FAHMY uses one legend everywhere: the OSP map, the plan view and its own figures. Owner drawing standards vary, so always read the legend on the prints you build from. This page shows how FAHMY draws, so its drawings stay consistent.
FAHMY never relies on color alone. Each layer pairs a color with a line style or a shape, so drawings still read in grayscale, in print and for people with color-vision deficiency.
Plant Layers
| Layer | Color | Line Style or Shape | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerial plant (AE): strand and lashed cable | Blue | Solid line | Cable drawn as a second line hugging the strand |
| Underground plant (UG): conduit, bore, innerduct | Orange | Dashed line | Duct count label on each run |
| Splice points and closures | Violet | Diamond marker | Labeled “SC” in plan view |
| Aerial drop | Blue | Dotted line | Lighter than AE plant |
| Underground drop | Orange | Dotted line | Lighter than UG plant |
| Power and supply (existing) | Red | Thin solid line | Supply space shown with a bracket on the pole |
| Neutral and secondary | Gray | Thin solid line | |
| Steel: strand, guys and hardware | Dark gray | Solid line | |
| Guy guard | Yellow | Filled shape with a dark outline | |
| Existing utilities | APWA hue, muted | Dash-dot line | Letter code on each line |
| Locate paint | APWA paint colors | Short paint dashes | White means proposed excavation |
Plan View Symbols
| Symbol | Meaning | Learn More |
|---|---|---|
| Circle with an X, solid, number beside it | Proposed pole and pole number | Utility Pole |
| Circle with an X, outline, number beside it | Existing pole and pole number | Pole Tag |
| Line with an arrow to “A” | Down guy and anchor | Down guy, anchor |
| Solid blue line | AE strand and cable | Messenger |
Dashed orange line with a duct label, for example 2 × 1¼ in HDPE |
UG conduit run | HDPE Conduit |
| Dashed orange line labeled “BORE” | Directional bore | HDD |
| Square “HH” | Handhole | Handhole |
| Rectangle “MH” | Manhole or vault | Vault |
| Small square “PED” | Pedestal | Pedestal |
| Violet diamond “SC” | Splice closure | Splice Closure |
| Small rectangle with port ticks | MST or terminal | MST |
| Rectangle “FDH” | Fiber distribution hub | FDH |
| Loop “SL” | Slack loop or storage | Slack Loop |
| Circle with an up arrow | Riser | Riser |
| Small orange circle on a line | Pothole where the plant crosses a utility | Potholing |
| White paint dashes beside the bore line | White-lining on the bore centerline | White-Lining |
| Dash-dot line with a letter code | Existing utility | See the letter codes below |
The duct label above is only an example of the label format. Duct sizes and counts come from the design.
Existing Utility Letter Codes
| Code | Utility | APWA Color |
|---|---|---|
| W | Water | Blue |
| G | Gas | Yellow |
| S | Sewer | Green |
| E | Electric | Red |
| C | Communications | Orange |
The colors follow the APWA uniform color code.
Other Drawing Conventions
- Keynotes: numbered hexagons point to notes listed below a drawing. On phones, keynote numbers replace long labels.
- Stationing: distances along a route are written as stations, for example STA 2+00. See stationing.
- Dimension lines: clearances and separations appear as labeled dimension lines that read “per NESC / owner spec”, never as numbers.
- Layer badges: AE, UG and SPL badges always show the letters as well as the color.
- North arrow and scale bar: every plan view has a north arrow. The scale bar is labeled “schematic”.
On the Map
- Splice Closure: the violet diamond in plan view.
- Handhole: the “HH” square.
- Directional Bore Path: the dashed orange “BORE” line.