What Landscaping Pros Miss About Private Utility Locating

Protect Your Landscaping Projects Before You Dig

Private utility locating is often overlooked in landscaping planning. Crews call 811, see paint on the ground, and assume every buried line is marked. But irrigation mains, lighting cables, and private water lines are common strike risks that 811 usually does not cover in Spokane and Eastern Washington. 

In the Pacific Northwest, where projects are busy through mid-summer, most landscaping work involves digging: new plantings, irrigation, and hardscapes. Relying only on public utility marks leaves gaps. Private utility locating closes those gaps and helps protect your profit, schedule, and client relationships on residential, commercial, and HOA sites.

What 811 Covers vs. What Your Crew Actually Hits

Calling 811 before you dig is required and brings out public utility locators to mark lines owned by utility companies. This usually includes:

• Power service up to the meter  

• Gas service up to the meter  

• City water up to the meter or property line  

• Public sewer mains and some laterals  

• Some communication lines from the street to the demarc point  

Most lines landscapers work around are owned by the property owner and are not covered by 811. On Northwest properties, that often means the lines most likely to be struck are the ones no one marked in the first place. These private utilities commonly found on Northwest properties include irrigation components, low-voltage lighting, pool/spa lines, propane runs, and private feeds to outbuildings, along with communications, septic, and private water lines.

• Irrigation mains and lateral lines  

• Low-voltage landscape lighting cables  

• Pool and spa plumbing and power  

• Propane lines from tanks to buildings or grills  

• Private electrical feeds to shops, sheds, and garages  

• Communication lines between houses and outbuildings  

• Onsite septic systems, including tanks and laterals  

• Private water lines on large or shared properties  

Strikes are far more likely to involve these private lines than public utilities. Assuming “everything is marked” without a private locate increases the risk of damage.

Hidden Costs of Skipping Private Utility Locating

Skipping private locating can appear to save time, but hits create direct and indirect costs. Direct costs typically show up immediately as repair work and restoration, while indirect costs ripple through the schedule, staffing, and client experience.

Direct costs include:

• Emergency repairs to broken pipes or cables  

• Service calls from irrigation or electrical contractors  

• Replacement of damaged patio, turf, or planting beds  

Indirect business impacts include:

• Project delays while repairs are completed  

• Rescheduling crews and equipment assigned to other jobs  

• Client dissatisfaction due to unexpected disruptions  

• Potential insurance claims and administrative work  

There is also liability exposure. Damaging private water or irrigation lines can flood yards or hardscapes. Striking private power or gas lines can create safety hazards and outages, especially on high-value residential and commercial sites. Factoring in these risks, a private locate before digging is typically the safer and more efficient option.

How Modern Locating Tech Works for Landscapers

Private utility locating now relies on precise instruments rather than guesswork. At Advanced Underground Utility Locating, Inc, tools such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and electromagnetic (EM) locating are used to scan below the surface. In practice, locators use these tools to identify likely utility paths, verify what’s present, and translate findings into clear, job-site-usable markings.

In simple terms:

• EM locating sends a signal along metallic lines to trace their path.  

• GPR sends radio waves into the ground and reads reflections to identify changes in materials.  

• Used together, these tools help identify many types of buried utilities and structures.  

With these methods, locators can often detect metallic utilities (such as copper, steel, or tracer-wired lines) and many non-metallic utilities like PVC or HDPE under suitable conditions. They can also help identify unknown or abandoned conduits and pipes, as well as some subsurface structures such as tanks or voids.

• Metallic utilities such as copper, steel, or tracer-wired lines  

• Many non-metallic utilities like PVC or HDPE under suitable conditions  

• Unknown or abandoned conduits and pipes  

• Some subsurface structures such as tanks or voids  

For landscapers, the primary value is in accurate marks and usable maps. Once private utilities are located and marked on the ground, you can plan critical layout and excavation details more confidently, reducing surprises, change orders, and design revisions during construction.

• Tree placement to avoid cutting roots through lines  

• Footings and piers for decks or pergolas  

• Patio and walkway bases that clear critical service routes  

• Retaining wall footing depths and locations  

• Irrigation trenches that avoid existing utilities  

When to Call Private Utility Locating Services

Not every shallow excavation requires a full subsurface investigation, but many common landscaping tasks should trigger a private locate, especially in the Pacific Northwest. It is worth bringing in a locator when you are:

• Planting large trees or deep-rooted shrubs  

• Augering for fence posts, signposts, or deck supports  

• Building retaining walls or seat walls with footings  

• Cutting new driveways, walkways, or stairs into a slope  

• Trenching for drainage, lighting, or irrigation lines  

• Working near shops, garages, ADUs, and other outbuildings  

Northwest properties often have dense vegetation, older infrastructure, and sloped terrain. Utilities on these lots may not follow straight or obvious routes, and additions over time may not be recorded. Surface clues alone are unreliable, which is why pre-dig locating becomes more important as properties get more complex.

A practical approach is to add private utility locating to your standard pre-construction checklist when:

• You are on a new client property you do not know well  

• The project includes major grading, excavation, or hardscape installation  

• The property is high-end or has complex outdoor systems  

• There are signs of past additions, such as extra panels, tanks, or outbuildings  

Turn Utility Safety into a Selling Point with Your Clients

Many clients do not understand the difference between 811 and private utility locating. They often assume that if paint is on the ground, all lines are identified. Explaining your process helps set expectations and supports your professional positioning. It also helps clients understand that a careful approach protects their property and keeps the project moving.

You can frame private locating as part of a safety-focused, risk-management approach:

• “We call in public locates and then use a private locator to check for owner-installed lines.”  

• “This helps us avoid damaging your irrigation, lighting, and other buried systems.”  

• “It keeps the project on schedule and reduces the chances of unexpected repairs.”  

Homeowners, property managers, commercial clients, and HOAs value contractors who manage underground risks along with visible construction. As a private utility locating provider in the Pacific Northwest, Advanced Underground Utility Locating Inc partners with landscaping companies for repeat pre-dig checks so crews can work more efficiently, protect client property, and support safer, smoother projects.

Get Started With Your Project Today

Before you break ground, protect your team, budget, and schedule by having us identify every buried line on your property. Our private utility locating services give you clear, documented results so you can move forward with confidence. At Advanced Underground Utility Locating Inc, we work closely with you to understand your site conditions and project goals. Ready to schedule or have questions about a specific location, timeline, or scope, contact us and we will help you plan the next step.