DigAlert 811 and the Private Lines It Will Not Mark in Long Beach

Before heavy equipment digs, breaks slab or pulls out foundations, someone has to know what is underground. In Southern California the one-call center is DigAlert, reached by dialing 811 or submitting a request online. California law requires a ticket before most excavation. This guide covers the basics and, more usefully, the gaps that catch property owners off guard. Check current DigAlert procedures and state law before you dig.

The ticket process

• Mark the area: Outline the planned excavation with white paint or an equivalent marking before requesting the ticket, so locators know where to look.
• Request the ticket: Contact DigAlert at least two working days before digging. The day you call generally does not count.
• Wait for responses: Member utilities mark or confirm clear. Do not begin until every utility has answered.
• Respect the marks: Hand-dig or use other careful methods near marked lines, and keep the ticket active while work continues.

What DigAlert does not cover

DigAlert notifies member utilities about their own lines. It does not locate lines the property owner owns, such as a gas line running to a detached garage, a sprinkler or irrigation feed, a private sewer lateral, a yard light circuit or a site-specific fire line. Those need a private locator, record drawings or an on-site investigation, and an excavator who assumes the ticket covers everything can hit one anyway.

Shutting off service is a different job

A locate ticket tells you where lines are. It does not turn anything off. Disconnecting and capping gas, electric, water and sewer at the building is arranged with the individual service providers and is usually something the City wants documented for a demolition permit. In Long Beach that can mean Energy Resources or Edison, the Water Department and possibly others, depending on the address. Request disconnects early since scheduling is out of your contractor's hands.

Port and industrial sites

Harbor-area and older industrial parcels can contain pipelines, abandoned process lines, tanks or conduit that are not on any current map. If your site has an industrial history, raise it with your contractor at the start so extra investigation, and any environmental assessment, can be planned.

A practical checklist

• Pull the DigAlert ticket and keep it on site.
• Identify private lines using drawings, owner knowledge or a locator.
• Confirm disconnects in writing for every service.
• Brief every operator on what is marked and what is not.

Long Beach Demolition Co builds locates and disconnects into the project plan. Call (562) 210-0343 to talk about yours.