Michigan site work planning

MISS DIG and Excavation Safety

Public locates mark participating facilities. Private lines and trench protection are separate responsibilities that catch people out.

A locate ticket is the start of the process, not the whole of it.

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Plan the next conversation

Use the guide below to organise questions, then confirm the details for the actual parcel and scope.

Explore excavation services

Calling MISS DIG 811 before excavation is a legal requirement in Michigan, and it is also the cheapest insurance on any dig. The system notifies participating facility owners, who mark the approximate location of their underground lines in the work area.

Two gaps produce most of the damage. The locate covers participating facility owners' lines, not privately owned lines on a property, and the marks show approximate horizontal position rather than exact depth or alignment.

This MISS DIG and excavation safety guide sets out how the process works on a real job, what is not covered, and how trench protection fits alongside it. MISS DIG and excavation safety guide.

What the locate does and does not cover

A locate request is placed for a described work area within the statutory notice window, and participating facility owners respond by marking their lines or confirming that they have none in the area. The result is a set of colour-coded marks on the ground, valid for a defined period, which an excavator is expected to verify and respect while digging.

Private facilities are the common blind spot. Irrigation, yard lighting, invisible fence, propane runs, lines to a barn or shed, private water service beyond the meter, and anything installed by a previous owner are generally not marked by the public system. Locating those is the property owner's responsibility, usually through a private locating service, and they are the lines most often hit in residential work.

Depth is the second gap. Marks indicate position, not depth, and depth can change with grading, erosion, or earlier construction. Where a crossing is critical, physically exposing the line, commonly by vacuum excavation, is the way to know rather than assume.

Before the machine starts

Place the ticket correctly

Describe the work area accurately and place the request within the required notice period. A vague or incorrect area description is the most common reason marks are missing where you dig.

Verify the response

Check that each expected facility owner has responded and that the marks make sense for the property. Missing responses are followed up before digging, not after.

Identify private lines

Walk the property with the owner and list anything installed privately. Arrange a private locate where the risk warrants it.

Respect the tolerance zone

Excavate carefully within the zone around marked facilities using the method the facility owner's requirements and state law specify.

Plan trench protection

Decide sloping, benching, shielding, or shoring before the excavation opens, based on depth, soil, weather, and adjacent loads.

Set spoil and access rules

Spoil placed back from the edge, safe access and egress, and a competent person responsible for inspecting the excavation.

How a careful excavation runs

1. Ticket and wait

The request is placed and the statutory notice period observed before excavation starts. Emergency provisions exist but are for genuine emergencies.

2. Verify and document

Marks are photographed and checked against the property. Discrepancies are raised with the facility owner rather than worked around.

3. Expose where it matters

Critical crossings are hand dug or vacuum excavated so the actual position and depth are known before machine work continues.

4. Protect the excavation

The protective system is installed as the excavation opens, and conditions are re-inspected after rain, after changes, and at each shift.

5. Backfill responsibly

Bedding and backfill suit the facility and the surface above, and any facility damage, however minor, is reported to its owner.

Limits of this guide

Notice periods, ticket validity, tolerance-zone rules, and excavator duties are set by Michigan law and by MISS DIG 811's current procedures. Confirm the current requirements directly with MISS DIG 811 rather than relying on a summary, including a summary on this page.

MIOSHA construction standards govern excavation protective systems, access and egress, spoil placement, atmospheric hazards, and competent-person duties. This guide describes planning practice, not a compliance determination for a specific excavation.

Damaging a facility is a reportable event. A struck line is reported to its owner immediately, regardless of whether the damage appears minor and regardless of whether service seems unaffected.

Official sources — confirm current requirements with the office named for the parcel.

MISS DIG 811 information for excavators — Current ticket mechanics and excavator responsibilities
MISS DIG 811: Public Act 174 of 2013 — Statutory basis for Michigan locate requests
MIOSHA excavation and trenching topic page — Excavation protective-system and competent-person requirements
MIOSHA construction safety and health standards — Standards index referenced during excavation planning

Turning this into a project conversation

If your project involves a trench, a bore, or digging near known utilities, send the location and what is being installed. The plan for locating, exposing, and protecting is part of the scope conversation rather than something decided on the morning of the dig.

Where a facility owner requires its own representative on site or specific clearances, that requirement is built into the sequence and the schedule.

Questions to carry into the review

Do homeowners have to call MISS DIG 811 for their own digging?

Michigan's locate law applies to excavation generally, including work by property owners, and the service is free to the caller. Post-hole digging for a fence or a deck is exactly the kind of work where an unmarked service line gets hit. Confirm the current requirements and notice period with MISS DIG 811.

Why were some lines in my yard not marked?

The public locate covers participating facility owners' lines. Privately owned lines beyond the meter or serving outbuildings, irrigation, lighting, and invisible fence are generally the property owner's responsibility to locate, typically through a private locating service.

Do the marks tell you how deep a line is?

No. Marks indicate approximate horizontal position. Depth varies and can change over time with grading and erosion. Where a crossing matters, the line is physically exposed, often by vacuum excavation, before machine work continues through it.

Who is responsible for trench safety on a job site?

The employer performing the excavation, through a competent person with the authority to correct hazards. Requirements for protective systems, access, egress, and inspection come from MIOSHA construction standards and apply regardless of how short the job is expected to take.