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Pre-marking
What is pre-marking? Why is it important?
Pre-marking, also known as white-lining or white-marking, involves outlining the boundaries of your proposed dig area or route. Pre-marks prevent confusion, delays and errors by showing utility-locate personnel exactly where your excavation will take place. In many states, pre-marks are required by law.
Pre-marking tips
Always contact your state 811 center before digging and for the most current requirements.
Would you like to know more?
Additional overhead and digging guidelines, emergency procedures, case studies, instructional videos and training tools can all be found, at no charge to you, on Xcel Energy's e-SMARTworkers website.
COVID-19
Everyone's resources have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can help prevent located delays by pre-marking your proposed dig area in white and notifying 811 of your planned excavation with as much lead time as is possible in your state.

To learn more about Xcel Energy’s response to COVID-19, click here.
To reach your state's underground utility locate service/one-call center, call 811 or visit their online site by clicking on your state's name below.
The required “business day” wait time for each state is as follows (excludes weekends and legal holidays):
 
 
811 Know what’s below. | Call before you dig.
 
GOLD SHOVEL STANDARD CERTIFIED
Xcel Energy is a founding member of the Gold Shovel Standard, which is a first-of-its-kind, two-part excavation safety program. The program both certifies an excavator's policies and procedures against the Gold Shovel Standard and publishes a score or rating known as an EICO™ score, which is an ongoing measure of an excavator's excavation-safety worthiness. It is a novel and ambitious program on a North American scale to dramatically reduce damages from excavation to buried asset networks. To find out more about the Gold Shovel Standard, please visit goldshovelstandard.org/industry/excavators.