Do You Have to Call 811 Before Installing a Fence?
Yes. Pennsylvania's Underground Utility Line Protection Law requires notice to PA One Call before excavation work, and its definition of excavation work includes augering and digging with powered equipment. The notice has to be made "not less than three nor more than ten business days in advance" of the work. Pennsylvania 811 goes further in its homeowner guidance and says to contact 811 "anytime you intend to dig."
The part most homeowners get wrong is who makes the call. If you hire a fence company, the company places the notification, not you. PA One Call's homeowner FAQ answers the question directly: a homeowner should not contact 811 on behalf of their excavator, because "the excavator will not be protected, should something happen while digging, by the notification if the homeowner notifies on their behalf." This post explains the timeline, the paint marks, the lines 811 will not find, and what it all means for your fence layout.
What Is PA One Call and What Does It Cost?
PA One Call, also known as Pennsylvania 811, is the notification system that tells utility companies someone is about to dig near their lines. You contact one place, and each member utility with lines in the area sends a locator to mark them.
There is no cost for homeowners who are digging on their own residential property. You can dial 811 or 1-800-242-1776, or enter a request on the PA One Call website.
The law behind it is Act 287 of 1974. It was most recently amended by Act 127 of 2024, and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission enforces it.
Who Has to Call 811 Before Installing a Fence?
The person doing the digging. The law defines an excavator as any person who performs excavation or demolition work for himself or for another person. PA One Call's User's Guide puts it plainly: the person performing the excavation must make the notification, and if the work is subcontracted, the subcontractor should make it.
That leaves two cases:
You hired a contractor. The contractor calls. Ask to see the PA One Call serial number before work begins. It is an eleven-digit number that shows the excavator contacted 811 in advance.
You are building the fence yourself. You are the excavator, and you make the call.
A homeowner calling "to help" can leave the contractor without the protection the notification is meant to give. Let the company handle it, and ask for the serial number.
How Far Ahead Do You Have to Call?
At least three business days and no more than ten. A business day under the law is any day except a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
Count carefully around weekends. PA One Call advises that for weekend work, you should contact 811 on Monday or Tuesday so the utilities have time to mark.
A few other timing rules come from the statute:
The excavator is responsible for protecting and preserving the marks until they are no longer needed.
If an excavator removes equipment and leaves the site for more than two business days, a new notification is required.
If digging does not start within the dates on the notification, a new one has to be placed.
This is one reason a fence does not go in the day after you sign. Our post on the fence installation timeline in Westmoreland County shows where the waiting periods fall.
What Do the Paint Marks and Flags Mean?
Each color stands for a type of line. Pennsylvania 811's homeowner brochure lists them:
White: proposed excavation
Pink: temporary survey markings
Red: electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables
Yellow: gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials
Orange: communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit
Blue: potable water
Purple: reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines
Green: sewers and drain lines
White is yours. PA One Call asks you to mark the proposed dig area in white paint, chalk or stakes unless the request describes the site exactly, so locators know where the fence will run.
Do not mow over the flags or let kids pull them before the crew arrives.
How Close to a Marked Line Can a Fence Post Go?
The law sets a tolerance zone, defined as "the horizontal space within eighteen inches of the outside wall or edge of a line or facility." Inside that zone, the excavator has to use prudent techniques, which the statute says may include hand-dug test holes, vacuum excavation or similar methods to find the exact position of the line.
In practice, a power auger stays out of that 18-inch band on each side of a mark. If a post location lands inside it, the options are to shift the post, hand dig carefully to expose the line, or adjust the panel layout so the post falls somewhere else.
A good installer checks the marks against the planned post spacing before the first hole. Sliding a post a foot is easy on paper and expensive after concrete. For how deep those holes go, see how deep fence posts should be in PA soil.
Which Underground Lines Will 811 Not Mark?
Private lines. PA One Call explains that not all underground lines are maintained by the utility companies, and those lines may not be marked when you place a notification. Its list of private lines includes:
Utility service lines from the meter to the home
Electric or gas lines to a pool or outdoor grill
Invisible fences
Septic systems
Sprinkler systems or drainage pipes
Propane tanks and lines
If you have any of these, tell your contractor where they run. PA One Call recommends contacting a private line locating company to have them marked before excavation.
An invisible dog fence deserves special attention, because its wire often follows the same perimeter a new fence does. Walk the yard with the installer and point out every buried line you know about. Our guide to planning your fence line before calling a contractor has a checklist for that walk.
What Happens If You Dig Without Calling?
You take on the risk of hitting a gas, electric, water or communication line, and you can be penalized. The Public Utility Commission may issue a warning and order, and may levy an administrative penalty of up to $2,500 per violation. Where a violation results in injury, death or property damage of $25,000 or more, the penalty can reach $50,000.
A Damage Prevention Committee created under the law reviews alleged violations. It includes members from PennDOT, the One Call System, utilities, excavators, municipalities and municipal authorities.
The fine is the smaller concern. A struck gas service or electric line can injure the person holding the auger and leave a street without service.
FAQ
Is calling 811 free in Pennsylvania?
Yes, for homeowners digging on their own residential property.
Should I call 811 if my fence company already did?
No. PA One Call says a homeowner should not notify on behalf of the excavator. Ask the company for its serial number.
Do I need to call for a few post holes dug by hand?
The statute's definition of excavation work is tied to powered equipment, and it names augering and digging. PA One Call's homeowner FAQ says you are required to contact 811 anytime you intend to dig. The call is free, so make it.
How long are the marks good for?
There is no simple shelf life to rely on. A new notification is needed if digging does not start within the dates on the request or if the excavator leaves the site for more than two business days.
Will 811 mark my sprinkler lines or invisible dog fence?
No. Those are private lines. A private locating company can mark them.
What if a mark runs right along my fence line?
The fence can usually still be built with adjusted post locations and hand digging inside the tolerance zone. If the line sits in a recorded easement, the easement holder may have its own rules.
A Local Installer That Handles the Call
Just Fences is a locally owned fence company in Harrison City that has served Westmoreland County and the Greater Pittsburgh area since 2007. The company installs vinyl, aluminum, wood, chain link and custom fences, offers free quotes, and backs its work with a 2-year workmanship warranty. The steps from consultation to final check are on the fence installation page.
Visit Just Fences or call (724) 392-4416 today. Contact us for more information.
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