Aug. 11 is just one day a year, but Orange County REMC hopes the 8/11 date will serve as a natural reminder for residents to call 811 any day of the year before a digging project.

Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines, and inconvenient outages. Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, planting a tree, and laying a patio are all examples of digging projects that need a call to 811 before starting.

Indiana requires two full working days’ advance notice to the 811 center or online before a digging project to give the utilities enough time to mark the approximate location of their underground utilities on your property (IC 8-1-26). Each utility will be marked in a specific color. The marks are valid for 20 days.

Before you contact Indiana 811, you will need to know specific details about where you plan to dig, including the county, township, street address, nearest intersecting street and location on the property. You will also need the name and phone number of the person who will do the digging.

It is also recommended you mark the designated area with white paint or flags, so the utilities know where you plan to excavate.