A shovel does not know the difference between soil and a gas service. That is why the rule comes before the project: click before you dig. Ontario One Call says homeowners building a fence or deck, planting a tree, or doing any project that requires digging must request a public utility locate at least five business days before the work. The service is free. The waiting is cheaper than improvisation.
What happens after the request
Ontario One Call is the notification hub. It sends your proposed dig information to owners of buried public infrastructure. Those owners or their locate providers respond with a clearance or a completed locate with markings and paperwork. Ontario One Call does not drive out and paint every line itself.
- Describe the exact address, work type, dig area, depth, method, and planned date.
- Mark the proposed excavation area in white when instructed so the locator is not guessing which half of the yard has ambitions.
- Track every utility response through the request record.
- Do not start until all notified owners have responded with paperwork.
- Read the drawings, validity period, field markings, and special instructions before touching soil.
A response that says clear still comes with limits. It applies to the project area and details you submitted. Move the deck six feet, deepen the trench, or change from hand digging to machinery and you may no longer be working within that response. Locates are precise about their scope because buried utilities are annoyingly literal.
Public locates do not cover every line on your property
This is the detail homeowners miss most. Ontario One Call covers the infrastructure owned by its public-utility members, generally up to the ownership or demarcation point. It says homeowners must separately arrange a competent private locator for privately owned buried infrastructure.
Swipe to compare
| Private line | Typical example | Why it gets missed |
|---|---|---|
| Gas | House to barbecue, pool heater, fire feature, or detached building | Installed after the utility service |
| Electrical | House to shed, detached garage, landscape lights, or gate | Owner-side wiring |
| Water and drainage | Irrigation, septic piping, private sewer, or yard drains | Not always owned by the municipality |
| Communications | Security camera, gate control, or private data cable | Small cable, large inconvenience |
Tell the locator about old outbuildings, capped services, pool equipment, yard lighting, and anything else that suggests later private work. A clean lawn is not proof of a clean underground. Grass is a talented cover-up artist.
Flags, paint, and the instructions that matter
Ontario One Call identifies the common colour system: red electrical, yellow gas or oil, orange communications, green sewer or storm, blue water, purple irrigation or slurry, pink temporary survey markings, and white proposed excavation. Colour tells you the utility type. It does not tell you permission to dig directly on the mark.
Follow the tolerance-zone and excavation instructions on each locate package. The Ontario One Call homeowner FAQ gives dig by hand within one metre of the markings as an example, but the infrastructure owner's actual instruction controls. Expose utilities cautiously and support them where required. Mechanical digging beside a line is a poor place for creative interpretation.
How long a locate lasts
Ontario One Call says locates are valid for at least 60 days from the day you receive them, though an owner may provide a longer period and conditions. Check every response. If marks disappear, the scope changes, the paperwork expires, or the site no longer matches the drawing, request the appropriate remark or new locate before continuing.
Protect the markings during the work, but do not repaint a utility route from memory. If the fence installer cannot see the marks, the correct tool is a phone, not interpretive spray paint.
Who makes the request when you hire a contractor
The excavator needs a valid locate package for the actual work. Ontario One Call tells homeowners to make sure their contractor has contacted the service before starting. Put responsibility in the written contract, ask for the request number and complete response package, and confirm the dig area matches the final layout. The homeowner called sometime last month is not a locate-management system.
For deck work, the locate comes after a realistic layout and before footings. Next, check the Ontario deck permit guide, then compare helical piles and concrete footings. Safe digging and good structure are different jobs. If you want one team to plan both, see our deck and patio service.
