Diggers Hotline®

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Stay safe and avoid costly fines!

All projects, no matter the size, could pose a threat to your safety or result in costly mistakes. Diggers Hotline, a free service, works with MGE and other participating utilities to identify buried lines on your property so that you can dig freely and safely. State law requires anyone planning excavation or construction activities to contact Diggers Hotline at least three days before digging begins.

MGE will mark the location of underground facilities and indicate safe overhead line clearances. We will mark our lines with a combination of spray paint or chalk plus flags or stakes with attached ribbons. The markings—yellow for gas, red for electricity—include our initials for identification.

Diggers Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Contact them by:

Call at least three working days ahead

If you are planning a project that requires digging, you will need to contact Diggers Hotline at least three working days in advance. For quickest service, call between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. This provides time for MGE and other participating utilities to mark the underground facilities in your planned work area. You must call before you:

  • Install an antenna.
  • Build a fence.
  • Dig a trench.
  • Excavate.
  • Do any outdoor construction or improvement project that requires digging.

You will need to contact other utilities and municipalities that are not Diggers Hotline participants directly.

Overhead line awareness

Diggers Hotline also helps you avoid problems with overhead electrical facilities. If your equipment can reach higher than 14 feet above ground and will be used within 25 feet of overhead facilities, Diggers Hotline will direct your request to participating utilities.

If your call indicates a possible problem with overhead lines, participating utilities will contact you within three working days to explain the safe working clearances required for your project.

Accidental damage

If you damage an electric or gas line while digging, call 911 and MGE immediately. Even minor damage can cause a big safety problem later.

For more information