811 Wait Times by State — How Long Before You Can Dig

Understanding "Business Days" vs "Calendar Days"

Most states measure their required wait in business days — that means Monday through Friday, excluding state and federal holidays. A few states use calendar days. This is a critical distinction:

• If you call at 8am Monday and your state requires 3 business days, you can dig Thursday at 8am (not Wednesday)
• If you call Friday afternoon, you typically can't dig until the following Wednesday or Thursday
• Holidays extend the wait — a ticket submitted the day before Thanksgiving in a 3-business-day state means waiting until the following Monday at earliest

Some states start the clock at the time of the call; others start at midnight of the day the ticket was submitted. The table below shows which applies. Use the Wait Time Calculator to get an exact dig date for your state.

Complete Wait Time Table — All 50 States + DC

States With Notable Rules to Know

Texas — 11-Day Ticket Window

Texas has one of the shortest ticket validity windows in the country at just 11 days. This catches contractors off guard on multi-week projects. If your Texas project will take more than a week, plan your re-notify before day 11 — not after. The online portal at Texas811.org makes re-notification straightforward.

New York — 10-Day Re-Notify Window

New York's Dig Safely NY requires re-notification after 10 calendar days. On a project that runs two weeks, you'll need to submit at least two tickets. New York also requires that marks be visible and intact — if rain or mowing has obscured marks, you need re-notification and re-marking before continuing.

Ohio — Business Day Re-Notify

Ohio's 10 business-day window is measured in business days, not calendar days — making it effectively a 2-week validity period when weekends are included. Ohio 811's online portal (ohio811.org) offers the fastest re-notification process in the Midwest.

California — Split System

California uses two regional centers: USA North (northern California) and DigAlert (southern California, centered around Los Angeles). Both use 811 for routing, but the online portals and response systems are separate. If your project spans the service boundary (roughly the Fresno/Bakersfield area), you may need to file with both. California's 28-day ticket window is relatively generous.

Illinois (JULIE) — 14-Day Window

JULIE operates one of the most digitally advanced systems in the country with real-time ticket status. Their 14-day window is shorter than many neighboring states — contractors on longer Illinois projects should schedule re-notifies proactively.

Emergency Locate Requests

Every state has a provision for emergency locates — situations where excavation is required immediately due to a safety hazard or service restoration emergency. Emergency tickets jump the queue and utilities are required to respond within 2–4 hours in most states (vs. 2–3 business days for standard tickets).

Emergency locates are for genuine emergencies — a broken water main, a gas odor investigation, restoring service after a storm. Using emergency designation for a project that simply wasn't planned in advance is misuse of the system and can result in fines. See the Emergency Locate Requests guide.

FAQ: Wait Times

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