Private Utility Locating
Locate water, gas, electrical, communication and other underground private utilities before excavation.
Silicon Valley & Bay Area
Know what's
underground.
Before you dig.
Professional utility locating, mapping, and documentation services for homeowners, contractors, and businesses throughout Silicon Valley and the Bay Area.
Utility Mapping
Accurate maps and records of underground utilities for construction, design, irrigation, ADUs and more.
Site Documentation
Professional documentation of existing site conditions before or after excavation for liability mitigation and damage assessment.
Non-Conductive Locating
Specialized methods to locate non-conductive utilities such as PVC water, sewer, and storm drain lines.
How it works
From first call to marked ground.
-
01
Request a locate
Tell us the site address, the scope of work, and when your crew breaks ground. We confirm access requirements and scheduling.
-
02
Site walk & sweep
We walk the work area, identify connection points, and sweep it with electromagnetic locating equipment — plus ground penetrating radar where conditions call for it.
-
03
Mark & map
Findings are marked on the ground to APWA color standards, then measured and tied to fixed site features so the information survives a rainstorm.
-
04
Document & deliver
You get a clear record of what was found and where — photos, sketches, and measurements you can hand straight to your crew, engineer, or insurer.
About us
The lines nobody
else is marking.
When you call 811, the public utilities get marked — the gas, power, and communication lines that run to your meter. Everything past that point is private: the irrigation main across the lawn, the sub-panel feed to the garage, the sewer lateral, the fiber run between two buildings on the same parcel. Those lines are the property owner's responsibility, and they are the ones that get hit.
Where's My Line exists to find them. We locate, mark, and map private underground utilities for homeowners, general contractors, landscapers, engineers, and facility managers across Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area — then document the site so there is no argument later about what was there and where.
- Multi-frequency electromagnetic locating
- Ground penetrating radar for non-conductive lines
- APWA-standard colour marking
- Photo and sketch documentation on every job
- Pre-excavation and post-damage site records
Reference
What the paint means.
Locate markings follow the APWA uniform colour code. If you see these on your site, this is what is underneath.
Red
Electric power lines, cables, conduit, lighting
Yellow
Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, gaseous materials
Orange
Communication, alarm, signal lines, fibre optic
Blue
Potable water
Green
Sewer and storm drain lines
Purple
Reclaimed water, irrigation, slurry lines
Pink
Temporary survey markings, unknown facilities
White
Proposed excavation limits or route
Gallery
Work in the field.
Locates, markouts, and site documentation from jobs across the Bay Area.
Breaking ground soon?
Get the private lines marked before the excavator shows up. It costs less than the repair.
FAQ
Questions we get a lot.
I already called 811. Why do I need a private locate?
811 dispatches the utility owners to mark their facilities — generally the lines in the public right of way up to the point of service. Anything on the private side of that point, and anything the utility does not own, is not covered. Irrigation, site lighting, private electrical feeds, sewer laterals, fibre between buildings, propane, well lines and pool equipment are all typically unmarked after an 811 ticket. Those are exactly the lines that get struck.
What kinds of utilities can you locate?
Metallic and traceable lines — electrical, gas, communication, fibre with a tracer, metallic water — are located electromagnetically. Non-conductive lines such as PVC water, sewer, and storm drain are located using ground penetrating radar and, where an access point exists, sonde tracing through the pipe. Some materials and depths cannot be detected reliably, and we tell you that on site rather than after the fact.
How long does a locate take?
A typical residential lot or small commercial work area is a few hours. Larger parcels, campuses, and jobs that need mapping and a full written record take longer. When you send through the site address and the scope, we can give you a realistic window before we book it.
Do you provide a map or just paint?
Both, depending on what you need. Ground marking is standard on every job. Mapping — measured, tied to fixed site features, and delivered as a drawing or overlay — is available where the information has to outlive the paint or be handed to a designer or engineer.
What do you need from me before you arrive?
Site address, gate and access details, the limits of the proposed excavation, and any prints or as-builts you already have. If a specific area matters more than the rest, mark it out or tell us. Access to panels, meters, and irrigation controllers helps considerably.
Something already got hit. Can you help?
Yes. We document existing site conditions after a strike — what was exposed, where it sits, how it was marked or wasn't — so there is an objective record for the damage claim, the insurer, and everyone arguing about it afterwards. Call before the trench gets backfilled.
What areas do you cover?
Silicon Valley and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. If your site is on the edge of that, ask — the answer is often yes.
Contact
Request a locate.
Send through the site and the scope, and we will come back with availability and what the job takes. The more detail you give us, the more useful the answer.