Call Before You Dig

If you are planning to dig in South Carolina, SC811 should be your first step for safety and damage prevention of underground facilities. SC811 is operated by Palmetto Utility Protection (PUPS), a one call system to improve community and job safety of contractors, construction personnel and the general public. Most importantly, SC811 is a statewide family, of which Marlboro Electric is a part of, committed to the safety of our community and damage prevention to members, excavators, and the public for South Carolina.

The 1978 Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act, SC811, a not-for-profit company, has been working hard for damage prevention and safety for more than 30 years. Anyone proposing to excavate, dig, bore, tunnel, blast, or disturb the earth in any manner in which buried facilities may be damaged is required to call SC811 at 811 or (888) 721-7877 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. (EST) and 5:30 p.m. (EST), Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, allowing three working days (72 hours) before starting the proposed work. Emergencies will be processed promptly.

The South Carolina state law requires at least a three working-day notice (72 hours) excluding weekends and holidays, for the locators to mark the area. An SC811 representative will record the location of the digging site and notify member companies of your intent to dig. Each member company will then send either one of their employees or a contract locator to your dig site to mark the location of their underground facility lines. Once the lines have been marked, you may begin carefully to dig, keeping in mind the 2½ feet allowance on either side of the markings. Not all utilities are members with SC811. If a utility is not named, please contact them directly.

Remeber to call 811 or (888) 721-7877 or visit their website to request a locate ticket before you dig.