What Do Utility Spray Paint Markings Mean?

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Utility markings are everywhere. You see them on sidewalks, in the street, even in your backyard. They are a combination of colors, lines, shapes, arrows, and words that you’ve likely seen so often that you no longer notice them.

The sole purpose of utility markings is to efficiently provide information on buried utilities like power lines and sewers so that construction crews don't excavate, dig, or drill into them, causing damage, outages, and hazards.

This form of communication between utility companies and construction crews has proven to be very effective when used correctly. Utility markings need to be requested by individuals or construction companies before breaking ground. When this step is skipped, workers are put at increased risk of injury or death.

But how is this communication system all organized, and how do the construction crews decode the markings? We are going to dive in and find out.

Why Are There Utility Markings On the Street?

This incident, along with many others, prompted The American Public Works Association (APWA) to create a national color-coded utility marking system to help inform workers and prevent accidents like this.

Not all marking paint signals an underground utility. Some have other meanings. So how do we keep the colors straight, and how do we avoid confusing what they may mean?

Red – There's no coincidence that the universal color that indicates "stop" or "danger" marks electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables.

Orange – This signals telecommunication, alarm, or signal lines, cables, and conduit. This could also include fiber optics and more. As reliant as we are on communication these days, this can be an incredibly dangerous marking to miss.

Yellow – One of the brightest markings, and for good reason. This marking paint indicates that what is underneath is natural gas lines, oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous or flammable material. Proceed with urgency. Not many folks get a second chance if they ignore yellow paint markings.

Blue – Potable (drinkable) water. It makes sense that they would use blue for this, doesn't it? Hitting these could disrupt an area's drinking water.

Purple – Non-potable water, including reclaimed water, irrigation water, and slurry lines. Hitting these, while it wouldn’t hurt the drinking water supply of an area, would create a swampy site and still disrupt work and life around the site.

Green – Sewer lines and drain lines. While the consequences to the project of hitting this may not be as bad as hitting a potable water line, no one wants to be known as the person who cracked open a pipe and let sewage onto a site. Green does not mean go, in this case.

White – Proposed excavation areas or routes that show where digging is proposed.

Pink – Temporary survey markings indicating the legal boundaries that affect the project.

While the latter two do not indicate any potential buried problems, they should still be heeded. In fact, you've probably used our white marking paint on some of your own sites to indicate instructions to your team. You've probably also come across the pink markings on a surveyed site in your planning stages.

What Do Common Utility Markings Mean?

It will help if you start by understanding what a construction or excavation crew needs to know before digging. They need to know:

You may see a single line that has the width written out. The marking line indicates the center of the utility. In this case, the written width needs to be added to the tolerance zone. So, if you see that the width is 8", you cannot dig within 28" of either side of the line (24" tolerance zone + 4" width on each side = 28" new tolerance zone)

Another way the width can be indicated is by two parallel lines that are connected with a straight line, like an "H", or sometimes a diamond shape, indicating a conduit or duct. The distance between the parallel lines is the width of the buried utility.

Understanding these basics will help you decode a lot of the markings you see all over the place.

The Importance of Marking Paint

Beyond that, the design team can consider any needed change by marking out the known utilities and underground features. In particular, engineers and architects pay attention to these markings, as they can change how they shape and position building elements to fit with existing infrastructure and utility.

Reviewing the utility markings during the planning phase saves money. It allows the opportunity to move elements that could disturb existing utilities and prevent costly rerouting mid-project.

And yes, you need utility markings before planting plants. Planners and landscape architects will also use these markings to figure out how to position irrigation systems, walkways, parking areas, flora, and much more. Some utilities are buried very shallowly and could be struck while digging out a simple flower bed.

Work Safely and Efficiently With PowerPak Supplies

If you are prepping for an excavation, call 811 or visit call811.com. Be sure to give yourself enough lead time. The process can take days to weeks to get all utilities properly marked.

When you're looking to put down your own markings, whether you are an electrical team mapping outlines, or an excavation contractor preparing the site for digging, make sure you use durable, easy-to-see marking paint.

PowerPak offers a variety of options. We carry inverted spray paint cans in all of the APWA approved colors under our own brand STREETDOG, always in stock and ready to ship. It is fast drying, works in low temperatures, and has a non-clog tip. You can make the job even easier with a 34” paint applicator wand.