As cooler fall weather prompts Denver-area homeowners to replace aging fences or add new ones, MH Fence Co is emphasizing that every fence project begins below ground—with a required call to Colorado 811 before the first post hole is dug. The Littleton-based littleton fence company, which serves residential and commercial properties across the metro area, notes that fence work is one of the most common reasons homeowners dig deeper than they realize, making utility location a critical first step.
According to Colorado 811, anyone digging in Colorado is legally required to contact the notification center at least three business days before digging, regardless of project size. The service is free and covers public underground utilities such as gas, electricity, water, sewer and internet lines, though privately owned utilities are not included. Once lines are marked with paint or flags, Colorado 811 advises digging with hand tools when working within 18 inches of a mark. Failing to call can lead to serious injury, costly repairs, and service outages—implications that extend beyond the individual homeowner to entire neighborhoods.
“A fence looks like a simple project from the surface, but every post is a hole in the ground, and along a backyard property line those add up quickly,” said Mark Green of MH Fence Co. “We won’t put a shovel in the ground until the locates are back, and I’d tell any neighbor doing it themselves to wait for the marks too.” The locate request is the first step for new projects, including the fence installation littleton co homeowners schedule in wood, vinyl, composite, chain link, aluminum and wrought iron.
The same step applies when an old fence comes out, because pulling and resetting posts disturbs the ground again. The company handles Fence Replacement Littleton CO projects from removal of the existing fence through installation of the new one. For smaller projects, such as resetting a leaning post or replacing a damaged section after a storm, the company provides fence repair littleton co property owners can schedule without replacing the full line.
MH Fence Co said its installations use steel posts, a standard intended to hold up against frost heave and Colorado’s freeze-thaw cycles. “Colorado ground moves through the winter, so how the posts go in matters as much as the fence itself,” Green said. “Getting the locates done and setting the posts right the first time saves a lot of trouble later.” Homeowners comparing fence contractors littleton co can ask whether a company requests utility locates before digging—a simple question that signals professionalism and a commitment to safety.
The reminder carries weight for the broader Denver metro area, where a boom in fence replacement and installation projects coincides with increasingly dense underground utility networks. A single missed locate can rupture a gas line or cut fiber-optic service, putting workers and residents at risk and triggering expensive emergency responses. By underscoring the legal requirement and the free 811 service, MH Fence Co is pushing homeowners to treat utility location as a non-negotiable part of any digging project, whether they hire a professional or do the work themselves.
