What color paint should be used to mark an excavation site before contacting Blue Stake?

• A. Blue
• B. Yellow
• C. Green
• D. White

Answer: (D)

White marks are used to show the proposed excavation area. This color communicates that the ground in that area is planned to be disturbed, helping define the scope of your project before utility markings are provided. When you later contact Blue Stake, those white boundaries guide the locators so they know how large the digging area will be and can coordinate marking any actual underground lines accordingly. Other colors indicate existing utilities (for example blue for water, red for electric, yellow for gas, green for sewer, orange for communications, purple for irrigation or reclaimed water), but white specifically denotes the planned, not-yet-marked, excavation area.