Yellow: natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum or other flammables. Green: sewers and drain lines. Blue: drinking water. Purple: reclaimed water, irrigation and slurry lines.
When crews need to mark the limits of the excavation needed for a basement, or even just a trench, they mark the outlines in white paint. This is usually the first step before any underground infrastructure is precisely located. It shows where the digging will occur. Pink indicates temporary survey markings.
YELLOW – Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Material. ORANGE – Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables, or Conduit. BLUE – Potable Water. GREEN – Sewers and Drain Lines. WHITE – Proposed Excavation Limits or Route.
Yellow – Gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other flammable material. Green – Sewage and drain lines. Blue – Drinking water. Purple – Reclaimed water, irrigation, and slurry lines.
ORANGE – Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables, or Conduit. BLUE – Potable Water. GREEN – Sewers and Drain Lines. WHITE – Proposed Excavation Limits or Route. PINK – Temporary Survey Markings, Unknown / Unidentified Facilities.
White means the tree has been marked for removal. The cause of the removal in this instance varies. The tree could be dead, it could be infested with Emerald Ash Borer, it could be hazardous, or it may just be in general decline with no possibility of recovery.
Here's a key to the flags' colors: Red: Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables. Orange: Telecommunication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit. Yellow: Natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum or other gaseous or flammable material. Green: Sewers and drain lines.
Purple paint on boundary line trees or fence posts means NO TRESPASSING, just as a green light means go and a red light means stop. The law reads as follows: "The owner or lessee of any real property may post the property by placing identifying purple paint marks on trees or posts around the area to be posted.
In the past, other landowners have asked me about the paint used to mark trees and what all the different colors mean. Some of the other colors he uses are orange for trees to cut, green for trees to leave, and yellow to indicate which row to harvest in a plantation.
PURPLE PAINT MEANS NO TRESPASSING.
For example, blue is commonly used to indicate a property boundary, while red is used to indicate the boundary within which the timber harvesting is to take place.
United States
| Red | electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables |
|---|
| Yellow | natural gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other gaseous or flammable material |
| Green | sewers and drain lines |
| Blue | drinking water |
| Purple | reclaimed water, irrigation, and slurry lines |
Typically, the corners are marked with a 2-3 foot long piece of steel rebar (rebar comes in different diameters and lengths and is used to reinforce concrete). The builder's surveyor drives the rebar into the ground at the exact property corner and a cap is placed on top (as shown in the picture above).
RED – Electric Power Lines, Cables, Conduit, and Lighting Cables. YELLOW – Gas, Oil, Steam, Petroleum, or Gaseous Material. ORANGE – Communication, Alarm or Signal Lines, Cables, or Conduit. BLUE – Potable Water. GREEN – Sewers and Drain Lines.
Pink flags – These are used as temporary survey markings. As surveyors measure, they mark their work with
pink flags. Measure twice, cut once, and use plenty of
pink flags.
Pink is also used to mark mysteries.
Utility Flag Marking Cheatsheet.
| Flag Color | Use |
|---|
| Purple | Undrinkable water lines |
| Green | Sewer lines |
Blue is the color of water, thus it makes sense that blue markings indicate the presence of water lines. Though not as potentially disastrous as a gas or power line, hitting a water pipe or main would have some pretty severe consequences on a project and surrounding residents.
The Meaning Of Marking Flag Colors
Yellow indicates natural gas lines, oil, petroleum, steam or other gaseous and potentially flammable material. Orange is for telecommunication lines, cable TV and alarm or signal lines. Blue indicates drinkable water. Green is for sewers lines and drains.Pink flags – These are used as temporary survey markings. As surveyors measure, they mark their work with pink flags.
Utility Flag Marking Cheatsheet.
| Flag Color | Use |
|---|
| Pink | Temporary survey markings |
| Yellow | Gas lines like petroleum, steam |
| Orange | Communication lines |
| Blue | Water lines |
Red. Electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables. Orange. Telecommunication, alarm or signal lines, cables, or conduit. Yellow.
Gray-colored sheathing is used to designate cable intended for underground installation. It has excellent water resistance and may also be rated for resistance to oil and sunlight.
We use pink flags for temporary survey markings. These are put in place as the surveyors are carrying out their measurements and help surveyors avoid mistakes that could possibly turn into injuries. When we mark with red flags, this indicates electric power lines, cables, conduit or lighting cables.
The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pinks, and one white in the center. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender."
Blue often represents freedom, vigilance, perseverance, justice, prosperity, peace, and/or patriotism. GREEN. Green can symbolize the Earth, agriculture, fertility, and/or the Muslim religion. RED. Red often represents courage, revolution, hardiness, blood, and/or valor.
Current Condition Flags
One or two red flags or a black flag means "high surf and no swimming," while green means "calm waters." Yellow signs report light surf or currents and advise caution. Orange flags may be triangular, in which case they indicate dangerous environmental air or water quality.But utilities do have the right to dig up your yard to gain access to cables or pipelines, under what's called an “easement right of way.” “Not necessarily, improvements that are built over an easement, they have a right to remove them in order to maintain their easement,” says Strong.
No, the city cannot dig without your permission, except in an emergency. The thing is, you gave them permission. It is in your paperwork for the property, it is called a utilities easement. They have an easement which allows them to work on any utilities where they were originally run.
But utilities do have the right to dig up your yard to gain access to cables or pipelines, under what's called an “easement right of way.” “Not necessarily, improvements that are built over an easement, they have a right to remove them in order to maintain their easement,” says Strong.
There is typically only a few reasons these types of little colored flags will appear in your yard or lawn. The primary reason is because there is a planned excavation in the vicinity of your property. The other reason flags have appeared in your yard is because someone is planning to do work.
The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and request for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize surrender, since it is often the weaker party which requests negotiation. Persons carrying or waving a white flag are not to be fired upon, nor are they allowed to open fire.
