Commercial & Residential Construction

Skilled Trades & Private Utilities

If you don't read anything else on this page...

65% of Utilities are PRIVATE

Not Marked by 811
WHO
IS "AT RISK?"
General Contractors  •  Electricians  •  Excavators  •  Plumbers  •  Fence Installers  •  Swimming Pool Contractor  •  Landscapers  •  HVAC  •  Irrigation Contractors... & more!
COMMERCIAL sites are complicated by multiple buildings on a single campus, parking lot lights, firewater systems, CCTV security, chilled water lines and other utilities critical to safety & operations.
COMMERCIAL sites are complicated by multiple buildings on a single campus, parking lot lights, firewater systems, CCTV security, chilled water lines and other utilities critical to safety & operations.
Pictured are a few examples of how private utilities impact the underground landscape on RESIDENTIAL properties.
Pictured are a few examples of how private utilities impact the underground landscape on RESIDENTIAL properties.

What's the Difference?

Public & Private Utilities

The major difference is this: which side of the meter is the line on?

Whether Commercial OR Residential, 811 is legally liable for (and limited to) locating ONLY Public Utilities. Public utilities are those that are owned and maintained by the utility company. They are often described as utility lines that run from the company's main to the user's meter. Public utility locating is required by law, prior to excavation. This "free" service is actually performed (or paid for) by the utility owner to protect their assets.

Private Utilities are the responsibility of the property owner; they are NOT located by 811. They are often referred to as the lines that run from the utility's meter to the facility or between facilities. When performing contract labor, commercially or residentially, liability for damages becomes fuzzy. Due to lack of education and legislation surrounding private utilities, it can literally come down to a judge to determine who will pay for the damages.

KEY-SERVICES
INDUSTRY SPECIFIC VALUE
We asked our top construction clients why the needed private utilities located on their job sites. Here are their answers.

Employee & Job Site SAFETY
Employee & Job Site SAFETY
Employee & Job Site SAFETY
"The #1 reason we need private locates is for our employees' safety.  Knowing what hazards lie buried beneath the ground is critical to avoiding any excavation mishaps.  An excavating crew may be exposed to severe injury or death by unwittingly striking a buried power, gas, high pressure water, process utility, ammonia, or other hazardous utility."
Detail & Accuracy
Detail & Accuracy
Detail & Accuracy
"We need to be able to verify locations of tie-in points to existing utilities so we aren’t wasting our time and money searching for an underground chilled water line or sanitary lateral or any other underground utility conflicts."
Risk Mitigation
Risk Mitigation
Risk Mitigation
"We need to be able to avoid disrupting any of our owner’s operations by accidentally damaging one of their utilities. When an owner considers us to build their new facility, any disruption of their production and revenue stream in the past would weigh heavily against us. A power loss to a pharmaceutical company or a damaged line to a hospital would cause major issues including loss of loss or down production time."

"The #1 reason we need private locates is for our employees' safety.  Knowing what hazards lie buried beneath the ground is critical to avoiding any excavation mishaps.  An excavating crew may be exposed to severe injury or death by unwittingly striking a buried power, gas, high pressure water, process utility, ammonia, or other hazardous utility."

"We need to be able to verify locations of tie-in points to existing utilities so we aren’t wasting our time and money searching for an underground chilled water line or sanitary lateral or any other underground utility conflicts."

"We need to be able to avoid disrupting any of our owner’s operations by accidentally damaging one of their utilities. When an owner considers us to build their new facility, any disruption of their production and revenue stream in the past would weigh heavily against us. A power loss to a pharmaceutical company or a damaged line to a hospital would cause major issues including loss of loss or down production time."

Top Construction Benefits

We surveyed Construction clients to identify the benefits of our services for your industry:

Safety

On average, our team locates 46% more underground utilities and structures [on the same sites] than One Call/811. Our advanced training & technologies are designed to enhance safety.

Accuracy

Our technologies are not dependent on material or tracer wires to identify (with GPS-accuracy) the underground anomalies that are critical to the safety of your crews and success of your projects.

Efficiency

When time is money, MPL responds faster, providing more detail, with greater accuracy than public locates.  Safely expedite project timelines and optimize profitability for all project stakeholders.

Mitigate Risk

Disruption to your client's critical utility services is not only inconvenient, it can be very dangerous.  Avoid disrupting commercial customers' production & residential customers' daily lives - and keep everyone safer with detailed, accurate private locating services.


From Your Peers

Justin Angrick, Messer Construction

“Mason has helped us keep safety a priority on our projects by providing accurate and detailed locations of both private and public utilities on our jobsites. Knowing precisely what hazards are lurking beneath the surface allows us to keep our workers out of harms’ way.”

Brian Hamilton, Turner Construction Company

"There are several private utility locating companies in the greater Indianapolis area, but for me the first choice is Mason Private Locating. What I value the most in a private utility locating service is expertise. The expertise of the technician running the equipment can make all the difference in achieving a quick and accurate locate."

Including Private Utility Locating in Your Bids

Medical and educational campuses, shopping centers, multi-family housing, business complexes, gas stations and private residences are textbook examples of "high risk" areas for private utilities.  You can build Private Locating Services into your bids or give your customer the option to call us themselves (we love referrals!) to help mitigate your liability. We offer <48 hour response time in our local markets and are happy to partner with contractors to improve safety for everyone!
Call for a FREE Consultation

Get More with Mason Private Locating LLC

  • Private Utility Locating
  • Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)
  • Concrete Scanning
  • Utility Mapping
  • Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE)
  • Sewer Inspection/Cross-Bore Mitigation
  • Vacuum Excavation