Chattanooga Gas’ 811 Man reminds Customers and Contractors to Contact Tennessee 811 Before You Dig

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – April 1, 2025 – As part of National Safe Digging Month this April, Chattanooga Gas is advocating for homeowners and construction contractors to prioritize the safety of themselves and the public’s by contacting Tennessee 811 before digging.  

Miles of infrastructure have been built into the ground in an effort to protect the public from potential risks of damage. But still, Chattanooga had thousands of incidents that caused damage to underground infrastructure last year. Ongoing growth and infrastructure improvements in this community make safe digging more important than ever. 

Contacting Tennessee 811 is a free public service, and in some cases legally required, to help prevent serious safety hazards, costly repairs, and service disruptions, Chattanooga Gas encourages the use of the process below prior to digging: 

Dial 811 or submit a ticket online at tenn811.com least three business days before digging. 

Tennessee 811 will notify the appropriate utility company of plans to dig on your behalf. Professionals are then sent out to the location to mark the approximate locations of underground utility lines with spray paint or flags that correspond to the utility. Natural gas markings are yellow. 

Wait three business days. 

Utility professionals in your area have at least three business days to mark their utility lines at the dig site. Underground utility lines will be marked with spray paint or flags that correspond to the utility. Natural gas markings are yellow. 

Check the Positive Response Information System Online 

Determine if utility lines have been marked using Tennessee 811’s service called the Positive Response Tracking System (PRIS) to help track the status of the ticket request. 

More information about the PRIS here. 

If all utilities have responded, digging can begin. 

Make sure the marks remain visible during the project. If the markings are no longer visible, contact 811 to have lines remarked. If a natural gas line is damaged accidentally or the distinctive rotten-egg odor associated with natural gas is present, call 911 or the Chattanooga Gas 24-hour emergency phone line at 1-866-643-4170 from a safe location.  

In addition to natural gas pipelines, there are underground communications, water and sewer lines, and other utility lines. Knowing where underground infrastructure is before you dig helps prevent injuries, property damage and inconvenient service outages. 

For more information on safe digging practices, visit Chattanooga Gas’ safe digging page here.  

###

About Chattanooga Gas

Chattanooga Gas is one of four natural gas distribution companies of Southern Company Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO). Chattanooga Gas provides retail natural gas sales and transportation services to approximately 71,000 customers in Hamilton and Bradley counties in southeast Tennessee. The Chattanooga Gas service area includes the communities of Chattanooga, Cleveland, Red Bank, East Ridge, Lookout Mountain and Signal Mountain. For more information, visit chattanoogagas.com.

Media Contact:
Ashley Hoffman
678.357.1685 | ahoffman@southernco.com