When to call
Anytime you plan to excavate, including digging. Whether it's a small or a large construction project or homeowner project, call Iowa One Call at least 48 hours prior to excavating (excluding weekends and/or holidays). Iowa One Call will notify the owners/operators of underground facilities who participate in Iowa One Call. The various underground facility operators will dispatch "locate" personnel to the area to mark the underground facility locations with flags and paint markings, showing where underground facilities are located so the excavator can avoid damaging the facilities.
Iowa law applies to professional contractors as well as homeowners, and encompasses a wide array of outdoor projects including:
- Installing a fence
- Planting trees or shrubs
- Building a patio, addition, deck, garage, outdoor shed or any similar structure that requires any form of digging
- Putting in a new driveway
- Installing a septic system or water drainage system
- Terracing or landscaping
