Utility Coordination
Finding and planning around utilities before they cost you time or safety.
Quick Answer
Utility coordination is the process of identifying, locating, and planning around existing and new utilities on a project site, including water, sewer, storm, gas, electric, and communications. Done during preconstruction, it resolves conflicts, schedules relocations and service connections with providers, and reduces the risk of utility strikes during excavation.
The Full Picture
Almost every site has utilities above or below ground, and many projects need new connections to water, sewer, power, gas, and telecom. Utility coordination is the work of figuring out what exists, where it is, who owns it, and how it affects the design and schedule. It brings together the design team, the contractor, and the utility providers, which are often separate organizations with their own requirements and timelines.
Information quality varies. Record drawings may be outdated or wrong, so projects use utility locating and, where risk justifies it, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), described in the ASCE standard CI/ASCE 38 with four quality levels, from D (records research) up to A (physically exposing the utility, such as by potholing). Higher quality levels give more reliable locations and depths before design is complete. Separately, state one-call systems reached by calling 811 require notice before digging.
Conflicts are the central issue. A proposed storm pipe may cross an existing water main, a foundation may sit on an abandoned line, or an overhead power line may limit crane use. Resolving these may mean redesign, relocation, or protection in place, and relocations by the utility owner can have long lead times and fees. New services need applications, capacity confirmations, and construction schedules from the provider.
Because these items affect schedule and cost, they belong in preconstruction. GCs review the civil, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical drawings together to catch conflicts, confirm service connection points and responsibilities, and sequence work around outages and provider timelines. Utility delays are a frequent cause of late project start or late building energization, so early engagement matters.
Real Examples
Common Misconceptions
People assume: Calling 811 is all the utility coordination a project needs.
Actually: 811 marks utilities before digging, but it does not resolve design conflicts, relocations, service applications, or schedule issues, which require coordination well before construction.
People assume: Utility drawings are accurate to the inch.
Actually: Record information can be incomplete or inaccurate, which is why higher quality level SUE and field verification are used on risky sites.
Does MeltPlan Solve This?
Partially — adjacentMeltPlan's Design Review reads drawings and specs and flags inconsistencies and coordination issues between disciplines, including civil and MEP, which can help surface utility conflicts on paper. It does not locate utilities in the field, manage utility provider relationships, or perform subsurface utility engineering.
Catch cross-discipline drawing conflicts early →Frequently Asked Questions
What is subsurface utility engineering?
SUE is a practice that classifies and locates underground utilities using records research, geophysical methods, and physical exposure, with quality levels D through A defined in CI/ASCE 38.
What does 811 do?
811 is the national call-before-you-dig number that connects excavators with state one-call centers, which notify utility owners to mark their buried lines.
Why are utility relocations a schedule risk?
Utility owners control relocation work and timing, and it may require design approval, permits, and outages, so durations are often outside the contractor's control.
Who handles utility coordination on a project?
The civil engineer, the GC, and trade contractors share it, with the contractor typically coordinating schedules and field work with the utility providers.
When should utility coordination start?
As early as possible, ideally during design, since utility applications, studies, and relocations can take longer than the building work itself.