# Red Paint Marks on the Sidewalk **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469 "2009-01-29T00:39:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/1 "2009-01-29T00:39:30Z")
Why are there red paint marks on the sidewalks around my building? Also, there a some yellow paint marks. All of the marks resemble the dotted white lines on a highway. Some of them have been there for months. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/2 "2009-01-29T00:45:14Z")
I don’t know what the marks you’re referring to look like, but sometimes the utility companies mark electric line, telecom lines, gas lines, etc prior to construction nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/3 "2009-01-29T00:47:03Z")
To mark infrastructure, i.e. gas, water or electric. Utilities will mark where the lines run befor any digging. Sometimes the work is going on blocks away. Or is delayed due to weather. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/4 "2009-01-29T01:29:11Z")
To mark your building as a landing zone for the next invasion of the body snatchers. Watch out for Dorothy in accounts. She’s really one of them. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/5 "2009-01-29T02:14:07Z")
Are you sure? I thought it was Amber in Treasury. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/6 "2009-01-29T02:47:44Z")
Any time excavation is going to occur, whether it is by a construction company, utility company, municipality, homeowner, etc., the ‘one-call’ place is supposed to be notified so that member utilities can mark their lines. This is supposed to prevent accidental cutting of lines, which can result in a range of problems from minor inconveniences to fatalities. **Fiddle** , if you’re in the DC area, this [site](http://www.missutility.net/washingtondc/) has information about the program there. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/7 "2009-01-29T03:24:20Z")
I don’t doubt that’s what they’re for, but in my limited experience 95% of these lines appear followed by no construction or digging whatsoever. on edit: re-read **Glazer** ’s post. Blocks away. That might explain it. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/8 "2009-01-29T03:58:48Z")
> [@drewbert](#): > > I don’t doubt that’s what they’re for, but in my limited experience 95% of these lines appear followed by no construction or digging whatsoever. > > on edit: re-read **Glazer** ’s post. Blocks away. That might explain it. Also, sometimes they are marked, then surveyed. So, no construction might ensue, but somebody somewhere has a drawing with the proper location of utilities on it. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/9 "2009-01-29T07:27:56Z")
My brother does this – he’s a utility locator. (We kid him that he is paid for spray painting the ground.) There are specific colors used; see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility\_location](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility_location). All his work boots are covered with red & orange markings; he locates electrical (red) and telecomm (orange). But I don’t know about Glazers statement about work blocks away. His work orders are always for a specific location. In some of his rural locations, it will be from the road up to the farmyard, which can be up to a half-mile sometimes. And in suburban developments, it might be a half-block to a block from the junction box to the furthest house, but not much more than that. It might be different in urban areas, but I don’t see why they would mark blocks away from where the work is being done. ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/10 "2009-01-29T11:13:42Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Are you sure? I thought it was Amber in Treasury. Nah, she’s just a bitch 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/11 "2009-01-29T14:58:54Z")
> [@Caught\_Work](#): > > Nah, she’s just a bitch 😃 And a Cold Hearted Bitch at that! ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/12 "2009-01-29T15:12:21Z")
In my neibourhood they are rehabing the sewers. They dig a hole a one point and send a bladder to line the pipe for a few blocks to the next hole. Before hand they mark all utilites along the way in case the pipes burst. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/13 "2009-01-29T15:14:12Z")
Have you read Hearts of Atlantis? My advice… RUN! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/14 "2009-01-29T17:00:06Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] But I don’t know about Glazers statement about work blocks away. His work orders are always for a specific location. [/QUOTE] It’s usually a \*very \*specific location. Around here, the person who needs utilities located has to mark the perimiter with white paint or stakes (since paint doesn’t stay well on loose dirt) and the notation “[USA](http://www.usanorth.org/)” They don’t just willy-nilly start marking up block after block for giggles. If it’s an easily visible area, such as my front yard, one white stake in each corner was sufficient. The stake at the corner of my driveway and sidewalk had an addtional piece of paper that simply said “USA” A few days later, I was the proud owner of some green stakes showing where the sewer was, blue stakes showing the water main and some other tags near the corner stake that had the USA notation saying “No PGE” and “No SBC” to indicate that there was no electric and no phone lines under the yard. I was now clear to dig a hole to plant a tree. Larger sites might have “USA 80 yards west” or whatever’s appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/15 "2009-01-29T17:20:41Z")
The “construction” can be very small too, so you might not have seen it. I used to be an environmental engineer, and we’d put a 1-inch hole in the ground to grab a soil sample. But all the utilities companies still had to fully mark out the area. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/16 "2009-01-29T19:13:37Z")
I have a magnetic decal from FPL with the color codes: **White** : Proposed Excavation **Pink** : Temp. Survey Markings **Red** : Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit and Lighting Cables **Yellow** : Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum or Gaseous Materials **Orange** : Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables or Conduit **Blue:** Potable Water **Purple** : Reclaimed Water, Irrigation and Slurry Lines **Green** : Sewers and Drain Lines ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/17 "2009-01-30T00:12:14Z")
In my sleepy neighborhood, some wannabe gang-kid left gangsign on some street signs. After I told the city about it. Somebody cleaned up the signs. Somebody also planted a half dozen waist-high wooden stakes in seemingly random places. Two weeks later, a locator guy came around to do his thing with the spray cans and the tiny flags around each stake. Two weeks after that, new additional street signs were planted where the stakes had been. Nothing special, just additional school zone 20mph, ped X, and speed limit signs. The ways of the city government are slow, and mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/18 "2009-01-30T13:00:13Z")
Yeah, I get annoyed when survey crews markup the sidewalks and streets with their paint and then leave it there forever. Geez guys, could you use some less permanent paint? Or at least _try_ to remove the marks after you’re done? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/19 "2009-01-30T14:11:35Z")
> [@AskNott](#): > > In my sleepy neighborhood, some wannabe gang-kid left gangsign on some street signs. After I told the city about it. Somebody cleaned up the signs. Somebody also planted a half dozen waist-high wooden stakes in seemingly random places. Two weeks later, a locator guy came around to do his thing with the spray cans and the tiny flags around each stake. Two weeks after that, new additional street signs were planted where the stakes had been. Nothing special, just additional school zone 20mph, ped X, and speed limit signs. The ways of the city government are slow, and mysterious. It’s not that mysterious. The way the laws are written, before you so much as put a shovel in the ground, you are required to contact the one-call system (referred to here as the Call-Before-You-Dig system). Failure to do this can lead to stiff penalties. Before you make the call, you are required to mark out the extent of the work area with white paint. Local utilities are then required to mark out the location of any buried utilities they own inside the work area that are on the public right-of-way, and they have 48 hours to do this. Technically, you are even supposed to do this before working on private property. However, the owner of the property is required to arrange for utility location at their own expense. This may all sound silly, until you see an excavator did up an electric cable or a natural gas line. I’ve seen pictures, and they are not pretty. Both electric and natural gas are also usually relatively shallow (2-3 feet below grade). ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469/20 "2009-01-30T14:17:32Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Yeah, I get annoyed when survey crews markup the sidewalks and streets with their paint and then leave it there forever. Geez guys, could you use some less permanent paint? Or at least _try_ to remove the marks after you’re done? For the utility markings, it is actually not permissible to use non-permanent paint. And surveying is very expensive. You don’t want to have to repeat anything because the paint washed away. Neither surveyors nor utility locators have any compunctions against marking up streets and sidewalks. They do generally try to avoid marking up fancier surfaces, like granite or pavers, unless they know that they’re going to be dug up anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-paint-marks-on-the-sidewalk/483469.md?page=2)