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Iowa 811 rules

In Iowa you call Iowa One Call: 48 hours, counted from 6:00 a.m. the next business day and excluding weekends and holidays. Ticket life: 25 calendar days beginning the day the 48-hour period ends.

Advance notice before digging
48 hours, counted from 6:00 a.m. the next business day and excluding weekends and holidays.
Farthest ahead you can call
Not confirmed in the law we read. Ask Iowa One Call.
How long the ticket or marks last
25 calendar days beginning the day the 48-hour period ends.
Tolerance zone (hand dig inside it)
18 inches horizontally on either side of the facility (horizontal location definition).
White lining (premarking)
Yes (white paint, flags or stakes at time of notice, unless area clearly definable by description or preconstruction meeting).
The law
Iowa Code ch. 480 (480.1, 480.4).

Good to know: Near high-pressure pipelines (150 psi and up), an operator rep has to be there within 25 feet.

Call 811 from anywhere in Iowa to reach Iowa One Call, or file online at iowaonecall.com.

Running several digs at once?

TrackOver keeps each ticket number, markout date and expiry on the job it belongs to, and warns before a ticket runs out, so the crew in the hole isn't digging on a dead ticket.

811 ticket trackingFind dig work on the board

Where this comes from

Checked September 24, 2026 against the state's own statute or rule text. Rules change; confirm with the center before a big job.

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