DSC
Superstar
Yes, and sometimes they then find that no cutting is necessary but better to know what's there to avoid cutting a gas pipe or phone line. Due to the wait the utilities tend to have locates done for all their work-sites in case what looks likely to be something that will NOT require excavation suddenly does when they actually get there.its a safety thing. Guys come out and mark out utilities before they make a cut, and they mark the whole general area of where the work is needed, even if it's only a small little bit of work.
The paint they use to mark utilities is supposed to fade away quite fast but there is clearly a balance between fading too fast (before the work has started) or fading too slow (when it looks messy). Last time I heard, apart from emergencies, there is a 4-5 week wait for utility locates.