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Safety and connections

Before You Dig: Finding Underground Cables Safely and Free

A free enquiry before you dig can stop a fence post or pool hole hitting a live cable. Here is how to use Before You Dig Australia.

Checked against regulator sources, October 2026

Why it matters

Underground electricity cables run under footpaths, nature strips and driveways, and often into the property. Hitting one with a shovel, post-hole digger or excavator can cause electric shock, burns or a fire, and cut power to the street. Damage to network assets can also leave you with the repair bill.

How to lodge an enquiry

  1. Create an account

    Sign up at byda.com.au or in the BYDA app.

  2. Mark the dig site

    Draw the area on the map and describe the work.

  3. Wait for the plans

    Each asset owner near the site responds with plans or a clearance. Allow up to two working days.

  4. Locate on site

    For anything more than light garden work, consider a professional cable locator, especially within your property.

If you hit a cable

Stop work, keep everyone away and call your network's faults line, or 000 if anyone is hurt. Do not touch the cable or equipment in contact with it.

Jobs that need a check

  • Fence posts, retaining walls and decks
  • Pools, sheds and garden beds with deep digging
  • Driveways and paths
  • Tree planting and stump grinding near the front of the block

Common questions

Yes. BYDA is a free, not-for-profit referral service. You lodge an enquiry and the asset owners near your site send their plans.

Allow up to two working days for all asset owners to respond. Responses are valid for 28 days.

Not always. Plans may show cables entering the property but not their exact route or depth inside the boundary. Use a professional locator for anything beyond shallow digging.

Either can, but agree on it before work starts. BYDA suggests homeowners settle who will lodge the enquiry before any contractor begins digging, so nobody assumes the other has done it.

Contact the asset owner listed on the response before you start. It can explain the plans, may need to be present or may tell you to use a professional locator. Change the job if needed rather than digging near a marked cable.

Sources

Every rate on this page comes from the regulator or the regulated retailer. Last checked October 2026. Prices include GST unless we say otherwise.