White Lining Your Excavation Site
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- Created: Monday, 31 January 2022 12:21
- Written by Dana Raidt
One of the most important damage prevention practices occurs well before an excavation or utility locate. It happens even before a call to Gopher State One Call is made.
Pre-marking, also commonly known as white lining or white marking, is one of the five required “precautions to avoid damage” included in Minnesota’s dig law. Per State Statute Chapter 216D, using white markings for proposed excavations is required “except when it can be shown that it is not practical.”
Even though it is required by law, white lining is often overlooked by professional and homeowner excavators alike. But in addition to other pre-locate practices such as submitting precise marking instructions, it is an effective way for excavators to convey their exact intended excavation area. That communication in turn helps avoid confusion, delays and errors and allows locators to more quickly identify the area to locate.
