April is National Safe Digging Month. With so many Illinoisans home due to the COVID-19 public health emergency and the weather getting warmer, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is urging residents and excavators to help flatten the curve by postponing non-essential outdoor digging projects until Governor Pritzker’s ‘Shelter in Place’ order is lifted. If a project is deemed necessary, please use extreme caution and remember to call 811 before you start digging. A request to locate underground utility lines can be made by dialing the convenient three-digit phone number “811” or online using the links below. Requests are managed by JULIE, Inc. (Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators) across most of Illinois, or 811 Chicago within the city limits of Chicago. The cost of the call and the locating services are free. Illinois law requires homeowners and professional excavators to call 811 at least 48 hours (or two business days) before starting an outdoor digging project. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, and planting a tree or garden are examples of activities that require locating the underground lines they own with color-coded markings. The digging project must begin within 14 calendar days from the call and locate requests have a 28-day life. Violators may face penalties as part of the ICC’s One-Call enforcement efforts. To make locate requests online, or for more information about “Call 811” please visit:

JULIE’s website (for project within most of Illinois)

811 Chicago’s website (for projects within Chicago city limits)