Protect Yourself and Those Around You
Contact Underground Service Alert at 811, at no cost.
Follow these important steps before you contact 811
Mark
Mark out your proposed excavation area. Use white paint or provide other markings.
Wait to dig until we either mark our natural gas pipelines or you are advised that the area is clear.
Contact
Submit a request online* or call 811.
The Underground Service Alert is available between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).
Wait
Wait to dig until we either mark our natural gas pipelines or you are advised that the area is clear.
Confirm
Confirm 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."
Tools
Use only hand tools within 24 inches of each marked utility line to carefully expose the exact locations of all lines.
Report a Natural Gas Leak
If you suspect a natural gas leak or pipe damage, immediately evacuate the area, and from a safe location call 911 and SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200.
- Do not smoke or light a flame; or turn electrical appliances or and lights on or off.
- Do not use any device that could cause a spark.
- Do not attempt to control the leak or repair damaged pipe or meter. Natural gas leaking from a plastic pipe can create static electricity that can ignite the natural gas.
Recognize a Natural Gas Leak
Be aware of signs you may see, hear or smell to further improve the safety of your home and community.
Look
If you see a damaged connection to a natural gas appliance, dirt/water blowing into the air, dry patch of grass, fire or explosion near a pipeline.
Listen
If you hear unusual sounds like hissing or whistling
Smell
If you smell the distinctive odor[1] of natural gas.
[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 conditions in pipe and soil can cause odor fade the loss of odorant so that is not detectable by smell.
Odor Fade
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:
- In new, steel pipe that has been recently manufactured or hasn hasn’t been used for odorized natural gas before
- In natural gas piping systems using higher gas pressure, and when natural gas flow is limited or intermittent
- In the presence of rust, mill scale, moisture, air, cutting oil, pipe thread compound, liquids, condensates and other substances
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.
Clearing an Exterior Sewer Line
Make sure your sewer line isn isn’t blocked by a natural gas pipeline.
Earthquake Shut Off and Excess Flow Valves
See how shut off and excess flow valves can help in an emergency.