingly excavating without using the One Call system is also an offense under section 48:2-87. Our NJ utility damage law page has the detail.
It also costs money. An excavator who violates the Underground Facility Protection Act faces civil penalties of $1,000 to $2,500 per violation per day, up to $25,000 for a related series of violations (N.J.S.A. 48:2-88(a)). Where the line is natural gas or hazardous liquid, the ceiling is $200,000 per violation per day and $2,000,000 for a related series (N.J.S.A. 48:2-86(c), as amended). Source for both: NJ Board of Public Utilities order of October 23, 2024, One Call settlements.
If you have already hit something, stop and read the first ten minutes after a strike.
If you hire us
Whoever is doing the digging files the ticket. On our jobs that is us, and the ticket number stays with the project file. We will not start a job without an 811 ticket. If you are digging yourself, it is yours to file, and it is one of the few genuinely free things in this line of work.
Common questions
How deep can you dig without calling 811 in NJ? There is no safe depth. New Jersey's only exclusions are routine residential maintenance with non-mechanized equipment and a hand tool no deeper than six inches to repair a sprinkler or find a property marker.
Do I need to call 811 to put in a fence post? Yes. New Jersey's definition of excavation expressly includes fence post driving, along with tree and root removal, plowing, boring and trenching.
How long does 811 take in New Jersey? The notice has to go in at least three and no more than ten business days before digging, under N.J.S.A. 48:2-82(a), so plan on three full business days. Weekends and holidays do not count.
How long are 811 marks good for in NJ? Forty-five business days from the notification, roughly nine weeks, as long as the marks are maintained.
Does 811 mark my sprinkler lines or dog fence? No. The One Call rules exclude facilities a homeowner owns, including sprinkler systems and invisible dog fences, so those are yours to locate.
Still not sure how this applies to your property? That is what a free on-site estimate is for. Call 862-268-2510 or tell us what is going on, and we will give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you do not need us.