Outdoor Natural Gas Safety

Call 811 DigAlert before you dig

How to Make Your Yard Natural Gas Safe

Call 811 DigAlert at least two business days before your dig so pipeline owners can make their line locations within the planned excavation area. It is a free service and is required by California law for all excavators.

811 DigAlert Checklist

Have an excavation project? Follow these gas safety steps:

  1. Use white paint or wooden stakes to delineate the proposed work area where you plan to dig.
  2. Call 811 to generate a ticket at least two business days before digging and wait for pipeline owners to locate and mark their lines.
  3. After receiving confirmation that it is safe to dig, maintain the proper distance from the project location marks/flags.

Not following 811 DigAlert's requirements may result in liability for any damages resulting from your excavation

Ground Marking Identification

Ground markings are in different colors to indicate the proximate locations and types of utility facilities buried below.

  • RED: Electric
  • YELLOW: Gas/oil/steam
  • ORANGE: Communications/CATV
  • BLUE: Water
  • GREEN: Sewer
  • PINK: Temporary Survey
  • PURPLE: Reclaimed Water
  • WHITE: Proposed excavation site

Outdoor Gas Safety Checklist

For your next excavation project, please follow this natural gas safety checklist:

  • Keep dirt or debris from collecting under or around your gas meter to prevent corrosion and leaks.
  • Keep shrubs and vegetation at least 2 feet away from the gas meter to allow our crews access.
  • Make sure no objects are placed on or against the gas meter. (No animals should be tied to it either.)
  • Make sure your gas meter is protected from possible vehicle collisions - contact us to have a bollard installed at no cost to you.
  • Identify the gas valve on your gas meter in the event you need to shut off your natural gas during a major emergency (and follow "Emergency Gas Shut off" procedures found on our Natural Gas Safety webpage.)
  • If planning on doing any outdoor excavation project, call 811 at least two full business days before you dig to have the underground utility lines marked in your excavation site.
  • Never build over natural gas lines or where it will block access to meters.

Hand Digging

Diagram showing safe hand digging zone being 24 inches around the utility marked flag

When trying to locate the marked utility line, begin by hand-digging within a 24-inch tolerance zone to expose the marked utility line (required by 811 law).

If There is Damage to A Line

If you suspect that you may have damaged a natural gas pipeline and there might be a gas leak, please follow the "Report A Gas Leak" procedures outlined above.

If there is damage only to the pipe wrapping, please call us at (562) 570-2085 to come out and have the pipe re-wrapped free of charge.

 

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