In Chicago, call 811 Chicago (DIGGER) before any non-emergency excavation, including digging in your own yard. The City requires at least two business days of notice, excluding weekends and holidays, at 312-744-7000 or through the online ticket system. The service is free. JULIE is the Illinois one-call system for the rest of the state, not for Chicago. The rule applies to homeowners, and the wait exists so utilities can mark their lines before anyone digs.
If you are going to put a shovel, auger or excavator in the ground in Chicago, you call 811 Chicago first. The City's one-call system is called DIGGER, and it is run by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT). The call is free, it is required for homeowners as well as contractors, and the clock is two business days. Here is what the City and the state law say, and how it works on a real job.
What is Chicago DIGGER, and is it the same as 811?
811 Chicago and DIGGER are the same service. Chicago's one-call system is 811 Chicago (DIGGER), run by CDOT, and it is a free 24-hour service within city limits (City of Chicago). You reach it at 312-744-7000 or by filing an online ticket.
The call goes in so that the utilities with lines underground can mark where those lines are before anyone digs. That includes marking lines in the public way and on private property (City of Chicago).
How much notice does Chicago require?
All non-emergency excavation and penetration in Chicago requires a minimum of two business days of notice, not counting Saturdays, Sundays or holidays (City of Chicago). The City says that wait is mandated by the Illinois Underground Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act, so utilities have time to mark their facilities.
That means a Thursday call is not a Friday dig. Plan the schedule around the wait. If you call on a day before a weekend or holiday, the clock does not run over it.
Chicago uses DIGGER, JULIE covers the rest of Illinois
This is where people get tripped up. State law names JULIE, Inc. as the One-Call Notice System for Illinois. JULIE serves the rest of Illinois, but inside Chicago the call goes to 811 Chicago (220 ILCS 50). If you search "call before you dig Illinois," you may find JULIE first. For a job at a Chicago address, use DIGGER.
The state act also sets out what excavators and demolishers must do for non-emergency work: give notice not less than 2 days and not more than 10 days before starting, pre-mark the area, and use hand or vacuum excavation within the tolerance zone near the marked lines (220 ILCS 50). The act was amended in 2025 (Public Act 103-614, effective January 1, 2025), so confirm the current text if your job depends on it.
For the Chicago notice, the City's rule of two business days is the one your ticket is built around. Don't try to combine the two windows in your head. File the ticket, and follow what it says.
Does it apply to my own yard?
Yes. The City says the call applies to homeowners too, including on private property (City of Chicago). Private property is not an exception, because lines run through yards, under gangways and along the back of the lot, and an owner usually does not know exactly where.
"Excavation or penetration" covers more than a trench. Typical jobs that call for the ticket:
- Fence posts and gate footings
- A new tree or shrub planting with a deep hole
- A patio, shed or garage slab with footings
- A drain, sump or sewer repair
- Digging down along a foundation wall
- A new utility line or service trench
- A porch footing, whether new or replacement
If you are unsure whether your project counts, make the call anyway. A ticket costs nothing, and it is the safe default.
When do you need a permit as well as a ticket?
The ticket is not a permit, and a permit is not a ticket. They answer different questions. The call tells you where the lines are. The permit, where required, tells the City what you are building.
On the permit side, the City has no building permit requirement for grading or excavation no deeper than 5 feet below grade on private property, or no deeper than 10 feet if the work is not within 5 feet horizontally of an existing structure or the public way (City of Chicago). That exemption does not remove the 811 call. A hole that needs no permit still needs a ticket. See Chicago excavation permit depth rules.
If you need to use the street, alley, sidewalk or parkway for a dumpster, spoils or materials, that needs a separate CDOT public way permit (City of Chicago).
Who is allowed to dig?
Chicago permit rules also say an individual without a general contractor license cannot perform or oversee work requiring a demolition permit or an excavation notice (City of Chicago). The general contractor license has an exception for an owner's primary residence under size limits, but not for excavation or demolition (City of Chicago).
So there are two layers. Anyone can plant a bush and call for a ticket first. But work that requires an excavation notice is not something an unlicensed person can supervise, even on their own house. If a job is large enough that you are asking whether you can do it yourself, read can you dig on your own property and check with the Department of Buildings.
What happens after you call?
What to check on your ticket before anyone digs is in our 811 ticket lookup guide; for how long a ticket stays valid, ask 811 Chicago. The short version: the utilities with underground lines mark the locations, and your crew then digs by the rules in the state act. Hand or vacuum excavation inside the tolerance zone is what the act requires (220 ILCS 50), and hydro excavation is one way crews do that.
Do not start digging until the marks are in. Don't assume that a quiet utility has no line. If markings are missing or unclear, call back before you break ground.
On older Chicago lots, the hazard is usually not the one you can see. Lines enter through a gangway, cross under a back yard to a garage, or sit shallower than the owner expects because the grade changed over decades. People dig a fence post hole "just a foot or two" and find out why the call exists. Nobody on a job can reliably guess what is under a Chicago yard.
What happens if you ignore it?
If you dig without calling 811 Chicago, nothing is marked, and you are digging blind. The City and the state both treat the call as mandatory for non-emergency excavation (City of Chicago). Beyond the safety risk, digging without a required permit or notice can bring a stop work order, a tripled permit fee, and an enforcement case (City of Chicago). We are not citing a penalty schedule for skipping the 811 call itself, so check with 811 Chicago or the Department of Buildings for what applies to your situation. The cheapest fix is the free call.
Quick checklist before any dig
- Is it deeper than a post hole, or does it break ground anywhere on the lot?
- Have you filed a ticket with 811 Chicago at 312-744-7000 or online?
- Has two business days passed, and are the marks in?
- Does the job need a building permit, a public way permit, or both?
- Is the person doing or supervising the work allowed to, under the City's licensing rules?
If you want a crew that files the ticket, reads the marks and keeps the dig inside the rules, Akats excavation does that every day. For the whole picture of digging in Chicago, from permits to foundations, see the excavation and foundation guide, and read what goes wrong when the call is skipped.
Common questions
811 Chicago (DIGGER) is reached at 312-744-7000, or you can file an online ticket. It is a free 24-hour service within city limits, run by CDOT. Non-emergency excavation requires at least two business days of notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
In Chicago, call 811 Chicago (DIGGER). JULIE is the Illinois one-call system for the rest of the state. If your address is inside Chicago city limits, DIGGER is the service that notifies the utilities.
Yes. The City says the call applies to homeowners too, including on private property. A hole that needs no building permit still needs a ticket. Call at least two business days before you dig.
At least two, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, for non-emergency work. State law sets a window of not less than 2 days and not more than 10 days before starting. Follow the ticket, and confirm any questions with 811 Chicago.
No. The City describes it as a free 24-hour service within city limits. Skipping it is the expensive choice, because nothing gets marked and you are digging without knowing what is underground.
Sources
- City of Chicago: 811 Chicago (DIGGER)
- Illinois General Assembly: Illinois Underground Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act, 220 ILCS 50/4
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: General Contractor License FAQ
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: What Types of Work Do Not Require a Building Permit?
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: What Happens If I Start Work Without a Required Permit?
Facts last checked: October 7, 2026.
This article explains general rules and common situations in Chicago. It is not legal advice, and City rules change. For a specific property, check with the Chicago Department of Buildings or a licensed professional.