Hitting a buried line is expensive well beyond the repair. The Common Ground Alliance estimates that damage to underground utilities cost the United States about $83.2 billion in 2025, across roughly 669,000 reported damages, and that for every dollar spent on direct repairs, nearly $16 is lost to delays, road closures, emergency response and other consequences. Potholing, which uses air or water and a vacuum truck to dig a small test hole down to a utility, lets engineers and contractors confirm a line’s exact depth, size and material before they design around it or dig near it.
This guide compares seven companies with potholing and vacuum excavation services in Arizona, from Phoenix and the West Valley to Tucson. Util-Locate leads for project teams that want potholing, private utility locating and survey-grade mapping from one vendor, with a published price range and a round-the-clock emergency line.
Quick Comparison Table: Potholing in Arizona
| Rank | Company | Good Fit For | Key Strengths | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Util-Locate | Teams that want potholing, locating and CAD mapping from one vendor | Air and hydro potholing; GPS and total station mapping; 24/7 emergency line | Scottsdale |
| 2 | SSC Underground | Keyhole potholes in paved streets and Northern Arizona water projects | Air and hydro vacuum; coring with keyhole reinstatement; since 1969 | Phoenix |
| 3 | Safe Site | Design-phase SUE with QL-A test holes | SUE QL-D to QL-A; EM and GPR locating; GPS mapping | Sun City |
| 4 | PDI Construction | Dry-utility and telecom contractors | GPS pothole reports; boring and trenching; family-owned since 1950 | Phoenix |
| 5 | AIMS Companies | Industrial and municipal sites that also need sewer CCTV | Hydro excavation with air option; 24/7 line; CCTV and cleaning | Phoenix |
| 6 | Badger Infrastructure Solutions | Large projects that need fleet depth in Phoenix and Tucson | Hydrovac trucks built in-house; HDD and SUE test holes | Phoenix area and Tucson |
| 7 | Bunney’s Inc. | West Valley power, industrial and fab sites | Traffic control and 811 ticket coordination; WBE certified | Goodyear |
1. Util-Locate
| Location: 7272 E. Indian School Rd., Suite 540, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Service Area: Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Scottsdale, Peoria, Surprise and Tucson, plus Southern California Phone: (480) 535-0230 Rating: Not yet rated on Google Pricing: Potholing jobs typically $2,000 to $5,000, depending on site size, the number and depth of holes, and disposal Website: util-locate.com |
Why they lead the list: Util-Locate provides potholing services in Arizona using air and hydro vacuum excavation, recording the exact depth, direction, material and size of each exposed pipe or line. In business since 2001, the company opened its Arizona regional office in Scottsdale in 2025. Its potholing data feeds into utility mapping built on robotic total station and GPS survey, following the ASCE 38 standard, with PDF, CAD and KML deliverables that can be overlaid on a client’s topographic files.
What They Do Best
- Two excavation methods: Air vacuum excavation, which keeps spoil dry, and hydro vacuum excavation for harder or compacted soils.
- One vendor for the full picture: Potholing alongside electromagnetic locating, ground penetrating radar, concrete scanning and CCTV pipe inspection.
- Mapping deliverables: Test hole data tied into survey-grade utility maps delivered as DWG, PDF and KML files.
Ideal Customers: Civil engineers, general contractors and developers across the Phoenix metro and Tucson who want test holes and utility maps handled by one team. Clients shown on its website include Parsons, KPFF, Langan and Kaiser Permanente.
Standout Features
- Published pricing: A potholing price range on its service page, so project teams can budget before calling.
- Emergency response: A 24/7 emergency line with an advertised 60-minute response.
- Volume: The company reports more than 11,000 locates performed each year.
- City coverage: Dedicated service pages for nine Arizona cities.
Bottom line: A strong choice for project teams that want potholing, locating and mapping delivered as one package with clear pricing.
What Reviewers Say: Util-Locate’s Arizona office opened in 2025, and its Google listing has no reviews yet.
Good fit for: Teams that want potholing, locating and CAD mapping from one vendor.
2. SSC Underground (Specialized Services Company)
| Location: 2001 W. North Ln., Phoenix, AZ 85021 Service Area: Arizona statewide, including Northern Arizona; also licensed in New Mexico and California Phone: (602) 997-6164 License: Arizona ROC 085634 (General A), as listed on its website Rating: 4.4 on Google Pricing: Quote-based; contact the company for an estimate Website: sscunderground.com |
What They Do Best
- Air and hydro potholing: Air vacuum test holes typically 1 to 2 feet square, dug as deep as needed, plus hydro excavation with an 8-inch vacuum and remote hose.
- Keyhole coring: Pavement coring up to 12 inches with restoration. On one Highway 89A project in Sedona and Oak Creek, crews potholed 70 locations and reinstated the cores with a keyhole method.
- SUE support: Records research, field designation, potholing and CAD or GIS deliverables.
Ideal Customers: Engineers and municipalities that need test holes in paved streets with minimal restoration. Project work listed on its site includes the City of Phoenix, Sedona, Cave Creek, Glendale, Buckeye and Intel’s Fab 42. The family-owned company started in 1969 and has offered vacuum potholing since 2003.
Bottom line: A good match for street potholing where clean core restoration matters.
What Reviewers Say: Google reviewers most often praise helpful, friendly staff and service.
Good fit for: Keyhole potholes in paved streets and Northern Arizona water projects.
3. Safe Site
| Location: 10240 W. Bell Rd., Suite B, Sun City, AZ 85351 Service Area: Arizona statewide, with 11 or more locations in several states Phone: (602) 606-8882 License: Arizona ROC 355199, as listed on its website Rating: 4.5 on Google Pricing: Custom quotes Website: safesitellc.com |
What They Do Best
- SUE quality levels: Subsurface utility engineering from Quality Level D through Quality Level A, with QL-A test holes dug by vacuum potholing and work performed under licensed engineers and surveyors.
- Documented test holes: Hydro and air vacuum excavation that records each utility’s location, depth, size, material and condition, with photos, surveyed into design plans.
- Locating and mapping: EM and GPR private locating, GPS utility mapping with CAD, KML and PDF output, and robotic CCTV.
Ideal Customers: Design engineers and large contractors that want QL-B locating and QL-A potholing from one crew. Clients shown on its website include Quanta Services, Whiting-Turner and Hensel Phelps. Founded in 2005, Safe Site has been BBB accredited since 2018.
Bottom line: A sensible pick for design-phase projects that need test hole data ready to drop into plans.
What Reviewers Say: Google reviewers most often praise responsive, organized scheduling, quick turnaround including next-day service, helpful quoting and consultation, and a data product that is easy to use in design.
Good fit for: Design-phase SUE with QL-A test holes.
4. PDI Construction
| Location: 5001 W. Watkins St., Phoenix, AZ 85043 Service Area: Phoenix metro and Arizona Phone: (602) 258-7544 License: Arizona ROC 221434, as listed on its website Rating: 3.8 on Google Pricing: Quote-based; contact the company for an estimate Website: pdiconstruction.com |
What They Do Best
- Vacuum potholing: Air or water vacuum excavation from its own fleet of vacuum excavation trucks.
- GPS pothole reports: Test hole results tied to GPS coordinates.
- Related underground work: Private utility locating, directional boring, trenching and fiber installation.
Ideal Customers: General contractors, utilities, communications providers and municipalities that want potholing and the underground work that follows from one Phoenix crew. PDI Construction is a division of Paramount Designs, a family-owned company founded in 1950 and led by the Campbell family.
Bottom line: A practical choice for telecom and dry-utility projects that move straight from potholing to boring.
What Reviewers Say: Few public reviews address the company’s potholing work directly.
Good fit for: Dry-utility and telecom contractors.
5. AIMS Companies
| Location: 1305 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85009 Service Area: Phoenix metro and Arizona, with a corporate office in Chandler and a location in Morenci Phone: (602) 237-0292 License: Arizona ROC 320843, 243193 and 317284, as listed on its website Rating: 3.6 on Google Pricing: Quote-based; contact the company for an estimate Website: aimscompanies.com |
What They Do Best
- Hydro excavation: Potholing and daylighting, slot trenching, pole holes and caissons, with air excavation available when spoil will be reused as backfill.
- SUE Level A: Test holes for subsurface utility engineering.
- Pipeline services: CCTV pipeline inspection and cleaning alongside excavation.
Ideal Customers: Industrial, municipal and utility sites that want hydro excavation bundled with sewer inspection and cleaning. Founded in 1999 as Pipeline Video Inspection, AIMS lists more than 600 employees and 18 facilities, a 24/7 service line, and ISN, Avetta and Gold Shovel Standard credentials.
Bottom line: Worth a call for sites that need excavation and pipeline services from one contractor.
What Reviewers Say: Few public reviews address the company’s potholing work directly.
Good fit for: Industrial and municipal sites that also need sewer CCTV.
6. Badger Infrastructure Solutions
| Location: 8534 N 132nd Drive, El Mirage, AZ 85335 Service Area: Phoenix metro and Southern Arizona, part of a network across North America Phone: (480) 375-1606 Rating: 4.2 on Google Pricing: Quote-based; contact the branch for an estimate Website: badgerinc.com |
What They Do Best
- Hydrovac potholing: Potholing and daylighting for visual confirmation, horizontal directional drilling test holes, crossings and SUE test holes.
- Fleet depth: Hydrovac trucks built in-house, with 1,778 units across North America as of early 2026.
- Locating data: Electromagnetic locating, GPS data collection, depth-of-cover surveys and daylight reports with CAD and GIS exports.
Ideal Customers: Large contractors, pipeline and energy companies, and utilities that need several trucks at once or around-the-clock emergency support in Phoenix or Tucson. Badger was founded in 1992.
Bottom line: A good match for large or fast-moving projects that need fleet capacity.
What Reviewers Say: Google reviewers most often praise punctual, experienced crews, clean work sites and professional customer service.
Good fit for: Large projects that need fleet depth in Phoenix and Tucson.
7. Bunney’s Inc.
| Location: 250 N. Litchfield Rd., Suite 205, Goodyear, AZ 85338 Service Area: West Valley and Arizona; also licensed in New Mexico Phone: (623) 875-1201 License: Arizona ROC 181828 (General Engineering) and 087490, as listed on its website Rating: 4.2 on Google Pricing: Quote-based; contact the company for an estimate Website: bunneysinc.com |
What They Do Best
- Hydrovac potholing: Potholing and daylighting, slot trenching and spoils disposal, with heated water and long-reach hose.
- Site logistics: Traffic control, documentation and Arizona 811 ticket coordination.
- Industrial experience: Construction work at power plants and industrial sites alongside its hydrovac services.
Ideal Customers: Utilities and industrial owners in the West Valley that want a woman-owned contractor. Clients listed on its website include APS, the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and TSMC, and the company was named an APS Supplier of the Year for Value Add in 2023. It has operated for more than two decades.
Bottom line: A sensible pick for power and industrial sites that need a certified WBE.
What Reviewers Say: Too few public reviews were found to identify themes.
Good fit for: West Valley power, industrial and fab sites.
How These Companies Were Ranked
Primary factors
- Potholing services: A potholing, vacuum excavation or hydro excavation page on the company’s own website.
- Arizona presence: An office, yard or branch serving Arizona.
- Track record: At least two years in business.
- Licensing: An Arizona Registrar of Contractors license
Secondary factors
- Methods and data: Air and hydro options, SUE quality levels, GPS or survey tie-in and mapping deliverables.
- Transparency: Published pricing, response times and project examples.
- Distinct fit: Each company’s suitability to different kinds of projects or regions.
Ratings are shown where they exist, but most companies in this business-to-business field have few public reviews, so ratings were not used as a deciding factor.
Final Word
Every company here offers vacuum excavation test holes for projects in Arizona. Util-Locate ranks first for project teams that want potholing, private locating and survey-grade mapping from one vendor, with published pricing and a 24/7 emergency line.
Arizona law requires a call to Arizona 811 before digging, but 811 marks only public utilities. Before hiring a potholing company, confirm its Arizona Registrar of Contractors license, ask whether test hole data comes with GPS coordinates and photos, check how pavement cores will be restored, and ask who handles traffic control and permits.