Utility Trenching for Water, Sewer & Electric Lines
A new house, barn or shop needs water, power and a way for waste to leave. We dig the trenches to the depth your plumber, electrician or utility calls for. Backfill and grading once the line is in are part of the same job.
Utility Trenching, Start to Finish
The new garage sits a long way from the house and needs power. The barn needs a water line that will not freeze. The house you are building needs water in, sewer out, and electric from the pole at the road. Every one of those lines goes in a trench, and somebody has to dig it straight, to the right depth, without cutting the lines that are already in the ground. Your electrician and plumber can do their part in a day. They just need the ditch open.
That is our part. Jeff talks with you and your trades about the route and the depth. A locate request has to be placed so the public lines are marked, and then the trench is dug with a tracked excavator. We keep the topsoil apart from the subsoil so it can go back on top. The plumber, electrician or utility crew lays the line and gets it inspected if an inspection is required. Once the line is in, the trench is backfilled in layers, packed, and graded so the surface sheds water.
You end up with the line in the ground and a yard that is graded, not a sunken stripe across the lawn. Trenching is one piece of our excavation services, and on a new build it usually comes with the building pad and the foundation dig. For how these jobs are priced, see our excavation cost guide. Call (330) 625-5754 with the length of the run and what is going in it.
Trenches We Dig
- Water service lines to houses and barns
- Sewer laterals and septic line trenches
- Electric service and conduit trenches
- Drainage line trenches and outlets
- Runs to garages, shops and outbuildings
- Backfill, compaction and final grading
Water, sewer and electric: who does what
We dig, bed, backfill and grade, and your trades make the connections. Your plumber or the water department sets the depth and cover for a water line. Sewer lines need steady fall from the house to the tap or the tank, so the trench bottom has to be cut to a grade, and your plumber or the designer of the system gives us that number. Your electrician or the power company sets the depth and conduit for electric, and whether anything else may share the trench. Get those answers before we start. We dig to what they specify, and they sign off on their own work.
Before any trench: 811 and private lines
Ohio law requires the excavator to notify the protection service before digging. The Ohio Revised Code sets the window at no less than two working days ahead, not counting the day of the notice, and not more than sixteen calendar days. We sort out who places the request when we look at the job. In Pennsylvania the service is Pennsylvania One Call, and in West Virginia it is West Virginia 811. Know the limit, though. OHIO811 says private lines are the owner's responsibility and are not marked through an 811 request. Its examples include electric from a house to a garage, a water line to a pool, propane lines, buried pet fence and the sewer line to a septic tank. Show us where yours run.
Rock, wet ground and putting the yard back
Trenches here run into clay, shale and now and then a wet seam that fills the ditch overnight. A tracked excavator handles all three better than a walk-behind trencher, and it can pick rock out and set it aside. Lines are bedded the way your trade asks, often in sand or fine stone, so nothing sharp sits against the pipe. Backfill goes in layers and is packed, since a trench filled in one push will sink for a long time. The topsoil goes on last. We crown the fill slightly to allow for settling and leave it graded and ready for you to seed.
How deep does a water line trench need to be in Ohio?
Deep enough to stay below frost and meet your local code, and that number comes from your plumber, your water department or the local building office. Depth can differ from one place to the next. Ask them, get it in writing if you can, and we dig the trench to that depth with a smooth bottom.
Can water and electric lines go in the same trench?
Sometimes, with rules about how far apart they sit. Those rules come from the electrical code, your power company and your local inspector. Ask your electrician and plumber before we dig, since it changes the width and depth of the trench. If they need separate trenches, we dig two.
Who calls 811 before a trench is dug, the homeowner or the contractor?
Ohio law puts the notice on the excavator, meaning whoever does the digging. We sort out who places the request when we look at the job, and the lines have to be marked before any digging. Your part is the private lines that 811 does not mark: power to an outbuilding, a line to a pool, propane, pet fence, the pipe to your septic tank, field tile. Walk the route with Jeff and point out everything you know about.
What changes the price of utility trenching?
Length and depth first. Then what is in the ground: rock, shale and water slow a trench down. Crossing a driveway, working between buildings, or threading past existing lines takes more care. Bedding material and whether the lawn is put back with topsoil also count. Tell Jeff the run and the utility, and he will give you a free estimate.
Who lays the water pipe or electric wire once the utility trench is dug?
Your plumber, your electrician or the utility lays the line in the trench we dig and makes the connections. They also handle any permits and inspections for their work. We dig, bed, backfill, compact and grade around them. Timing with your trades gets settled before the dig. For drainage pipe on your own property, such as French drains, we install the whole thing.
How a Job Runs
Talk It Through
Call or send the form. Tell us where the ground is and what you want it to look like when we leave.
We Look at the Site
Jeff walks it with you: the growth, the slope, the wet spots, the way in and out for the machines.
A Straight Plan
You get a free estimate and a plain recommendation on the approach that fits the ground.
The Work Gets Done
We bring the right machine for the job and do the work the way we said we would.
Clean and Ready
We leave the site cleaned up and ready for the next step, whatever that is for you.
Utility Trenching Near You
Based in Farmdale, in Trumbull County, Ohio. Pick your town, or call and ask if we cover it.
Excavation pages for your town
More services
Need Utility Trenching?
Call Jeff or send a few details. Estimates are free, and you get a straight answer on what the job takes.