Are private lines to my Orleans shed marked by a locate?

The Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012 requires a locate request before any digging, and Ontario Dig Authority relays that request to buried infrastructure owners, who then mark their lines. We found no statement in that Act or on Ontario Dig Authority's site confirming that privately owned lines, such as a line running from your house to a shed, are marked through that process.

Whether the owner of a private line will respond to a locate request, or whether a separate arrangement is needed to identify it, is not something we found addressed in the Act or in Ontario Dig Authority's published guidance.

Before any digging starts for a shed pad or footings in Orleans, there are two things to sort out. First, submit a locate request through Ontario Dig Authority at least five business days before the dig is expected to start, as the Act requires. Locates are free. Second, ask separately who will mark any private lines on your property. Do not assume the public locate covers it, and do not assume it does not: get a clear answer before breaking ground.

The locate requirement applies to anyone who digs, including a homeowner doing their own work. If a contractor is doing the digging, ask before signing anything who will submit the locate request and who is responsible for identifying the private line to the shed.

When you are comparing written quotes for the concrete pad itself, put the base depth and thickness in writing, the specified concrete strength, the finish, and whether removal of any existing material and disposal are included, side by side before you decide.