Survey and Design Utility Data Support
Utility Coordination and Design Phase Utility Data for Private Property
Before design work, planning, or ground disturbance begins, one decision determines whether a project moves forward with clarity or uncertainty: understanding what lies below ground on private property.
​
Much of the buried infrastructure on private land is undocumented, outdated, or misunderstood. Without early utility coordination and field verification, surveyors, designers, and project teams are often forced to make assumptions that lead to redesigns, delays, conflicts, and avoidable risk.
​
Know Before You Dig Locates provides non engineered utility locating and coordination services to support surveys, site plans, and early design decisions. We help project teams build an informed underground picture before field work begins, while clearly defining limitations and next steps where higher levels of investigation may be required.
​
Important note: We do not provide Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) services or stamped engineering deliverables. Where SUE is required, we coordinate with qualified engineering and SUE firms.
Utility Coordination for Surveys and Early Design
The foundation of effective survey work and early design is understanding what lies below ground before assumptions are built into drawings.
Utility coordination at this stage focuses on gathering, reviewing, and interpreting available information related to buried infrastructure on private property. This includes records research, field observations, surface feature correlation, and targeted locating to support informed planning decisions.
​
Our role is to help surveyors, designers, and project teams develop a clearer subsurface picture early, identify potential conflicts, and understand where uncertainty remains. This allows design teams to make informed decisions, refine scope, and determine whether additional investigation or engineering services may be required.
​
Utility coordination forms the base layer of subsurface awareness. When applied early in the survey and design phase, it helps reduce unknowns and supports safer, more predictable project outcomes.
As part of survey and early design support, utility coordination may include:
​
-
Collecting and reviewing all available utility records
-
Confirming which buried facilities are public and which are private
-
Identifying utility rooms, electrical closets, pump rooms, and mechanical spaces
-
Speaking with knowledgeable site personnel
-
Reviewing past construction drawings, as-builts, surveys, and CAD files
-
Understanding how tenant service lines branch from main corridors
-
Determining where buried facilities extend into parking lots, landscaped areas, or expansions
-
Identifying conflicts, risks, and design constraints before any field work begins
Utility coordination forms the base layer of subsurface intelligence.
Without it, a locate is incomplete. With it, your project becomes safer, faster, and far more predictable.
KNOW Before You Design
Design-Phase Utility Data Support for Surveys and Planning.
Before the first sketch is drawn or a site plan is finalized, project teams need a clear understanding of what lies below ground on private property.
​
Know Before You Dig Locates supports surveyors, designers, and planning teams by providing non-engineered utility locating, records research, and field verification to inform early design decisions. Our role is to help identify buried infrastructure, highlight potential conflicts, and define areas of uncertainty before assumptions are built into drawings.
​
This design-phase utility data is intended to support planning and coordination. It does not replace Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) or stamped engineering deliverables. Where higher levels of investigation are required, we coordinate with qualified SUE and engineering firms.
Who We Support on Private Property
Our services are tailored to the specific responsibilities and risks faced by different sectors working on private property. Select your sector below to see how we support your planning, coordination, and decision making:
What We Deliver
-
Utility records research and compilation from available sources
-
Field-based utility locating on private property using electromagnetic methods, ground penetrating radar, and surface feature correlation
-
Structure and access point documentation, including manholes, vaults, and catch basins, where accessible
-
Photo documentation with location reference
-
Utility coordination support for surveys, design teams, and project planning
-
CAD-compatible utility data intended to support survey and design workflows
-
Clear identification of known information, uncertainty, and limitations
-
Coordination support with surveyors, engineers, and Subsurface Utility Engineering firms where higher levels of investigation are required
​​
Our role is to support early understanding and coordination, not to replace engineering judgment or stamped deliverables.
We’re Not Surveyors or Engineers – We’re Underground Specialists
We are not surveyors or engineers, and we do not provide Subsurface Utility Engineering deliverables or stamped drawings.
​
Our role is to identify and document buried facilities on private property, support design and planning decisions where possible, and reduce uncertainty before construction or ground disturbance begins. We focus on underground conditions that are often missing, incomplete, or misunderstood, whether that occurs early in the design phase or later in the project lifecycle.
​
In many cases, we are engaged after design is already underway or immediately prior to excavation, when utility coordination was not performed earlier or was limited by scope or budget. In these situations, our role is to provide practical, field based utility locating and documentation to help project teams and excavators understand existing conditions and manage risk with the information available.
When Subsurface Utility Engineering services are required or appropriate, we regularly coordinate with qualified SUE firms and licensed engineers to support a smooth transition from utility coordination to engineered investigation.
​
Whether supporting early design, working alongside a SUE consultant, or assisting project teams who are catching up before ground disturbance begins, we help ensure decisions are made with a clearer and more realistic understanding of what lies below ground.
START SMARTER. BUILD SAFER.
Whether you are planning a new development, retrofitting an existing site, or updating infrastructure records, we help you Know Before You Design so informed decisions are made before risk is introduced.