What 811 covers, what it doesn’t, and why the meter is the dividing line

_A free 811 ticket is the first thing you should do before you dig, and it is not the last. In both Texas and New Mexico the law that makes one-call work also draws a line around what it covers — and on most job sites that line sits at the meter._

Start with the free ticket, every time

Both states we work in run a one-call notification system, and both require you to use it. In Texas the governing law is Chapter 251 of the Utilities Code, formally the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act. ¹Jump to source 1 In New Mexico it is Chapter 62, Article 14 of the New Mexico Statutes. ⁶Jump to source 6

The mechanics are close to identical. You contact 811, describe where and when you intend to dig, and the notification center passes that ticket to every member utility with facilities in the area. Those operators then locate and mark what they own, or tell you they have nothing there.

• Texas — Notify the one-call center at least two business days before excavation begins. A notice is good for a limited window — an excavator who notifies no more than fourteen days and no less than forty-eight hours ahead must re-notify if the start slips past fourteen days from the original notice. ³Jump to source 3⁴Jump to source 4
• New Mexico — Call 811 or 1-800-321-2537 at least two business days before you dig, and request reaffirmation of line location every ten working days after the initial request. ⁶Jump to source 6⁷Jump to source 7

Counting the clock: Two business days means business days. Weekends and holidays do not count toward the clock in either state, so a Thursday afternoon ticket does not mature on Saturday. ⁴Jump to source 4

What the 811 ticket actually buys you

An 811 ticket gets member utilities to mark the facilities they own and operate. That is a real and valuable service, and it is free to you. But it is bounded in three ways that matter on a job site.

1. It only reaches member utilities. If an operator is not a member of the notification center, the ticket does not reach them.
2. It only covers facilities that meet the statutory definition of an underground facility, and that definition has written exemptions.
3. It stops at the point of service. Operators mark up to the meter, the transformer, the shutoff or the termination box — the point where their ownership ends.

Texas defines an underground facility broadly: a line, cable, pipeline system, conduit or structure located partially or totally underground and used to produce, store, convey, transmit or distribute telecommunications, electricity, gas, water, sewage, steam or liquids such as petroleum or hazardous liquids. ²Jump to source 2 That is a wide net. The exemptions are what narrow it.

The dividing line, in the statute’s own words

People often describe the public/private split as an industry convention or a courtesy boundary. In Texas it is neither. It is written into the statute.

Section 251.003 lists what is not subject to Chapter 251 as an underground facility. The third item on that list is an underground facility that serves only the owner of the underground facility or the owner’s tenant and that is located solely on the owner’s property. ¹Jump to source 1

Read that carefully, because it is the whole answer. A line that (a) serves only you or your tenant and (b) sits entirely on your property is outside the damage prevention chapter. No operator is obligated to mark it on an 811 ticket, because as far as the chapter is concerned it is not the kind of facility the chapter governs. The same section also carves out storage tanks and their connected piping on the same tract, facilities inside a secured facility, piping within a well bore, certain oil and gas production facilities inside the producing field, and facilities serving only a cemetery on cemetery property. ¹Jump to source 1

The common misread: This is why “I called 811 and they cleared the site” is not the same sentence as “there is nothing buried here.” The ticket did what the law asks of it. The law simply asks less than most people assume.

So what is left unmarked?

On a typical commercial or residential site, the lines that fall outside the 811 ticket are the ones running from the point of service into and around the property. In our service area those routinely include:

• The water service run from the meter to the building, and any yard hydrants, irrigation mains or drip zones downstream of it.
• The gas run from the meter to the building, plus any branch to a pool heater, fire pit, generator, shop or detached casita.
• Private electrical: the feed to a detached garage, well, pump house, gate operator, sign, site lighting or EV charger.
• Sanitary sewer and storm drain laterals on the owner’s side of the connection, and septic components where present.
• Low-voltage and communications: security and camera cabling, landscape lighting, fire alarm interconnects, and data runs between buildings on one campus.
• Anything installed by a previous owner that never made it onto a drawing.

None of these are exotic. They are the ordinary contents of a developed lot, and they are the reason a site that came back with clean 811 marks can still hand you a strike on the first day of trenching.

Why this shows up in the damage numbers

The Common Ground Alliance collects damage reports nationally through DIRT, the Damage Information Reporting Tool. Its 2025 summary analyzed 221,717 unique damage reports, and the CGA Index — the measure it uses to track year-over-year damage trends — reached a record high of 102, an eight-point increase since 2023. ⁹Jump to source 9¹⁰Jump to source 10

Telecommunications and cable facilities took 51 percent of reported damages and natural gas took 36 percent, together accounting for 87 percent of all facility damage reports submitted that year. Electric accounted for 8 percent and water and sewer for 5 percent. ⁹Jump to source 9¹⁰Jump to source 10

The root causes barely move from year to year: the top ten account for 86 percent of reported damages, and failure to notify before digging remains the single largest one. ⁹Jump to source 9¹⁰Jump to source 10 That statistic is an argument for calling 811, not against it. The point for a property owner or a general contractor is narrower — the free ticket handles one category of risk well, and leaves a second category entirely to you.

What changed in New Mexico this year

If you dig in Doña Ana County or anywhere else in southern New Mexico, note that the Public Regulation Commission’s excavation damage prevention rules were amended effective April 6, 2026. New Mexico 811 began issuing new ticket types under that rule change, including Update Tickets and Near Miss Tickets, along with changes to how Design Locates are handled. ⁸Jump to source 8

If your habits were formed before April 2026, it is worth reading the rule change rather than assuming the ticket you have always pulled is still the right one for the work. ⁸Jump to source 8

A practical sequence

1. Pull the 811 ticket first, at least two business days out. It is free and it is the law. ³Jump to source 3⁶Jump to source 6
2. While you wait, gather what you know about the private side: as-builts, prior permits, irrigation drawings, and anyone on site with a long memory.
3. When the marks arrive, read what is there and note what is not. Public marks stopping at the meter is the expected outcome, not an incomplete response.
4. Scope a private locate for the work area past the point of service, especially where you plan to trench, bore, core or set a footing.
5. Keep both sets of information together, and re-notify before the marks age out.
6. If something does get hit, report it. The Railroad Commission publishes the Texas Damage Reporting Form for exactly this, and reported damage is what feeds the statewide data. ⁵Jump to source 5

Private utility locating supplements public one-call notification. It does not replace it, and no responsible locator will tell you otherwise.

Sourcing and limitations

This guide is original writing by High Desert Scan & Locate, LLC. It cites third-party statutes, standards, codes and publications, all of which remain the property of their respective owners. We describe them in our own words and do not reproduce their text. Standards published by bodies such as ASTM, ACI, ASCE/UESI/CI and PTI are available from those publishers; where one governs your work, obtain the current edition and read it. The published source controls; our paraphrase does not, and an edition cited here may since have been revised or superseded.

No representation or warranty. This material is provided "as is." We make no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to its accuracy, completeness, reliability or currency. It is accurate only as of the review date shown, if at all. Laws, rules and standards change, and we do not undertake to update it.

Not professional advice. Nothing here is legal, engineering, surveying or safety advice, and reading it creates no professional or client relationship. It is not a substitute for a site-specific scope, and it does not clear any area for excavation, cutting or coring.

Company names, product names and trademarks are used for identification only and do not indicate affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement. We receive no compensation for any mention.

Corrections: info@highdesertscan.com. See our Editorial policy, sourcing and attribution.

Private utility locating supplements, and does not replace, public one-call (811) notification. Utility designation is Quality Level B per ASCE/UESI/CI 38-22 unless otherwise stated. GPR interprets subsurface conditions; it does not expose them. Results are interpretations of conditions present within the requested area on the service date, and depend on target material, depth and site conditions.