Do You Need to Call 811 Before Tree Planting or Stump Grinding in Florida?
A current Florida guide to 811 tickets before planting or stump grinding, two-full-business-day notice, positive responses, the 24-inch tolerance zone, the narrow homeowner exemption, and private utility locating.
Do You Need to Call 811 Before Tree Planting or Stump Grinding in Florida?
For practical safety, Florida homeowners should notify Sunshine 811 before planting a tree or grinding or pulling a stump.
Sunshine 811 specifically tells homeowners to call before stump work because buried facilities can run beneath or through a root zone.
Florida law contains a narrow exemption for certain shallow work by the owner of a qualifying single-family residential property. That exemption should not be treated as a general permission to guess about depth, easements, or buried lines.
This guide explains the workflow. It is not legal advice.
The safe-digging workflow
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Define the project | Mark the planting or grinding area and describe the work accurately |
| 2. Notify Sunshine 811 | Submit the ticket at least two full business days before work |
| 3. Preserve the ticket number | Give it to the person or company performing the excavation |
| 4. Wait for responses | Check positive responses and compare them with field marks |
| 5. Identify private facilities | Locate irrigation, pool lines, lighting, septic, and owner-maintained systems separately |
| 6. Review conflicts | Move the project or use required increased caution near marked facilities |
| 7. Protect the marks | Stop and request remarking if marks are lost or no longer visible |
| 8. Report contact or damage | Notify the facility operator; call 911 for escaping gas or another regulated hazardous substance |
Do not begin merely because the calendar has advanced. Verify the responses associated with the ticket.
Two full business days
Florida Statute 556.105 generally requires notification at least two full business days before excavation or demolition outside state waters.
A notification submitted outside Sunshine 811 business hours is treated as received at the beginning of the next business day.
Sunshine 811’s homeowner guidance uses the same two-full-business-day instruction.
Business days exclude weekends and specified holidays.
Use Sunshine 811’s current calendar and ticket system rather than calculating from memory.
What the 811 ticket does
Sunshine 811 notifies member operators with underground facilities in the described work area.
The system provides:
- ticket or notification number
- list of notified member operators
- positive-response communication
- status information
- marking coordination
Member operators may:
- mark the approximate horizontal route
- report no conflict
- provide another response code
- communicate a delay or special condition
The marks indicate approximate facility location. They do not authorize careless mechanized work beside the line.
Check positive responses
Florida law requires member operators to provide a positive response, and the excavator must verify the system’s positive responses before beginning.
Sunshine 811 advises checking:
- which utilities were notified
- whether each response says clear, marked, or another status
- whether the response matches what is visible at the site
- whether a known facility appears unmarked
When a known facility is present but no matching mark or response exists, contact the member operator rather than improvising.
The tolerance zone
Sunshine 811 describes Florida’s tolerance zone as 24 inches from each outside edge of the underground facility.
Within the tolerance zone, Florida law requires increased caution and identifies methods such as:
- hand digging
- potholing
- soft digging
- vacuum excavation
- other similar procedures used to identify the facility
Mechanized equipment within the tolerance zone must be supervised by the excavator.
A stump grinder is mechanized equipment. A mark passing through or close to the stump zone changes the work plan.
The narrow single-family homeowner exemption
Florida Statute 556.108 exempts certain work from the notification requirement when all key conditions are met.
The excavation must be:
- performed by the owner of qualifying single-family residential property, or in the specified circumstances for that owner
- entirely on that land
- no deeper than 10 inches
- performed with due care
- outside any encroachment on a member operator’s right-of-way, easement, or permitted use
The exemption does not mean:
- every homeowner project is exempt
- a contractor automatically shares the exemption
- the root zone will remain under 10 inches
- the property has no easement
- stump grinding is merely surface cleanup
- private lines do not matter
When any condition is uncertain, notify 811.
Why planting can conflict with buried facilities
Tree planting may involve:
- a wide hole
- depth below the root ball
- removal of soil and roots
- stakes or anchors
- work near meters or utility boxes
- future root growth
- side-yard service routes
Sunshine 811 warns that buried utilities are frequently damaged during initial planting.
Avoid planting where the mature tree would obstruct required access to utility equipment.
Why stump grinding deserves special attention
A stump sits within the former root zone.
Possible conflicts include:
- electric
- gas
- communications
- water
- sewer
- irrigation
- pool plumbing
- private electrical
- landscape lighting
Sunshine 811 specifically instructs homeowners to call before grinding or pulling a stump.
The grinder can move beyond the visible trunk into flare roots, soil, and hidden material.
Public/member facilities versus private facilities
A normal 811 ticket does not guarantee that every buried line on private property will be marked.
Member operators generally respond for facilities they own and maintain.
Private or customer-owned systems may include:
- irrigation after the meter
- pool plumbing
- pool electrical
- landscape lighting
- private water or sewer
- septic components
- drainage
- invisible pet fence
- lines serving detached buildings
A private locator or appropriate specialist may be needed.
Tell the provider what is known and what remains uncertain.
Mark the work area accurately
Before creating the ticket:
- identify the address
- choose the correct side of the property
- describe planting versus stump grinding
- define the proposed area
- note nearby landmarks
- white-line or otherwise premark when required or useful
- avoid a ticket so broad that the actual work zone is unclear
The ticket should match the location where excavation will occur.
Ticket life and changed work
Florida Statute 556.105 states that the provided information is valid for 30 calendar days under the statute’s counting rules.
A new or updated ticket may be required when:
- work moves outside the described area
- the ticket expires
- marks disappear
- project scope changes
- a second phase occurs later
- the operator response requires follow-up
Do not reuse an old ticket for a different stump or planting location.
If marks are missing or unclear
Before work:
- check positive responses
- compare response codes with field conditions
- identify any known facility with no mark
- contact the member operator when needed
- request remarking when marks are lost
- delay or relocate the work when conflict is unresolved
A nearby utility box or permanent marker can indicate that buried facilities are present even when temporary paint or flags are not immediately visible.
If a facility is contacted or damaged
Stop excavation.
Florida law requires immediate notice to the member operator after contact or damage.
Call 911 immediately when contact or damage causes the release of natural gas or another regulated hazardous substance.
Do not:
- cover the damage
- continue grinding
- touch exposed electrical material
- attempt a repair
- restart until the responsible operator addresses the condition
Who should create the ticket?
Confirm whether the ticket is created by:
- homeowner
- tree-service provider
- landscaper
- stump-grinding provider
- other excavator
The person performing the excavation needs accurate ticket information and must follow the marked-site and positive-response requirements.
Do not assume that requesting an estimate means a ticket has been created.
Before scheduling stump grinding
Ask:
- Who creates the 811 ticket?
- What exact area is included?
- Who checks positive responses?
- What private lines may exist?
- Who arranges private locating?
- Does the grinder enter the tolerance zone?
- What happens if a mark crosses the stump?
- What part of the stump may remain?
- Is a new visit required after locating?
- Are delays or changed scope priced separately?
Utility uncertainty can limit depth or prevent part of the grind.
Florida stump-grinding service path
Start with Sunshine 811 and any private locating needed.
After the area is ready for a provider review, call (855) 498-2578 or visit stump grinding services.
ProTreeTrim is a referral and dispatch network, not the utility locator. Property owners and excavators remain responsible for the applicable ticket, response, marking, locating, and safe-excavation process.