Quick answer: Colorado law requires anyone planning to excavate, regardless of project size, to notify Colorado 811 at least three full business days before digging begins. This applies to professional excavators and property owners alike, with no exception for shallow or small-scale work.

Colorado Springs adds its own layer on top of the state requirement: a city ordinance requiring excavators to pre-mark the dig area with white paint, flags, or stakes before the locate request goes in. Skipping this step isn’t a minor paperwork miss. It carries real civil liability and, under Colorado’s One-Call Law, fines starting at $5,000 per violation.

Why This Requirement Exists

Colorado established its One-Call Notification System in 1986, and Colorado 811 marked its 40th anniversary in 2026. In that time, the system has grown to support more than 2,500 member utility operators and processes over 1.2 million locate ticket requests annually across all 64 Colorado counties.

The reason behind the volume is straightforward: nationally, damage to underground utility lines costs an estimated $30 billion per year, and the leading cause is excavation happening without a locate request first. That’s true even for work that looks minor on the surface. Planting shrubs, installing a mailbox, or setting fence posts can all strike utility lines located just inches below grade.

What Colorado Law Actually Requires

Under Colorado’s excavation statute, anyone planning to dig, regardless of depth or project scope, has to contact Colorado 811 and request a locate before work begins. There’s no exemption for small residential projects or shallow digging.

The core notification requirement:

• Professional excavators must notify Colorado 811 at least three full business days before excavation begins, not counting the day of the request itself
• Utility owners and operators then have that window to mark the location of registered underground facilities, or to confirm the excavation doesn’t conflict with existing infrastructure
• The excavator has to review all positive responses against the utilities actually notified on the ticket before digging starts, and flag any discrepancy with Colorado 811 if a response is missing or inconsistent with field conditions

If a locate is incomplete, or markings aren’t visible on site when work is scheduled to start, the correct response is a re-notification request, not proceeding on the assumption that the area is clear.

The Colorado Springs-Specific Layer

Colorado Springs enforces its own Underground Damage Prevention Safety Program, established under City Code, Chapter 12, Section 10, and administered by Colorado Springs Utilities. This local ordinance parallels the state’s excavation law (originally codified through SB 18-167) but adds requirements specific to the city.

The most notable addition: Colorado Springs requires excavators to pre-mark the specific area of excavation using white paint, flags, or stakes, before a locate request goes in. This gives utility locators a precise, marked boundary to work from rather than a general project description, which reduces both the chance of a missed utility and the amount of area that needs to be walked and marked.

For any project inside city limits specifically, that pre-marking step is an added requirement on top of the standard state notification process, not a substitute for it.

What Happens If You Skip It

The consequences aren’t limited to project delay. Under Colorado’s One-Call Law, violations can draw a fine of $5,000 for a first offense and up to $75,000 for each subsequent violation, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The statute itself sets a more granular tiered schedule underneath that headline figure, from $250 for a single minor violation up to $75,000 for a fourth major violation within a 12-month period, so the specific fine depends on both severity and repeat history, not just a flat first-offense/subsequent-offense split.

Beyond the regulatory fine, excavators who fail to notify or who don’t exercise reasonable care during excavation are generally presumed liable for the full cost of repairing any utility damage, including the utility owner’s legal and administrative expenses. That liability standard exists independent of whether the strike was intentional or accidental; the failure to notify (or the failure to dig carefully around confirmed locates) is what creates the exposure.

Homeowners digging on their own property are generally exempt from the civil penalty structure that applies to commercial excavators, but the same notification requirement, and the same practical risk of striking a line, still applies to them.

Positive Response Codes and What They Actually Mean

Once a utility owner responds to a locate ticket, that response comes back as a coded status, not just a mark in the ground. Reviewing those codes matters as much as seeing paint or flags on site, since a code indicating an incomplete or unclear response should trigger a re-notification before digging, even if some markings are visible.

Excavators reviewing a ticket should confirm that every utility owner/operator notified on the original request has actually responded, not just assume that visible markings account for everything. A missing response from one utility owner doesn’t mean that utility isn’t present. It means the locate for that specific utility hasn’t been completed yet.

How This Connects to Trench and Excavation Safety Generally

Utility locates aren’t a separate compliance step from the broader excavation safety process. OSHA’s excavation standard specifically requires that underground installations be identified before digging begins, which is exactly what a completed Colorado 811 locate accomplishes. A confirmed, marked locate is what allows a competent person to plan trench work, including shoring and protective system selection, around known utility locations rather than unknowns.

Skipping or rushing the locate process doesn’t just create regulatory exposure. It removes information a crew needs to plan safe excavation in the first place. Confirming a completed, accurate locate before mobilizing equipment is a standard part of how 633 Construction plans excavation work on every site, not an occasional extra step.

Key Takeaways

• Colorado law requires notification to Colorado 811 at least three full business days before any excavation, with no exemption based on project size or depth.
• Colorado Springs adds a municipal requirement to pre-mark the dig area with white paint, flags, or stakes before requesting a locate, on top of the standard state process.
• Violating Colorado’s One-Call Law can draw a $5,000 fine for a first offense and up to $75,000 for each subsequent violation.
• Excavators who fail to notify or exercise reasonable care are generally presumed liable for the full cost of utility damage and associated legal expenses.
• Positive response codes need to be reviewed against the full list of notified utilities, not just checked against visible markings on site.

FAQ

How far in advance do I need to contact Colorado 811 before digging?

At least three full business days before excavation begins, not counting the day of the notification request itself.

Does Colorado 811 notification apply to small residential projects?

Yes. Colorado law requires notification for any excavation project regardless of size or depth, including work like fence posts, mailboxes, or landscaping.

What does Colorado Springs require beyond the state notification?

The City of Colorado Springs requires excavators to pre-mark the specific dig area with white paint, flags, or stakes before submitting a locate request, under a municipal ordinance administered by Colorado Springs Utilities.

What happens if I dig without notifying Colorado 811 first?

Violations of Colorado’s One-Call Law can carry fines starting at $5,000, with up to $75,000 for subsequent violations, and excavators are generally presumed liable for the cost of repairing any utility damage caused.

Are homeowners exempt from Colorado’s excavation notification law?

Homeowners digging on their own property are generally exempt from the civil penalty structure that applies to commercial excavators, but the underlying requirement to notify Colorado 811 before digging still applies.

Plan Excavation the Right Way, From the First Locate

Utility locates are the starting point for safe, well-planned excavation, not a formality to get past. Talk with our team about your project, or learn more about our excavation and grading services.