Getting Locates Before You Dig

Intro0:00

The number one rule in excavation: no locate, no digging. Before you dig, your locate must be complete. Where lines are marked, the marks must match the written locate. That covers any ground you break, with any tool: shovel, hydrovac, plow or excavator.

Requesting the Locate0:16

Request locates through Ontario Dig Authority. It notifies every member utility whose lines may be affected. Each notified utility must either mark its lines on the ground and give you their location in writing, or confirm in writing that none of its lines will be affected.

Lines the Locate Misses0:31

Before digging, every service in and near the dig must be located and marked. That includes private lines, which an Ontario Dig Authority locate may not cover. Good practice: look for signs of private lines, ask the property owner, and hire a private locator.

Pipelines Near the Dig0:48

Within 30 metres of a federally regulated pipeline, the law adds requirements, usually including the pipeline company's written consent before you dig. Contact the company first to find out what they are; it may need to be on site while you dig. Vital gas mains, which the locate will flag, come with the utility's own rules, and those rules require you to contact the utility and get its clearance before you dig. It can also require its representative on site while machines dig close to the pipe.

On Site Before Digging1:17

Make it a habit to have the full locate package on site before and during digging, with a copy for both the operator and the supervisor. Good practice: before digging, the supervisor confirms a valid locate covers the whole area and the marks match.

Locates Expire1:32

Every locate has a validity period, so check it before digging. It also expires once its marks are no longer visible. Once a locate expires, you need a new one before you keep digging, unless the company named on it meets strict conditions.

Sharing and Emergencies1:47

You may dig on another company's locate only if your contact information was on the request, or given to Ontario Dig Authority before it was shared. It must cover your same dig limits, and the marks must match the paperwork. Emergency locates are only for a lost essential service that could reasonably be expected to cause imminent or significant safety or environmental hazards, or an imminent threat to people. Usually within two hours of being notified, each utility must have someone on site who can mark or clear its lines, or confirm in writing that none of its lines will be affected. You still may not dig on your own locate until every affected utility has marked with paperwork or cleared in writing, and the marks match.

Recap2:30

To recap. Request through Ontario Dig Authority. Don't dig until a locate covering your dig is complete and the marks match, even in an emergency. Check the validity period before digging; once it ends or the marks can't be seen, the locate has expired.