Call Tennessee 811 Before Stump Grinding

Do you have to call 811 before stump grinding in Tennessee?

Yes. Tennessee's Underground Utility Damage Prevention Act requires anyone who digs to notify Tennessee 811 first. Tennessee 811 says the law covers any type of excavation, including hand digging, grading, demolition, augering, and boring. The Tennessee Public Utility Commission says to call 811 before any excavation, even with hand tools.

A stump grinder cuts several inches below the surface and can go much deeper. That's digging. Gas, power, water, and cable lines often run right past where trees were planted, because they were all put in along the same yard lines.

How much notice does Tennessee 811 need?

At least three working days. Tennessee 811 says a normal locate request needs at least three working days' notice, which is 72 hours not counting weekends and holidays. State law also says no more than ten working days before you start.

If a job runs past 15 days, Tennessee 811 says to contact it three working days before the ticket runs out to update it. Working on an expired ticket is against state law.

What happens after the 811 request?

Tennessee 811 doesn't mark lines itself. It's a free communications link between the people digging and its member utilities. Here's how it goes:

1. The request goes in with the address and where on the property the work will be.
2. Tennessee 811 sends a ticket to member utilities with lines near that spot.
3. Each utility marks its lines with paint, flags, or stakes, or reports that it has no lines there.
4. Each utility reports back through a system called Positive Response.
5. Digging can start once every utility has responded or the legal start time has passed.
6. If a utility hasn't responded, or there's clear evidence of an unmarked line, the law requires a second notice.

Tennessee 811 also says state law may require marking the planned dig area in white paint, called white lining, so the locators know exactly where the work is. For a stump job, that's a white circle around the stump.

What do the colors of utility marks mean?

Locators use a standard color code across the country:

How close can you grind to a marked line?

Tennessee state law sets a tolerance zone, which is the width of the buried line plus 24 inches on each side. Inside that zone, the law requires reasonable care. Tennessee 811's safety guide says to hand dig, pothole, or use vacuum excavation to expose lines in the tolerance zone, and to stay at least two feet away from locate marks.

For stump grinding, that means a stump sitting right on top of a marked line may not get ground as deep, or may need the line exposed by hand first. We'll tell you before we start.

What lines does 811 not mark?

This catches a lot of people. Tennessee 811 notifies its member utilities, and those utilities mark their own lines. Lines you own usually don't get marked. That often includes:

• Sprinkler and irrigation lines
• Landscape and yard lighting wires
• Power lines run from the house to a shed, shop, or barn
• Gas lines from the meter to a grill, pool heater, or outbuilding
• Septic lines and fields
• Well lines out in the county
• Electric dog fence wire

Point those out before any stump job. Flag them if you can.

Who calls 811, you or us?

The person doing the digging. On our jobs, that's us. We put in the request, wait the required time, and check for marks before the grinder touches dirt. If you're grinding a stump yourself with a rental, you have to call.

One more thing that changed recently: Tennessee 811 cut its standard notification buffer around each ticket from about 343 feet to 200 feet, starting October 1, 2026. The goal is fewer extra notices to utilities that are farther away. For you, it means describing the work spot clearly matters, and white lining helps.

You can read more about how we handle a stump job on our stump removal page. Root grinding runs in lines across the yard, so 811 matters even more there. See root grinding. For sites with lots of buried lines, see commercial, HOA and builder lot stump grinding.