Quick answer · Updated November 12, 2026
Yes. Hydro excavation is still excavation, so Texas law requires a locate request through Texas 811 before you dig, at least two working days ahead. Hydrovac is how you dig safely near the lines once they are marked, not a replacement for the ticket. On our jobs, we call in the 811 locate ourselves before every dig.
The ticket gets every utility and pipeline operator in the area to mark their lines or tell you they are clear. Without it you do not know what is in the ground, and you carry the liability if you hit something.
Once lines are marked, the tolerance zone around each one is where you dig by hand or with vacuum excavation instead of a bucket. That is exactly the work a hydrovac truck does: it cuts the ground with water and vacuums it away, so the line is exposed without metal touching it.
Read the operator responses on the ticket. Many pipeline operators ask for more than the law does: a wider clearance, a company rep on site before you dig within a set distance, or 24 hours' notice before a crossing. Those conditions come back on the ticket, and the crew should have them before the truck rolls.
If you need a hydrovac in Midland, Odessa, Big Spring or anywhere in the Permian Basin, we handle the ticket, read the responses and plan the dig around them.
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