ABOUT US
Know Before You Dig Locates is a private utility locating and damage prevention firm built on more than three decades of hands on experience in underground infrastructure risk management.
​
Our team is led by damage prevention professionals who have worked across public and private locating, subsurface utility engineering, training, damage investigation, and expert review. This experience shapes how we approach every project. We do not treat locating as a paint and go service. We treat it as a risk identification and decision support process.
​
We work almost exclusively on private property, where records are often incomplete, infrastructure is modified over time, and responsibility is frequently misunderstood. Our role is to help clients understand what can be located, what cannot be verified, and where assumptions introduce risk, before ground disturbance begins.
​
Our methodology combines field proven locating technologies with clear communication of findings, limitations, and confidence levels. We believe safe outcomes come from informed decisions, shared responsibility, and realistic expectations, not from overstated certainty.
Why Private Property is Different
Public locate systems are designed to identify buried infrastructure owned by utility companies, typically up to the property line or meter point. Once work moves onto private property, responsibility and risk shift to the property owner and the party performing the ground disturbance. Records are often incomplete, inaccurate, or nonexistent, and buried facilities may have been installed, modified, or abandoned without documentation.
​
Private property environments also present additional challenges. Multiple services may exist in close proximity, utilities may transition from public to private ownership, and non conductive or non locatable facilities are common. Interior spaces, concrete slabs, grade beams, post tension cables, and undocumented connections further increase uncertainty and risk.
​
Because of these conditions, private utility locating is not simply an extension of public locating. It requires a risk based approach that recognizes limitations, verifies what can be confirmed in the field, and clearly communicates what cannot. Damage prevention on private property depends on informed decision making, not assumptions.
​
This is where experienced Damage Prevention Specialists add value by helping clients understand responsibility, uncertainty, and risk before work begins.
Our Approach to Damage Prevention
Our approach is grounded in the understanding that locating alone does not prevent damage. Damage prevention comes from recognizing risk, understanding limitations, and making informed decisions before ground disturbance begins.
​
We start by assessing site conditions and available information to understand what is known, what is uncertain, and where assumptions are likely to occur. Field locating is performed using appropriate methods based on site conditions, utility types, and access, with the goal of identifying buried facilities where confirmation is possible.
Equally important is how results are communicated. We clearly explain what was located, how it was located, and where limitations exist. When facilities cannot be confidently identified or verified, we state that explicitly. This transparency allows clients to plan next steps responsibly, whether that involves design adjustments, soft excavation, engineering support, or accepting residual risk.
​
We believe damage prevention is a shared responsibility. Our role is to provide accurate field information, realistic expectations, and clear guidance so project teams can make safer decisions throughout planning and execution.
Experience and Qualifications
Our work is informed by more than three decades of experience across public and private utility locating, damage prevention, subsurface utility coordination, training, and incident investigation. This background provides a practical understanding of how buried infrastructure failures occur and how they can be prevented.
​
Our team brings field experience from a wide range of environments, including commercial, industrial, residential, transportation, and energy related projects. We understand how locating practices intersect with design, construction, and safety obligations, and we apply that knowledge to every site we work on.
​
Rather than relying solely on tools or assumptions, we emphasize professional judgment, adherence to recognized damage prevention practices, and clear communication. This experience allows us to support clients with realistic expectations and defensible information when working around buried infrastructure on private property.