Ohio 811 (OUPS) — Call Before You Dig, Online
Published October 2026 · Last verified October 2026
Renew your license, register your car, and get REAL ID-ready without the line. Plus what the Ravenna and Kent BMV offices actually want from you.
Before you plant a tree, set a fence post, or build a deck, Ohio asks you to tell OHIO811 so utilities can mark buried lines. It is free, it is the law, and you can do it online. I wrote this guide so you can do it calmly, one step at a time.
What's inside this guide
The printable PDF walks through 34 short chapters, in plain language. It also includes an everyday cheat sheet and at-a-glance pictures.
- What Ohio 811 Actually Is
- Why Ohio Law Asks You to Call
- What Counts as Digging
- Who Has to Make the Call
- The Two Working Day Rule
- The Sixteen Day Window
- Before You Start: What to Gather
- Getting to the Real Website
- Phone or Online: Choosing Your Way
- What e-dig Is, and Who It Fits
- Filling Out the Online Form, Step by Step
- Describing Where You Will Dig
- Describing the Work and the Tools
- Your Confirmation Email
- Marking Your Dig Site in White
- While You Wait
- Positive Response: Utilities Reply
- Reading the Color Codes
- Flags, Paint, and Stakes
- Digging Carefully Near Markings
- Private Lines Are Your Responsibility
- Finding a Private Locator
- When No Markings Appear
- When Markings Wash Away
- If You Hire a Contractor
- If You Hit a Line
- Flags in Your Yard You Did Not Order
- The OHIO811 Mobile App
- Scams and Safe Habits
- Helping a Parent or Neighbor
- Using a Library Computer
- Making Text Easier to Read
- Keeping Your Records
- Plain Questions and Answers
Get the printable guide
Everything above is a quick summary. The full, printable guide — the same words, laid out to read and keep by the computer — is a free PDF.
Last verified October 2026. Information accurate as of October 25, 2026.
Want me to walk through it with you?
Setting up OH|ID, renewing, gathering the REAL ID paperwork — I'll sit with you and make sure the trip to Ravenna or Kent is a single 15-minute counter visit, not a 90-minute mistake. $99 flat. 30-day come-back-free guarantee.
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