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Coloured paint before you dig.
Also known as: Dig marking, Locate marks, Utility colour code
The colour-coded marks sprayed on the ground to show buried services before excavation.
Marks the position and type of buried services before excavation.
Contexts: Technical drawing, Public information
The colour code is standardised nationally rather than internationally, so the same colour means different services in different countries — a genuine hazard for contractors and equipment moving across borders.
Colour codes differ by country; the record describes the widely used North American scheme.
Contexts: Technical drawing, Public information
Temporary by design: the marks are expected to weather away within weeks, which makes them one of very few notations with a deliberate expiry.
Contexts: Technical drawing, Public information
Sprayed lines, arrows and figures in a fixed colour for each service — red for electric, yellow for gas, blue for water, green for sewer — with widths and offsets written alongside.