Protect yourself and those around you by contacting Underground Service Alert, at no cost.
Accidents involving contractors and excavators are one of the leading causes of pipeline damage. With approximately 100,000 miles of natural gas pipelines in SoCalGas® service territory, unmarked pipelines can be anywhere. Damage to natural gas pipelines can cause injury or death and can result in additional costs. It's especially important for contractors and excavators to be informed of the potential safety issues that might arise when working around natural gas pipelines.
Notifying 811 prior to excavation is required by California law.
Digging, excavation and grading near buried pipelines are major causes of pipeline damage, which can result in injury, costly repairs, natural gas service disruptions and project delays. Regardless of the size or scope of the work you’re planning, protect yourself, your employees, and the community by having the pipeline locations marked.
Do not dig until we either mark our natural gas pipelines or you are advised that the area is clear.
Confirm the utilities have marked the proposed work area. Natural gas is indicated in yellow. If no natural gas facilities are in your work area you may get a call, email, or see writing on the ground that indicates “no conflict” or “no natural gas.”
SoCalGas does not mark customer-owned natural gas lines, which typically run from the meter to the customer’s natural gas equipment. To have customer-owned lines located and marked before a project, contact a qualified pipe-locating professional.
Be aware of signs you may see, hear or smell when there is a leak.
[1] Some persons may not be able to smell the odor because they have a diminished sense of smell, olfactory fatigue (normal, temporary inability to distinguish an odor after prolonged exposure to it) or because the odor is being masked or hidden by other odors that are present, such as cooking, damp, musty or chemical odors. In addition, certain pipeline and soil conditions can cause odor fade—the loss of odorant so that it is not detectable by smell.
If you suspect a natural gas leak or pipe damage that may endanger life, cause bodily harm, or property damage, immediately evacuate the area, and from a safe location call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200.
Sometimes physical and/or chemical processes can cause a loss of odorant in natural gas, making it undetectable by smell. Odor fade is more likely to occur in the following situations:
Because of the possibility of odor fade, it's important to not rely only on your sense of smell to be alerted to a natural gas leak.
For a printable copy about odor fade and safe purging practices, see our Safety Brochures and Materials . If you have additional questions or concerns regarding pipe conditioning or odor fade, call us at 1-800-427-2200 or contact a licensed, qualified professional.
See how shut off and excess flow valves can help in an emergency.
Make sure your sewer line isn’t blocked by a natural gas pipeline.
