JULIE, Inc. Reminds Homeowners to Call 811
April is National Safe Digging Month, and the City of West Chicago wants to remind homeowners and professional excavators in Illinois that State law requires you to contact JULIE before you start any digging project, no matter how small the project or how deep you plan to dig.
There are two convenient ways to reach JULIE:
1. Click Before You Dig Using E-Request
You can now enter your own locate request if you have a valid email address and a single-address excavation. You will receive a confirmation email from JULIE, Inc. along with general information pertaining to the excavation project. E-requests are processed by JULIE before the start of the next business day. The legal start date and time will be 48 hours from the time that JULIE processes your locate request. NOTE: Your E-request is not valid until you receive an email confirmation from JULIE, Inc. with a start date and time.
Before entering your E-request, click here for helpful hints to streamline the process.
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2. Call Before You Dig
8-1-1 is the nationwide toll-free number for locate services.
Call JULIE’s toll-free number
Our toll-free number – 1-800-892-0123 – is staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
Both the call and JULIE’s services are free.
Professional locators are then sent to the requested digging site to mark the approximate locations of underground lines with flags, paint or both. Too often, an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig without first calling 811.
Striking a single line can cause injury, repair costs, fines and inconvenient outages. Installing a mailbox, building a deck and planting a tree or garden are all examples of digging projects that require a call to JULIE.
The depth of utility lines can vary for a number of reasons, such as erosion, previous digging projects and uneven surfaces. Utility lines need to be properly marked because even when digging only a few inches, the risk of striking an underground utility line still exists.
JULIE encourages Illinois residents to visit www.illinois1call.com for more information about digging safely.
Additional Resource: JULIE Homeowner’s Guide – .pdf 1.85 MB
Information courtesy of JULIE Inc.