Call Before You Dig

The Call Before You Dig campaign is administered by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing damage to underground infrastructure. The campaign uses the tagline "Call 811 Before You Dig" and runs national advertising, social media outreach, and educational programs to increase awareness of the legal requirement to request utility locates.

Despite widespread promotion, the CGA's annual DIRT (Damage Information Reporting Tool) report consistently shows that failure to notify the one-call center remains the leading cause of utility strikes in the United States. The campaign targets both professional excavators and homeowners, as do-it-yourself projects such as fence installation, landscaping, and deck building frequently result in utility damage.

Hydrovac contractors play a key role in the Call Before You Dig ecosystem. After utilities are marked by locators, hydrovac excavation is the safest method for verifying the exact position and depth of those utilities within the tolerance zone. Many hydrovac companies actively promote the 811 message to their customers as part of their safety culture.