Abstract: A tape laying, trenching apparatus adapted to be drawn behind a vehicle for the purpose of depositing a tape beneath the surface of the earth. The tape is an identification tape and serves as an underground installation identification means. The trenching apparatus includes a wheel-mounted drawbar and a vertically adjustable trenching tool. The trenching tool includes a hollow column and a trenching blade at the foot of the column. A tape dispenser is attached to the upper end of the column and accomodates feeding the tape downwardly through the column to a position behind the trenching blade. The trenching tool is releasably attachable to the drawbar at a plurality of lower, trenching positions and at an upper, traveling position. A strut is interconnectable between the drawbar and the column to support the trenching tool in both the trenching and the traveling positions. The trenching apparatus also includes a tool box mounted on the framework and a drag for backfilling the trench as the tape is being laid.