The different colors that mark underground utilities have very specific meanings.
Whenever a new road is constructed, the contractors building the road must pay special attention to the underground utilities. These are the underground pipes and wires that provide services to a city or town, such as stormwater grates, electric power lines, sewers, and more. When constructing a new road, the contractor will raise these utilities to make way for incoming asphalt, then lower them down again so that they’re flush with the new pavement. A contractor has to know where these utilities are and how to work with them; some utilities cannot be seen from above ground. Some even have an area around them that is not permitted for construction! One of the ways contractors keep track of utilities is by labeling them with colors. If you’ve ever seen colorful marks on a road or sidewalk, here’s what these colors mean.
The Meanings of Different Colors for Underground Utilities
It can be difficult to know where underground utilities are. Some types of underground utilities have different rules and regulations surrounding them. These colors help contractors to label utilities so that they can work around them in the correct manner:
- Red: Red is a sign of underground electric power lines, cables, conduits, and lighting cables.
- Orange: Orange is a sign of telecommunication lines, alarm or signal lines, cables, or conduits.
- Yellow: Yellow is a sign of pipes that carry natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous or flammable material.
- Green: Green is a sign of sewers and drain lines.
- Blue: Blue is a sign of pipes that carry drinkable water.
- Purple: Purple is a sign of pipes that carry reclaimed stormwater, irrigation, and slurry lines.
- White: White is a sign of a proposed excavation limit or route.
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