Tree Removal Near Power Lines: Who Handles What, and in What Order
The wires on the poles belong to the utility. The wire to your house is a gray area. The tree may be yours either way.
If a wire is down or sparking, call the utility or 911 first. For planned work, your call is connected to an independent provider in your area.
Tree removal near power lines is two jobs in sequence: making the line safe, then taking the tree down. Who handles the first part depends on which wire it is.
Who removes trees near power lines
Primary lines, the ones strung pole to pole along the street or the back lot line, belong to the utility, and its vegetation crews, trained and qualified for line clearance, keep trees off them on a cycle that can run several years between visits. They may take down a tree that threatens the line. Their job is the line, not your yard.
The service drop, the single cable from the pole to the mast on your house, is different. Many utilities treat trees around it as the owner's responsibility. What they will do is disconnect the service for a few hours so a tree crew can work safely, then reconnect it. Policies differ. Call yours before assuming anything.
Transmission lines on tall steel towers sit in a right-of-way the utility manages under federal reliability rules. Trees in that corridor are theirs to deal with.
Tree touching power lines: the 10-foot rule
Federal workplace rules and the ANSI Z133 tree-care safety standard keep workers who are not line-clearance qualified at least 10 feet from energized overhead lines up to 50,000 volts, and farther for higher voltages. The distance counts tools, ropes and the branch being cut, not just the worker.
That is why an ordinary removal crew stops the moment a limb is inside that distance, because a tree touching a line can carry current down its trunk and into anyone holding a saw, a rope or the bark itself. The fix is not a braver climber. It is a de-energized line or a qualified line-clearance crew.
Tree on power line: what to do right now
- Assume every wire is live, including ones lying quiet on the ground.
- Stay at least 30 feet back, and keep kids and pets away. The ground near a downed line can be energized.
- Do not touch the tree, a fence it rests on, or a car the wire touches.
- Call the utility's outage or emergency line, or 911 if anything is sparking or burning.
- Book the tree crew for after the utility has made the line safe. Tell them a wire was involved.
Service line tree removal: booking it in the right order
- Book the tree provider's visit. They will say whether the service drop needs a disconnect.
- Call the utility to schedule the disconnect for the removal day. Ask whether there is a fee.
- Removal day. The utility drops the line, the crew takes the tree or the limbs, the site is cleaned.
- Reconnection. The utility restores service. If the mast or meter base was damaged, an electrician fixes it first.
Getting the order wrong costs a wasted crew day, so line up both dates before the crew arrives.
After the tree comes down
If you replant, keep tall species out from under the wires: trees that stay under about 25 feet at maturity are the usual guidance for planting near lines, and oaks, pines and anything else that will someday reach the conductors belong well away from them, where a falling limb lands on grass. It saves the next owner this page.
Tree removal near power lines: what owners ask
Will the utility remove my whole tree?
Usually not. Utility crews trim or remove what threatens the lines they own, on their own schedule. A tree near your service line, or one you want gone entirely, is normally yours to arrange.
Does the utility charge to disconnect the service line?
It depends on the utility. Some schedule a temporary disconnect for tree work as a routine service and others charge a fee, and either way the appointment can take days to get, so call early.
What if the tree ripped the mast off my house?
The mast, weatherhead and meter base on the house usually belong to the owner. An electrician repairs them, and the utility reconnects after that, sometimes after an inspection.
Can my tree crew cut limbs that touch the service wire?
Not while it is energized, unless the crew is qualified for line clearance. The normal order is disconnect, cut, reconnect.
What should I plant under power lines instead?
Small trees and shrubs that stay under about 25 feet at maturity. Utilities and the Arbor Day Foundation publish right-tree-right-place lists by region.