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NoVA & DC Plumbing Map

Job · Digging and 811

Call 811 before any digging

Full map

Call 811 before any digging, even a fence post; Virginia 811 is free and asks for three days' notice, DC calls go to Miss Utility, and trenches near sewer or gas lines are for licensed contractors.

Revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map

Blue utility flag beside a sidewalk marking a water main
A blue flag marks a water main before digging. Photographed in New Jersey, with the flag's printed details blurred.
Where this differs
PlaceWhat happens thereTurn to
DCMiss Utility is the one-call center for the District. Its page gives DC a minimum of 96 hours before excavation and no more than 10 days ahead.Sheet 1
ArlingtonVirginia 811 serves Virginia properties. The county's own digging in the street needs its own permits; for your yard, the 811 ticket is the first step.Sheet 6
AlexandriaThe same Virginia 811 ticket applies. The city bars downspouts and sump lines tied into the sanitary sewer, which is a reason to ask before trenching any drain line.Sheet 8
Fairfax CountyVirginia 811 applies. The county Health Department says its own soil and well visits that probe or auger the ground are scheduled at least three working days out so utilities can be cleared. Repairs in a state road's right of way also need a VDOT permit.Sheet 13
ViennaVirginia 811 applies. The Town requires its own street-cut permit for work in the town right of way.Sheet 14
Falls Church, Herndon, City of FairfaxVirginia 811 applies. Local right-of-way permit rules could not be confirmed from their pages.Sheet 15

What 811 does

Virginia 811 says its service is free and gives the approximate location of buried utility lines. Contact it three days before any digging project, from fences to gardens. The marks are approximate, so they tell you roughly where lines run, not exactly, and the service sums up the job as "Allow time for marking, respect the marks, excavate carefully."

In DC the one-call center is Miss Utility, the same organization that serves other regions. This map does not cover Maryland. For a DC property, use Miss Utility's DC page.

Green utility flag in a lawn marking a sewer main
A green flag marks a sewer main. Photographed in New Jersey, printed details blurred.

Who files the ticket

If you hire a contractor, ask who files. Virginia 811 has a question on its site about who is responsible when a contractor does the excavation, and we could not read the answer, so we do not state it. Ask for the ticket number in writing. Virginia 811 also has a ticket search that homeowners use to find out why paint markings appeared in a yard.

What counts as digging

The Virginia 811 excavator pages list boring, ditching, grading, moving earth, pipe bursting, scraping, setting poles, trenching and demolishing alongside simply digging a hole. Plumbing work uses several of those. Gas water heater swaps rarely need a trench; sewer laterals and water service lines do.

Digging near gas

Gas line damage is the dangerous case. If you hit a line or smell gas, leave first. Move away from the area, use no switches and no phone inside, and ring 911 once you are outside, then the Washington Gas leak line on 844-927-4427. Never try to shut off or repair a gas line yourself. See gas water heaters for who does gas work.

Trenches and sewer laterals are for licensed contractors

Do not dig a trench to reach a sewer lateral or water service line. That job belongs to a licensed contractor, with 811 called first, and in most places a permit. In Fairfax County, the county says repairs to a lateral need a county plumbing permit, with a VDOT permit when the work is in a state right of way. See sewer lateral repair and who owns which pipe.

DC Water's rule is similar: the owner hires a registered master plumber for the lateral. For the public portion, the plumber reports to DC Water or calls it.

After the marks go on the ground

Paint and flags mean the utilities have responded to the ticket. Do not assume a line is missing because no mark appears; an unmarked area may mean no utility, a private line that 811 members do not mark, or a response still pending. We did not find a page that explains private lines, so ask the contractor whether a private locator is needed. If you are unsure, call a licensed pro before the shovel goes in.

Also consider trees: a trench can cut roots, as explained in street trees and roots.

Check your own address

  1. Call 811 at least three days before digging in Virginia, or file a Miss Utility ticket in DC at least 96 hours ahead.
  2. Keep your ticket number, and look it up on Virginia 811's ticket search if marks appear that you did not expect.
  3. Ask your contractor in writing who files the ticket and who talks to the locators.
  4. In Fairfax County, ask whether your repair also needs a VDOT permit, and in Vienna ask about the street-cut permit.
  5. Write down where marks end before anyone lifts a shovel, and keep children away from the area.

More on checking an address

Survey notes: sources for this page