Overview

Diggers Hotline is a statewide one-call system that provides excavators and the general public the ability to inform multiple owners of underground facilities of planned excavation. Calling Diggers Hotline to properly locate underground lines is crucial to protecting not only your safety, but the safety of your family, neighbors, and the general public. 

Requirements

Wisconsin Statute 182.0175 ​requires you to:

• Notify Diggers Hotline at least 3 days before you excavate, grade, trench, dig, drill, augur, tunnel, scrape, plow cable or pipe.
  
• Maintain an 18-inch buffer zone on each side of a marked facility.
  
• No mechanized equipment can be used within the buffer zone; only hand digging is allowed. Excavation, according to the law, means anything that moves, removes, or displaces earth,​ rock or other material in or on the ground.
  

​​​Enforcement Center

Violations of Wisconsin Statute 182.0175 can be reported to the Diggers Hotline Enforcement Center​. If probable cause is found, a panel of Diggers Hotline stakeholders will decide between education and referral to the PSC. If referred to the PSC, a PSC investigation will determine if there was a violation of the law and any subsequent legal action or fines. Submission against state agencies must be filed directly with the PSC Consumer Affairs​, not through Diggers Hotline. ​​