811 Private Utility Lines. Why a “CLEAR” 811 Response Can Mislead

Very often, I investigate damages or get calls about one common misunderstanding. Homeowners believe that when they call 811 and receive a “clear” notification, it means their entire property was checked and is safe to dig. This is one of the most common problems caused by an 811 clear response in Texas, and a recent case in Irving shows how easily this misunderstanding can lead to a gas strike.

A homeowner called Texas 811 before installing a fire pit. The locator arrived, went to the back lane where this property receives most of its services, located the public gas line in the lane to the gas meter, and wrote MTX CLR in yellow paint on the ground. Yellow is the color for gas. The locator also drew an arrow pointing toward the homeowner’s backyard fence, which sits at the south property line.

The problem is simple. The homeowner assumed that because the locator wrote MTX CLR and pointed an arrow toward the fence, it meant the backyard was clear of gas lines. He did not realize that his gas meter is located in the lane, and that the buried gas pipe running from the meter into the home is private. The gas utility does not own that pipe. It is not marked by 811. It is not part of the 811 clear response. The clear notation only meant that the backyard was clear of publicly owned gas lines. When the homeowner began digging, they struck their own private gas service.

This situation happens often, especially in neighbourhoods with rear lanes where all services enter from behind the houses. Homeowners see a gas mark in the lane and assume nothing continues under their yard. They rarely think about how gas actually reaches their home. They trust a single mark or a painted word without understanding what 811 does not mark.

The truth is very different.

811 only marks publicly owned utility lines. If a utility owns a line on private property because the meter is at the house, they will mark it. Anything after the meter or beyond the demarcation point is private and will not be marked by 811. This is one of the major 811 locate limitations that homeowners are unaware of.

On a residential property, this usually means the following.

• Water after the meter is private.

• Sewer after the property line is private.

• Gas after the meter is private.

• Power after the meter is private.

• Communication lines are typically marked only to the building point of entry. Anything past that is private.

• All irrigation lines are private.

In this case, the gas meter was in the back lane. That means the entire gas service running under the backyard is private. The yellow arrow pointing toward the fence should never have been placed. It created the impression that the locator checked the yard. They did not. They only located the publicly owned gas line in the lane. The MTX CLR written on the lane simply meant the gas utility owner did not have any public lines beyond that point. It did not say anything about the private line that actually runs into the home.

Another difficulty for homeowners is that Texas 811 does not provide a drawing or any visual record of what was located. You receive a status that says clear, but there is no explanation of which areas were marked, which areas were not, or where the demarcation point is. Without a diagram, most homeowners assume far more was located than actually was. This lack of detail causes homeowners to misinterpret the 811 clear response as full coverage.

To avoid situations like this, homeowners need to take several simple steps.

• Call 811 before digging and wait for the crews to mark the public utility lines.

• Understand that anything after a meter is your responsibility and know the demarcation points on your property based on the list above.

• Walk the property and look for any structure or equipment that might have underground lines feeding it.

• Hire a private locator if you are digging anywhere near a private line. We do this well for a fee, and our fees are much cheaper than the cost of repairs by a plumber, electrician, or telecom repair technician. You are here, so you know how to contact us.

• Ask questions. Do not assume that an arrow or a painted word tells the whole story.

The safest approach is to understand where public responsibility ends and where homeowner responsibility begins. On homes with back lanes, the services will likely enter your property from both the rear and the front. We have even seen water service enter from the front while the sewer enters from the back, even though most homeowners assume they travel together because municipal services are usually installed by the same contractor during construction.

If you are digging anywhere on your property, 811 will not protect you fully. You must verify the location of what you own after the public utility demarcation point. Understanding the difference between public and private utility lines is the only way to dig safely.

If you have a similar story or experience with underground services that were not marked, we would love to hear from you.