How to Landscape Around Buried Cable Lines

Here’s how to landscape safely around buried cable lines: plan ahead, mark the utility lines, keep power tools away from the tolerance zone, learn what you can install above utility lines, and know where the trees fit in.

Why do you need to take precautions? Underground utility lines are safe from storms but not from human negligence. According to the Common Ground Alliance, the damage caused by digging to buried utility lines was over $230,000 in 2022. For telecom and gas lines, in 9% to 14% of the cases, the damage was caused during fencing or landscaping activities.

Learn how to landscape around buried cable lines correctly and prevent service interruptions and costly repairs for you and your community.

1. Plan ahead

Proper planning helps DIY landscapers do pro-level jobs and is essential with buried cable lines across the yard. 

Take a piece of paper and write down what you want to improve around the yard. Then draw a sketch and mark where you want to put each landscaping element (patio, pathways, trees, garden bed, etc.). 

Use these guides for inspiration:

• “20 Cheap Landscaping Ideas to Improve Your Yard”
• “12 Small Front Yard Landscaping Ideas”
• “9 Low-Maintenance Landscaping Ideas”
• “Best Landscaping Ideas for Backyard Privacy”

If you want to take the faster route and benefit from a pro experience, read our guide, “How Much Does Landscaping Cost in 2024?” to estimate the budget for a professional installation.

2. Mark all the utility lines

Call 811 if you’re digging, says the law

If you’re digging around your property, you’re legally required to call 811 (the national call-before-digging number) and get the public utilities marked. There’s also the option of sending an online request. Check if your state accepts 811 requests online on the national 811 website.

This is a free, one-call service. The 811 operator contacts all the public utility members who might have service lines passing through your yard. Typically, utility locators arrive within two to three working days and mark the buried lines.

Before utility markers arrive, signal your digging zone with white painting, flags, or chalk. If utility locators come and the excavation area is not signaled, they can postpone the marking.

Note: If you’re working with a landscaping professional on any project involving digging, such as fencing or installing underground irrigation systems, the contractor must have an 811 ticket to work on your property. A ticket in your name only covers your work on the property.

Remember the private utility lines

According to the Michigan Technological University, about 65% of the underground utilities are privately owned and won’t get marked by the 811 service. Buried utility lines installed after the meter or a main line are typically considered private lines and are the property of the land owner. 

Water lines from the public right-of-way throughout a private property, secondary electric lines for water pumps, sheds, or site lighting, and storm sewers on private property are just a few examples. Some private lines are installed DIY by land owners, others by hired contractors. 

To locate private utilities, use as-built drawings, hire a private locator for $200 to $250 per hour, or rent a ground penetrating radar (GPR) for $200 to $300 daily.

Mark the tolerance zone

The tolerance zone extends 18 to 30 inches (depending on the state) from the marked services line on both sides. If you use power tools inside the tolerance area and damage the utility line, you are liable for the damage. But most important, you can get hurt. Augering a power line by mistake can lead to fatal electric shock.

If digging in the tolerance zone, only use blunt hand tools such as a rounded or blunt-edge shovel. In some states, vacuum excavation can also be used to dig larger areas.

Note! If you dig a hole in your yard with a power tool, the hole’s edge must be 2 feet away from the utility line, not the center of the hole. 

3. Choose a good spot for the permanent outdoor structures

Anything you plant or install too close or above utility lines might be removed when the time comes for line repairs or replacement. Suppose it is a distribution line (main conduit) installed in a utility easement. In that case, the utility workers have the right to demolish everything to access it and are not required to repair the damage. 

For peace of mind and a good return on investment, place all expensive and permanent outdoor structures away from utility lines. We include in this category all hardscapes with buried elements, a foundation, or that are too heavy to move if necessary, such as:

• Decks
• Sheds
• Garages
• Concrete slab patios
• Gazebos
• Water fountains
• Swimming pools
• Garden ponds
• Outdoor kitchens
• Fences

4. Plant trees and shrubs at a safe distance

Trees improve the beauty of any home, work as windbreaks, and provide cool shade, but their extensive root systems can become a problem for cable lines and pipelines. 

Planting trees too close to underground utilities can:

• Damage wire coating
• Strain the cable as roots grow longer and thicker
• Intertwine with the cable lines, making repairs difficult and dangerous
• Penetrate leaking water lines and further increase the damage on cracked lines or broken connectors
• Enter sewage lines and storm drains and clog them

Avoid all these problems by choosing a planting spot far enough from utility lines for the roots to reach. For example, if your mature tree grows roots 10 feet from the trunk, plant it at least 10 feet away from the tolerance zone.

The safest choices are smaller trees with non-invasive roots, such as:

• Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
• Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)
• Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
• Adams crabapple (Malus sp. ‘ Adams’)
• Trident maple (Acer buergerianum)
• Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata)
• American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
• Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis)

Small trees with non-invasive roots are especially useful when landscaping small yards, where there simply isn’t enough space to keep the roots of larger trees away from the buried cable lines.

5. Design with no-dig or shallow-dig hardscapes

The simplest way to landscape above buried cable lines is to clear the soil of weeds and cover the area with sand, gravel, or decorative mulch.  

You also can install outdoor structures that don’t require a foundation and are easy to move or take apart and put back in place if access to the service lines is needed. Here are a few ideas:

• Stone, brick, gravel, paver pathways
• Shallow paver patios that don’t require deep digging
• Removable garden benches
• Pergolas
• Trellises and arbors

6. Plant the space above cable lines with shallow-rooted species

To grow vegetation above cable lines, consider non-invasive small plants with shallow roots that don’t extend too wide or deep. Consider flowers, low-profile grasses, and low-growing herbaceous plants, such as:

• Beach aster (Erigeron glaucus) 
• Bird’s foot fern (Pellaea mucronate) 
• California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) 
• Coyote mint (Monardella villosa)
• Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana) 
• Lilac verbena (Glandularia lilacina)
• Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) 
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) 
• Sonoma sage (Salvia sonomensis) 

7. Build a veggie garden with elevated garden beds

Elevated garden beds are also an option for growing herbs, lettuce, and other veggies in an area with pipelines underground. 

They don’t require digging the ground and can be moved if you need access to the cable lines in the soil without spoiling the crop. 

8. Allow easy access to meters and utility boxes

Your yard also might contain electric meters, utility boxes, and buried service lines. Meters measure energy, gas, and water consumption, while utility boxes can host transformers and other equipment technicians need to access from time to time. These must be easily accessible.

Leave a few feet of clearance around them and avoid planting species with thorns, spines, or prickles. Also, avoid ivy or other climbing plants. Mulch, gravel, grass, and small rocks work perfectly in this area.

For electrical transformers, the rule is to have about 4 feet of free space on the lateral sides and back side and about 10 feet at the front. 

9. Report any damage as soon as possible

If you hit a utility line while digging, call the utility company and report the damage. Do this even if it’s minor or only the trace wire was damaged, not the utility line. 

Don’t try to repair or patch the utility line yourself. Call a professional to do it. 

Don’t cover damaged lines, even if the damage seems minor.

Hitting a gas line is very dangerous. If it happens, you must turn off all equipment, evacuate the area, and call 911 and the gas company. Do not attempt to repair a damaged gas pipe or meter.

FAQ about landscaping around buried cable lines

How deep can I dig without calling 811?

Since phone and TV lines are 6 to 12 inches deep or closer to the surface, there’s no minimum depth you can dig to without calling 811. If you dig in your yard, call 811, no matter the expected dig depth. 

How deep are utility lines installed?

Here are the standard depths:

• One foot (12 inches) deep or less: cable lines, telephone lines, pathway lighting wires
• Two feet (24 inches) deep: sewage lines, electric lines, fiber optic cable, gas lines
• Three feet (36 inches) deep or more: high voltage cable, water lines, large sewer lines

Keep in mind that burying depth varies with the region. In northern states, utility lines are buried deeper, below the freeze line, while in southern states, they might be closer to the surface.

What are the standard marking colors for underground utilities?

• Red: electric power lines, lighting cables
• Yellow: gas, oil, steam, chemical lines
• Orange: communication, alarm, or signal lines
• Blue: potable (drinking) water
• Purple: reclaimed water, irrigation, and slurry lines
• Green: sewers and drain lines
• Pink: temporary survey marking
• White: proposed excavation

Landscape the yard safely with a professional

Are you worried about nicking the cable lines and leaving your neighbors without a TV connection? Or worse? Landscaping professionals have years of experience dealing with buried lines. Find a reliable local and insured landscaping company through Lawn Love and make the best of your garden design without worries and fines.

• Main Photo Credit: Georgy Dzyura | Adobe Stock Free | License