Published
You hit a line. Two calls, maybe three, and one thing you may never do
The moment after contact
Every dig season, somebody’s bucket finds a line the map said was elsewhere. Idaho law does not leave that moment to improvisation — Idaho Code § 55-2208 puts three duties on the excavator in the first minutes, and the order matters:
“An excavator who, in the course of excavation, contacts or damages an underground facility shall notify the underground facility owner and the one-number notification service.”
— Idaho Code § 55-2208(1). Retrieved 5 October 2026
Two notifications, not one. The facility owner learns what their line took, and the one-number notification service — in Idaho, the 811 system — gets the record of the strike. Neither call replaces the other, and the duty attaches the moment there is contact, not just a visible break.
When 911 joins the call list
The statute draws a bright line around the worst outcomes:
“If the damage causes an emergency condition or an actual breach of an underground facility that releases gas or hazardous liquids into the surrounding environment, the excavator causing the damage shall also alert the appropriate local public safety agencies by, at a minimum, calling 911, and take all appropriate steps to ensure the public safety.”
— Idaho Code § 55-2208(1). Retrieved 5 October 2026
Read it literally: a dented gas line with no leak can already be an emergency condition — the trigger is the condition, not the fire. Smell gas, hear hissing, see liquid pooling or dead vegetation turning live soil gray: the call order is 911 first, then clear the area, then the owner and 811. A scrape that only nicked a conduit sheath is a two-call event; a breach is a three-call event.
The line you cannot bury
The duty homeowners most often trip over is the quiet one at the end of the same subsection:
“No damaged underground facility may be buried until it is repaired or relocated.”
— Idaho Code § 55-2208(1). Retrieved 5 October 2026
Practically: the hole stays open. Backfilling over a damaged line — even to keep the trench safe overnight, even to get the machine off the lot — is its own violation, because it converts a repairable strike into a hidden one. Mark the spot, fence or plate the opening if needed, and leave the damage visible until the owner clears the repair.
The owner’s side of the repair
The statute then splits the response. The excavator reports; the owner repairs:
“The owner of the underground facilities damaged shall arrange for repairs or relocation as soon as is practical or may permit the excavator to do necessary repairs or relocation at a mutually acceptable price.”
— Idaho Code § 55-2208(2). Retrieved 5 October 2026
So the contractor who hits a line should expect the owner’s crew on site — and, on small jobs, an offer: the owner can hand the repair back to the excavator at a price both accept. That offer is a business decision, not a command; refusing it and waiting for the owner’s people is always an option. Who ultimately pays for a strike is a separate question this site answers on its equipment-rental and locate-colors pages — linked at the bottom, not repeated here.
The paperwork that follows a hit
Two quieter subsections shape what happens after the ground is fixed:
- § 55-2208(4) directs the Idaho Dig Law board to adopt rules for processing damage claims — the administrative track when the parties cannot settle the repair bill between themselves.
- § 55-2208(5) orders reporting to the board: “excavators who observe or suffer excavator downtime related to a failure of one (1) or more stakeholders to comply with applicable damage prevention regulations shall report such information to the board in accordance with the rules promulgated by the board.” A crew that sat idle for a day because marks were wrong, a locate was late, or a facility map was off has a statutory reporting duty — that data is how the board finds repeat offenders.
Neither substitutes for a complaint — the statute says reporting the data “does not constitute a complaint” under § 55-2211. The report feeds the record; the claim process resolves the money.
A hit-free job is cheaper than a fast one
- Locate before the bucket drops. The two-business-day 811 window and the life of the marks are covered on the locate-ticket page.
- Hand-dig the last 24 inches around anything marked — the exposure rule and its duties are on the hand-dig zone page.
- Know what the colors mean before you interpret a paint line: the APWA color code, and what marks do not show.
- Check the clock on the marks — stale locates restart the whole cycle, per the mark-validity rule.
- If the strike happens anyway: owner, 811, and 911 when warranted — and nothing gets buried. Then call (208) 932-1140 and let a crew that carries this checklist dig instead.
Two more pages belong in the same folder: what legally safe trenching looks like once the hole is open, and who carries the locate duty when the machine is rented — including the repair-cost rule this page deliberately leaves there. Deep rock that must come out by force runs under the blasting rules instead.
Common questions
What should I do first if I hit a buried line?
Notify two parties immediately: the underground facility owner and the one-number notification service - Idaho 811. Idaho Code 55-2208(1) puts that double notification on the excavator the moment there is contact or damage, before anyone debates severity.
When do I have to call 911 for a line strike?
When the damage causes an emergency condition, or an actual breach releasing gas or hazardous liquids into the surrounding environment. The statute requires alerting local public safety agencies by, at minimum, calling 911, and taking all appropriate steps to ensure public safety.
Can I backfill over a damaged line and fix it later?
No. No damaged underground facility may be buried until it is repaired or relocated - backfilling over the strike is its own violation. Keep the hole open, mark it, protect it, and leave the damage visible until the owner clears the repair.
Who actually repairs the line I hit?
The facility owner arranges repairs or relocation as soon as is practical - or may permit the excavator to do the work at a mutually acceptable price. Accepting that offer is optional; waiting for the owner's crew is always allowed.
Who pays when an excavator damages a line?
That rule is covered on this site's equipment-rental page and the locate-colors page, which quote the cost-of-repairs provision directly - this page sticks to the notification duties that come first. The claim-processing rules adopted by the Dig Law board handle what the parties cannot settle.
Do I have to report a hit to anyone besides the owner and 811?
Excavators who suffer downtime because a stakeholder failed to comply with damage prevention rules must report that information to the board under its rules - and facility owners have the same duty for damage they observe. The report feeds state statistics; it is not a complaint.
What if I hit a line on my own property?
Customer-owned lines past the meter are usually unmarked by the free locate, so the strike risk is highest exactly where owners assume safety. The notification duties of 55-2208 apply the same way - and the color-code page explains which lines the locate will never show.