Excavation Contractors in Salt Lake City, UT

Excavation contractors in Salt Lake City dig into the floor of Lake Bonneville, the Ice Age lake whose shorelines still show as terraces on the foothills. Our excavating work covers basements and additions, retaining wall earthwork, sewer and water laterals, French drains and regrading, teardowns and concrete removal, and pool and pond digs for homeowners and small builders. The city runs from about 4,210 feet near the Jordan River to the benches below the Wasatch, and the ground changes a lot over that climb.

Clay, silt and water

The valley floor is lake sediment. The USDA Taylorsville soil series, with its type location in Salt Lake County, formed in calcareous lake deposits and carries 27 to 35 percent clay in the 10- to 40-inch zone, with slow permeability. Soils like that hold water against foundations, get sticky when wet and hard when dry, and need careful compaction. We plan drainage and backfill around them on every job.

Faults and liquefaction

The Wasatch Fault runs along the base of the mountains and is considered capable of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. In 2021, researchers found that the Warm Springs and East Bench faults connect beneath the city. Most predicted damage in a large quake would come from liquefaction of the valley's clay- and sand-based soils. On March 18, 2020, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake near Magna damaged unreinforced masonry across the valley. Some cities, like Draper, require site-specific fault studies in mapped zones; we build to whatever your engineer specifies.

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Frost line and snow

Salt Lake City's design criteria set a 30-inch frost line. The city sees about 127 days a year at or below freezing, and snow typically falls from early November to mid-April. Footings, water lines and drains go below frost, and we avoid backfilling with frozen material.

Spring runoff

Snowmelt is the valley's flood season. In 1983 City Creek overflowed and city engineers turned several downtown streets into waterways. Lots below the benches and near creeks need grading and drains that can handle a fast spring melt.

Blue Stakes first

Utah's one-call center is Blue Stakes of Utah 811. Requests go in at least three business days before digging, and marks are valid for 21 calendar days. We file the ticket and wait for marks on every job.

Who we work for

Most of our jobs come from homeowners planning a specific project and from small builders, remodelers, pool companies, plumbers and landscapers who need a reliable excavating crew. Either way, the same rules apply: plan first, locate utilities, protect the site, compact properly and leave it clean.

How a job runs

• Site visit and a look at slope, soil, water and access
• Written, itemized estimate
• Blue Stakes ticket and any city permits
• Excavation with shoring or sloping where depth requires it
• Drainage, compacted backfill and finish grade
• Hauling and cleanup

We work in Salt Lake City and across the valley: South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Holladay, Murray, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, Sandy and Draper on the east side; Taylorsville, West Valley City, Kearns, Magna, West Jordan, South Jordan, Riverton and Herriman on the west and south; Bountiful, Centerville, Farmington and Layton in Davis County; and Lehi across the Point of the Mountain. Each city has its own permit office and design criteria, and the ground ranges from high-water-table flats near the Jordan River to steep foothill benches. The town pages cover the details.