What We Find on a Residential Property
Most homeowners only think about buried lines once they are already holding a shovel. The problem is that a house lot usually has more underground than people expect, and almost none of it is marked.
On a typical South Florida property we are asked to find:
- The water service line — the run from your meter to the house. This is the single most common call we get.
- Septic tank and drain field — before a tank replacement, an addition, or heavy equipment crossing the yard.
- Irrigation and sprinkler lines — almost always non-metallic, and almost never where the plan said.
- Electric feeds to a shed, pool pump, garage, dock or generator.
- Pool and spa plumbing, including returns and suction lines.
- Private drainage and downspout runs.
Why 811 Is Not Enough for Your Yard
Call 811 first. Always. It is free, it is required by Florida law before you dig, and it takes a couple of minutes. Nothing on this page replaces that call.
But you need to know what 811 actually covers. Sunshine State One Call notifies the utility companies, and they come out and mark their facilities — the public lines in the right of way, up to your meter. Past the meter, everything is yours. The service line running across your lawn to the house, the irrigation, the septic, the wire to the pool pump: none of that gets marked, because none of it belongs to a utility company.
That private side is where homeowner strikes actually happen. You did everything right, you called 811, the yard got marked — and then a fence post went through a water service that nobody had marked because nobody owned it but you.
What It Costs
Residential locating starts at $400. That is the starting price for a simple job: a single short run, or clearing a small defined area of around fifteen feet, on a property we can get to quickly.
It is not a flat rate for any size property, and we would rather say so up front than surprise you. A larger lot, several different utilities, or a congested yard takes longer and is priced accordingly. Tell us the address and what you are planning to dig, and you will normally have a price back the same day.
Set that against the alternative. Striking your own water service means shutting the water off, calling an emergency plumber at whatever the rate is that day, and paying to repair a line that is entirely your responsibility. The locate is the cheap part of that afternoon.
What You Actually Get
We use two methods together on every job, because one alone is not enough here.
Electromagnetic locating traces lines that carry a signal. Ground penetrating radar finds what does not — and that matters enormously in Florida, where a great deal of residential water and irrigation is PVC or poly pipe. GPR is included on every job rather than sold as an upgrade, because without it half the yard is invisible.
You get paint and flags on the ground showing where the located lines run, and we walk the marks with you before leaving so you know what each colour means. If you want the positions kept after the paint washes away, we also offer GPS mapping delivered as a Google Earth file you can keep.
One Thing We Will Not Tell You
We will not tell you how deep your line is from a locator reading, and you should be wary of anyone who does.
Locating establishes where a line runs horizontally. Depth readings from locating equipment are estimates, and they drift — particularly in South Florida, where the water table interferes with radar returns. The only way to know a real depth is to expose the pipe and measure to the top of it, which is a test hole. If your project needs a depth rather than a position, say so and we will quote that too.
When Homeowners Call Us
The jobs that come up most often:
- Planting a tree or palm, where the root ball goes deeper than people assume
- Setting fence posts along a property line
- Putting in a pool, spa or deck footing
- Replacing a driveway or walkway
- Installing a generator, EV charger or sub-panel
- Septic tank replacement or drain field work
- Tracking down a leak or a wet patch that will not dry
- Before a contractor starts, so you are not relying on their guess
A recent call was about as ordinary as it gets: locate the water service from the meter to the property. The line was not where the homeowner expected it to be. That is the usual outcome, and it is the whole argument for finding out before the digging starts rather than after.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does residential utility locating cost?
Residential locating starts at $400. That is the starting price for a simple job — a single short run, or clearing a small defined area of roughly 15 feet, where we can get out quickly. It is not a flat rate for any size property: a larger lot, several different utilities, or a congested yard takes longer and costs more. Send us the address and what you need found, and you will get a price the same day.
Doesn't 811 do this for free?
811 is free, it is required by Florida law, and you should always call it before you dig. But 811 marks public utilities up to your meter. It does not mark anything on your side of the meter — the service line running from the meter to your house, irrigation, septic, or the electric feed to a shed, pool or garage. Those are yours, and that is where most homeowner strikes happen.
Can you tell me how deep my water line is?
Not from locating alone. Locating establishes where a line runs horizontally. Depth readings from a locator are estimates and drift, especially with the South Florida water table. The only way to know a real depth is a test hole, where we expose the pipe and measure to the top of it. If you need depth, tell us and we will quote potholing as well.
What if my pipe is plastic?
That is exactly why a metal detector or a phone app will not help you. A great deal of Florida residential water and irrigation is PVC or poly, which carries no signal for electromagnetic locating to find. We run ground penetrating radar on every job alongside EM for that reason — it is included, not an extra.
How soon can you come out?
Often the next day, depending on crew availability. Calls and emails come to the owner rather than a call centre, so you normally get pricing and a date back the same day. Call (954) 849-2859 with your address and what you are planning to dig.
What do I get at the end?
Paint and flags on the ground marking where the located lines run, and we will walk the marks with you before we leave so you know what each colour means. If you want the positions recorded so they survive the next rain, we also offer GPS mapping delivered as a Google Earth file.
Find Out Before You Dig
Send your address and what you are planning, and you will normally have a price and a date the same day. Call (954) 849-2859 or request a quote online.
Related: how private utility locating works · full pricing breakdown · test holes for depth · what a private locator does