Kansas811: Call Before You Dig Guide

Most of the time, dropping a dumpster on your driveway doesn't involve any digging at all — our drivers set the container on boards to protect the surface and that's the end of it. But a lot of the projects that come with a dumpster rental do involve digging somewhere on the property: a fence line, a deck footing, a small pool removal, a landscaping overhaul, a shed pad. Any time a shovel or machine is going into the ground, Kansas811 needs to be part of the plan first, and it's worth understanding the rule even if you think your project is too small to matter.

What Kansas811 Is

Kansas811 is the state's one-call notification center — the service that coordinates with utility companies to mark the location of underground gas, electric, water, sewer and communication lines before anyone digs. You reach them by dialing 811, or 1-800-DIG-SAFE, or through kansas811.com. It's free to use, and it exists for one reason: hitting a buried line with a shovel, auger or excavator can cause a service outage, an injury, or worse, and it's a risk that's completely avoidable with one phone call placed early enough.

The Notice Window: 2 to 20 Days

Kansas811 has a specific timing requirement, and it's the part people get wrong most often. You have to call at least 2 full working days before you plan to start digging — and that count doesn't include the day you place the call, and it doesn't include weekends or holidays. Call on a Thursday and a Monday start generally doesn't clear the 2-working-day window once the weekend is excluded, so it's worth calling earlier in the week than you think you need to.

On the other end, you can't call too far ahead either — the notice is only valid for up to 20 calendar days out. Call in advance, but not so far in advance that your locate request expires before your project actually starts.

Why This Matters Even for a “Small” Project

It's easy to assume that a locate request is only for big excavation jobs — a foundation, a utility trench, new construction. In practice, the law doesn't carve out an exception for small or shallow digging. A fence post, a mailbox replacement, a small tree removal with root digging, a garden bed dug deeper than expected — all of these can intersect a buried line that's shallower than most people assume. Utility depth isn't always consistent across a property, and lines can shift closer to the surface over time due to erosion or grading. The only way to know for sure what's down there is to have it marked.

We see this most often on residential jobs where a dumpster is booked for a renovation that also includes some yard work on the side — a new patio, a fence, a small addition footing. If any part of your project touches the ground beyond just hauling debris, it's worth placing the Kansas811 call as one of your very first steps, well before you're worried about scheduling the dumpster itself.

How the Process Actually Works

Once you call or submit a request online, Kansas811 notifies the utility companies with lines in your area, and each of them sends someone out to mark their lines with paint or flags directly on the ground before your start date. You'll want to have your address, the boundaries of the work area, and a rough description of the project ready when you call. Once the lines are marked, you can plan your excavation, and your dumpster placement, around where it's actually safe to work.

Where a Dumpster Fits Into the Timeline

A good general order of operations for a renovation project that includes both excavation and debris hauling: place your Kansas811 request first, since it has the longest lead time of anything in the project. Once your locate is confirmed and your dig window is set, call us to schedule the dumpster — we can usually turn around same-day or next-day delivery once you're ready, so there's no reason to book the container before you actually know your start date. That way the container isn't sitting on your property racking up rental days before you're even cleared to break ground.

What a Missed Line Actually Costs You

It's worth being direct about why this rule exists rather than treating it as red tape. Striking a buried gas line can mean an evacuation and an emergency utility response. Hitting an electric line can be a genuine safety hazard for whoever's holding the shovel or running the equipment. Even a struck water or sewer line, while less dangerous, can mean an unplanned repair, a muddy yard, and a delayed project timeline you didn't budget for. None of these outcomes are likely if the lines have been marked ahead of time, which is the entire point of making the call early rather than treating it as an afterthought once the equipment is already on site.

A Few Things Homeowners Get Wrong

Two mistakes come up often enough to flag directly. The first is assuming that because a previous owner or a past project already had lines marked, the same markings still apply — they don't. Locate requests are tied to a specific project and window, not the property permanently, and utility lines can be added or rerouted over time. The second is assuming a locate request only matters for digging with heavy equipment. Hand-digging a fence post hole or a small garden bed carries the same requirement, and honestly the same risk, since a shovel can sever a shallow line just as easily as an auger can.

One Call, No Downside

There's no cost and no real downside to placing a Kansas811 request, even if you end up deciding the digging isn't necessary after all. The only real risk is skipping it and finding out the hard way what was buried under that spot in the yard. If you're planning any project in Topeka or across Shawnee County that involves breaking ground, make the call first, then call us for the container.