Private Utility Locating Resource
Learn when a private utility locate may add useful information before digging on a Rio Grande Valley property.
A private utility locator uses appropriate locating methods to investigate underground infrastructure within a defined work area. Owner-maintained electric, irrigation, communication, water, and other private lines may not be visible or documented publicly, and the available methods and limitations depend on the site.
Definition: Private utility locating is a separate service used to investigate underground facilities that may fall outside a standard 811 ticket's scope.
Contact a private utility locator before any digging or excavation work on your property when:
Calling early in the project planning phase gives the locator time to review access, scope, ticket responses, known records, and site limitations before work begins.
Don’t risk costly repairs or project delays. Beyond 811 Locating specializes in private utility locating across the Rio Grande Valley. Call us before you dig to safeguard your property and worksite.
The 811 process coordinates participating utility operators, but owner-maintained lines and other private infrastructure may fall outside a standard ticket's scope. Damaging an unmarked line can cause outages, repairs, delays, or safety concerns. Private utility locating can help you:
In Texas, contacting 811 starts the notification process for participating underground facility operators. It does not guarantee that every owner-maintained or private line on a property will be marked. Contact Texas 811 before digging, review the ticket response and project scope, and consider a private locate when private infrastructure may be present.
Residential, commercial, and agricultural properties in the Rio Grande Valley can contain owner-installed utilities added at different times. Irrigation, site lighting, gate power, detached-building feeds, and communications are examples worth discussing when they cross a planned work area.
Private locating works best alongside the standard public utility notification process. For public utility marking in Texas, start with Texas 811. For broader excavation safety guidance, OSHA also provides resources on trenching and excavation safety.
Tell us where the work is happening, what you plan to dig or install, and what the 811 response shows. We can review the scope and discuss whether private utility locating fits the job.
Depending on site conditions and the equipment used, a private locate may help identify or trace conductive private electric, communication, irrigation, water, and other owner-maintained lines. Scope and limitations should be reviewed before work begins.
Contact 811 and the private locator early enough to review the project area, ticket responses, access, and scope before excavation is scheduled.
No. Contact Texas 811 before digging. A private locate addresses a different scope and may be useful when owner-maintained or other private infrastructure may be present.
The 811 process coordinates participating underground facility operators. Owner-maintained and other private lines may fall outside a standard ticket, so review the responses and project scope rather than assuming every line has been marked.
Utility locating equipment requires training and site-specific interpretation. A professional can review the scope, explain limitations, and determine which locating methods fit the job.
Public utilities are typically owned and maintained by utility companies and marked by 811. Private utilities are owned by property owners or businesses and are not marked by 811.