Utility

Why use CBYD?

The most important first step! Always contact CBYD before work begins so underground utilities are located and marked. Smart, safe digging is no accident.

Contractors working on behalf of utilities can make dangerous assumptions about the need to have utility lines marked before commencing excavation works. Don’t risk it! It’s the law to contact CBYD first, and is critical in the prevention of damage to underground utilities and avoiding seriously (potentially deadly) injuries.

Call Before You Dig, Inc., (CBYD) is a state regulated, nonprofit organization comprised of all public utilities and municipalities within the State of Connecticut. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) oversees CBYD. The organization is administered by a board of annually elected directors representing various public and private utilities.

The purpose of CBYD is to function as a statewide, onecall notification system providing excavators, including the general public, with the ability to inform multiple owners and operators of underground facilities during proposed excavations.

Timing: You must call for a locate request at least two full working days but not more than 30 days before any excavation starts (excluding holidays & weekends).

Before any excavation, you must:

  1. Contact CBYD — it’s the law.
  2. File your locate request within the required window (≥ 2 full working days; ≤ 30 days ahead).
  3. Submit locate requests for all locations — public or private property — even if it’s a private property, a field, or a street with no name.
  4. Submit requests if you are using mechanized equipment, even if you are only excavating a few inches or just surface grading. If you move material, or plan to drill or drive anything into the ground, you must call.
  5. Do not rely on old marks or faulty information. Submit an E-Ticket or call CBYD for your own locate request.
  6. Before submitting an E-Ticket or calling CBYD, pre-mark the area you plan to excavate with white paint, flags, or white tipped stakes.
  7. Remember that locate requests expire 30 days from creation. PURA investigators will check if you have a valid locate request when inspecting or investigating damage.
  8. File an emergency ticket when danger to life, health, or property exists, when major industrial operations may be interrupted, or when public utility service could be disrupted.
  9. In emergencies, submit a ticket online or call CBYD with full location and excavation details as soon as possible. The excavator or responsible party must notify all utilities listed on the ticket directly.
  10. Protect yourself, others working around you, the community residents, and underground assets.

Good practice tips

  • Confirm all utilities have responded before you dig.
  • Hand-dig within the tolerance zone to expose facilities safely.
  • Refresh your ticket if work extends beyond 30 days or markings fade.