Private Utility Locating in Colorado Springs and the Front Range
811 stops at the meter. We find and mark the private lines past it: power to the shop, gas to the fire pit, irrigation, sewer and water. The owner runs every job, you get a firm quote within one business day, and a Google Earth map of the marks is one click away. Colorado Springs, Monument, Castle Rock and the Denver metro.
Our specialties
Dual Technology
Electromagnetic detection and ground-penetrating radar on every job, so lines that carry a signal and lines that do not both get found and marked.
The owner on every job
Reggie Griffiths quotes the job and runs the locator and the radar himself. Former senior project manager at the largest private locating company in the country, locating on the Front Range since 2019.
Expedited Service
Same- or next-day locates for a flat expedite fee when construction cannot wait. Otherwise we book 2+ business days out and group nearby visits.
A map you keep
Paint fades in weeks. Every mark can be logged with GPS and sent as a Google Earth (KMZ) file you open on your phone next year. Anything we could not find goes in writing.
Services offered
- Private Utility Locating We find and mark private underground utilities before you dig, using EM locating and GPR. Marks go down in APWA color code: horizontal position only, no depth.
- GPR Concrete Scanning Before you cut, core, or drill, we scan the slab and mark what is inside it: rebar, post-tension cable, conduit, and voids. Your saw operator works to a line instead of a guess.
- Underground Tank Locating Old fuel oil and storage tanks found with radar and tracing, fill and vent lines marked.
- Soil Boring Locates Every boring, well and test-pit point checked before the rig arrives.
- Utility Designating EM and GPR field work for engineering firms, mapped as KMZ, in support of the engineer of record's QL-B.
- Sewer Lateral Locating We trace residential sewer laterals with a 512 Hz sonde through an accessible cleanout and mark the alignment in APWA green.
- Utility Takeoffs Send the plan set and we measure utility footage off the drawings. You get a clear split between what was measured and what was extrapolated, so you know which numbers carry risk.
- Mapping & Documentation Marks fade; the record does not. GPS positions of the marks as placed, delivered as a Google Earth (KMZ) file or shapefile, with markout summaries and photo logs.
- 811 Ticket Management We file, track, and renew your Colorado 811 tickets so crews never wait on a locate or dig on an expired one. You send the dig schedule; we handle the rest.
- Damage Documentation When a line gets hit, we document what was marked, what was requested and what the site shows now: photos, GPS positions and a written record of the marks.
- Emergency Response Same-day and next-day mobilization for a flat expedite fee when the schedule will not wait; evening and weekend work by written quote. Tell us the deadline and we will tell you honestly if we can meet it.
- Excavation Support On-site standby while you dig. We stay with the crew, watch the marks as the excavation opens, and re-check anything that looks off. Quoted per job as a half-day or full-day block, hours counted on site.
Reviews
★★★★★
Reggie came through by doing a short notice survey for me helping avoid delays in the project. Highly recommended.
★★★★★
Amazing team to work with. The owner Reggie was highly professional, responsive, and honest.
★★★★★
I have been looking for a private location service that is locally owned and I have had a heck of a time getting any responses. I am so happy with the ease and responsiveness of APEX Locating Services. We have a consistent need for a private locator because we often need to dig on private property for signage, and I have defiantly found our new partner! It was easy to request a quote and to approve the scope online. Our location was scheduled very quickly. I was able to pay quickly online as well. They have a great system to make location services fast and easy. Reggie was excellent onsite. It may be hard to see in the photo, but the utilities were clearly marked and easy to find. If you are looking for professionals who can provide great service at a really fair cost, use Apex Locating Services!
About us
Apex Locating is a private utility locating company based in Monument and working across Colorado Springs and the Front Range. Owner-operated: the person who quotes the job is the person who shows up with the locator and the radar. We find and mark the private lines that 811 does not, scan concrete before it is cut, trace sewer laterals, manage 811 tickets for contractors, and measure utility footage off plan sets for estimators.
We say what we can and cannot find, we mark the horizontal position and never guess at depth, and anything we could not locate goes in writing. Homeowners, landscapers, electricians, plumbers, engineering firms, property managers and school districts have all had us out; the job log on each service page shows the kind of work. Firm quote first, within one business day, then a date you can plan around.
Why we're thorough
A missed line is somebody's power, gas or water, and on private property the owner pays to fix it. That is why every job runs the same way, whatever the size: trace every line that carries a signal, sweep with radar for the ones that don't, mark each by type in APWA color, and write down anything we could not find or confirm.
The training behind it: OSHA safety, HAZWOPER, MSHA, and manufacturer training on the locators and radar we run, plus years running locates across several states as a senior project manager at the largest private locating company in the country. Every course says the same thing in the end: be thorough, and leave a record the next person can trust.
Frequently asked questions
What are your service areas?
Colorado Springs, Monument, Palmer Lake, Larkspur, Castle Rock, Falcon and the Denver metro. Sites within about 30 driving miles of Monument carry no travel charge; farther sites add a flat travel fee that is shown on the quote before you approve it.
How do you determine pricing for your services?
Residential locates are a flat rate that covers the trip and up to four buried lines, and you can book one online in about two minutes with a card to hold the time. Sewer and septic traces, extra lines, commercial sites, concrete scanning and sites more than 30 miles out are quoted in writing: tell us the address, what you are digging or fixing, which utilities you are worried about, and when you need it, and you will have a firm number within one business day. We never quote by the hour.
How do I get in contact with you?
Call or text (719) 800-4937, send the request form on this page, or book a residential locate online. Requests get a firm quote within one business day, often the same day. We book visits 2+ business days out and group nearby stops; same-day or next-day service is available at an expedited rate.
Doesn't 811 already mark my utilities for free?
Yes, and you should always call 811 before you dig. 811 marks the utility companies' lines up to your meter at no charge. It does not mark anything past the meter: the gas line to the shop, the power to the garage, the irrigation, the sewer lateral, the line to the well. Those are private, they are the property owner's responsibility, and that is what a private locate covers.
Do you give the depth of the lines you mark?
No. We mark the horizontal position of the line on the surface, per the APWA color code, and we say so on every quote. Depth readings from a locator change with soil, moisture and nearby lines, and a number that is wrong by a foot is worse than no number. Hand-dig or pothole to expose a line before you cross it with a machine.
What can't a private locate find?
A locator follows a signal. Metal pipe, wire and tracer wire carry one; plastic pipe with no tracer wire, old clay or concrete sewer, and some abandoned lines do not. We use electromagnetic locating and ground-penetrating radar together to find as much as the ground allows, and whatever we could not find or could not confirm goes in writing with the marks, so you know where to hand-dig.
Get an Estimate
Address, what you are digging and when. You get a firm quote, usually the same business day. Rather talk? Call or text (719) 800-4937.