In Illinois you contact JULIE, the statewide one-call center, by dialing 811 or filing a request online before any digging, at any depth. JULIE's own homeowner guidance says to give notice at least three days before the shovel goes in, then wait until the lines are marked.
What JULIE is and what happens when you call
JULIE is the Illinois one-call center for underground lines. It is a non-profit based in Joliet. You give it one request, and it passes your dig site to the member utilities that have lines nearby. Each of those utilities then sends a locator to paint and flag its lines.
The service is free. Agents take requests 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can dial 811, call JULIE's toll-free line at (800) 892-0123, or submit the request online at illinois1call.com. Have the address ready, the nearest cross road, and a plain description of where on the lot you plan to dig. A clear description gets you marks in the right place instead of a guess at the whole yard.
Call before you dig in Illinois: how much notice to give
JULIE's homeowner FAQ says to notify it at least three days before you put a shovel in the ground. Its home page also links a notification timeline that shows how those days are counted. Look at it before you plan a dig around a weekend or a holiday.
Your notification gives a start time. Do not dig before it, even if some flags show up early. The rule from JULIE is simple: wait until every underground line has been marked. If a utility has not marked and the start time has passed, check the response on JULIE's site before you start. For a project on a deadline, such as a fence before a dog comes home or a footing before a pour, put the request in early in the week.
How deep can you dig without calling 811?
There is no safe depth. JULIE says notice is needed regardless of the depth or the size of the project, and it names planting trees and shrubs as jobs that count. Its answer to whether homeowners have to call is every project, every time.
That covers fence posts, mailbox posts, a new garden bed, a tree, a downspout line and a deck footing. Depth is a poor guide anyway. A line put in at one depth years ago may sit much shallower now. Grading, erosion, an old driveway cut or a previous owner's landscaping can all take cover off a line. Around central Illinois we also find shallow lines on farm ground, run out to a barn or a waterer by hand and never recorded.
Reading the paint and flags
Locators mark with paint, flags or both, using the American Public Works Association color code. Red is electric. Yellow is gas, oil or steam. Orange is phone, cable and other communication lines. Blue is drinking water. Green is sewer and drain lines. Purple is reclaimed water, white shows a proposed dig, and pink is temporary survey marking.
A mark shows the approximate location, not the exact one. JULIE asks for hand digging or vacuum excavation within 18 inches on either side of a marked line. So a machine can work the open ground, but near a mark the last of the dirt comes off by hand. Keep the marks visible until the job is done. Mowing and rain wear them away faster than most people expect, and JULIE has a refresh request for marks that fade.
What JULIE does not mark
JULIE's member utilities locate their own lines up to the point where they stop owning them. They do not locate private underground lines. JULIE's FAQ gives sewer lines, sprinklers and pool lines as examples, and the owner pays to have those found.
On a lot of properties in our area the private lines are the ones that get hit. Think of power run out to a detached garage or a shop, a water line from a well, a line to a stock waterer, a gas line to a grill or a generator, or invisible dog fence wire. If you know or suspect a private line, tell whoever is digging and mark it yourself. A private locating company can trace many of them. Old drawings and the person who put the line in are worth asking too.
When a contractor does the digging
The person or company doing the digging places the locate request. On our utility trenching and excavation jobs, locates come before the machine moves. That is the same whether the trench is a short run to a shed or a long service line across a farmyard.
What we ask from you is the knowledge JULIE cannot provide. Where the septic tank and field lines are, where the well line runs, which outbuildings have power or water, and anything you buried yourself. Walk the ground with us and point them out. If a line is hit despite all that, stay clear of it. A gas line strike means leaving the area and calling 911 from a safe distance, then the utility. For depth questions once the lines are found, see our guide to frost line and trench depth in Illinois.
The Short Version
- Contact JULIE through 811, (800) 892-0123 or illinois1call.com before any digging, at any depth.
- JULIE asks for at least three days of notice; wait for the start time on your notification.
- Hand dig within 18 inches on either side of a marked line.
- JULIE members do not mark private lines such as sewer laterals, sprinklers or a well line.
- Tell your contractor about every private line you know of before work starts.
Quick Answers
How deep can you dig in Illinois without calling JULIE?
No depth is exempt. JULIE says to call regardless of the depth or size of the project, including planting trees and shrubs.
Is it free to call JULIE?
Yes. JULIE describes the locate request as a free service, and you can place it by phone or online at any hour.
How long do I have to wait after calling JULIE?
JULIE's FAQ says at least three days before you dig. Your notification gives a start time, and you should not dig before it or before all lines are marked.
Will JULIE mark my sprinkler or septic lines?
No. Member utilities do not locate private lines such as sewer laterals, sprinklers and pool lines. The property owner has those found, often through a private locating company.
See our utility trenching service or call (217) 710-0606.