Treat every wire as live, because you cannot reliably tell them apart from the ground. The highest conductors on a pole carry the most energy, the service drop to a house crosses the yard at exactly the height branches reach, and the lowest communications lines can be energised by contact with something above them. Work inside the minimum approach distance to an energised conductor is restricted to line-clearance qualified personnel — a regulatory limit rather than a company preference — so a branch resting on your own service drop is a call to the utility rather than to a tree crew, and there is usually no charge for clearing their own equipment. An outage does not mean the line is de-energised: power can be restored remotely without warning, and a downed conductor can be backfed from elsewhere on the circuit. A pole saw extends your reach into precisely the zone that limit exists to keep you out of.
Assume every wire is live until the utility says otherwise
- 2. Keep others away and contact the electric utility for line assessment.
- 3. Do not attempt pruning, pole-saw work, climbing or ladder use near conductors.
- 4. Ordinary tree crews should not be dispatched into line-clearance work without the required qualification and coordination.
- 5. After the utility or qualified personnel address the electrical hazard, remaining private-property tree work can be scoped.
What is on the pole, and who deals with it
You cannot reliably tell conductors apart from the ground, which is why the rule is to treat all of them as live. This is what is actually up there and whose it is.
| Line | Typical position | Who handles trees near it |
|---|---|---|
| Primary distribution | Highest on the pole | Utility only — line-clearance qualified personnel |
| Service drop to a house | Lower, crossing the yard at branch height | Utility — it is their equipment, not yours |
| Communications and cable | Lowest on the pole | Still treat as live; can be energised by contact above |
| Downed conductor of any kind | On the ground | Utility and 911; ground nearby can be energised |
An outage does not mean a line is de-energised. Power can be restored remotely and without warning.
What the utility needs to hear
Anything involving a conductor is the utility's decision before it is anyone else's, so the details that matter are about position relative to the line.
- Which wires are involved, if you can see from a distance
- Whether anything is on the ground
- Whether there is arcing, smoke or a burning smell
- How close people, animals or vehicles are
- Whether the drop to your own house is the one affected
Why no tree crew can simply cut it out
No tree crew may work inside the minimum approach distance to an energised conductor without line-clearance qualification. That is a regulatory limit, and an outage does not mean a line is dead.
12 questions this raises
Which wire is the dangerous one?+
Treat all of them as dangerous, because you cannot reliably tell from the ground. The highest wires on a pole are usually the primary distribution conductors and carry the most energy; below them sit the service drops to houses, and lower still the communications lines. A communications line can be energised by contact with a conductor above it, so the low one is not automatically the safe one.
The branch is only touching the line to my own house. Is that less serious?+
It is still the utility's equipment and still energised, and it is still not yours to prune. Service drops sag over yards at exactly the height branches reach, which is why this is the most common version of the problem. Contact the utility — this is normal work for them and there is usually no charge for clearing their own conductor.
Can a tree service prune near a power line?+
Only if they are line-clearance qualified, and most residential tree services are not. There is a minimum approach distance to an energised conductor that only qualified personnel may work inside, and it is a regulatory limit rather than a company preference. A crew willing to reach in anyway is telling you something important about how they work generally.
How far away is far enough?+
Further than most people assume, and the answer is not something to eyeball. Electricity can arc across a gap, travel through green wood, and energise a ladder, a pole saw or a wet rope. The practical rule for a property owner is to stay well back and let the utility set the working distance — they do this daily and they know the voltages involved.
A wire is down in my yard. What do I do?+
Assume it is live, keep everyone and every animal well back, and call the utility and 911. Do not touch it, do not touch anything it is touching including a fence or a vehicle, and do not try to move it with a stick or a rope — dry-looking wood conducts. Ground around a downed conductor can be energised, so back away rather than walking straight past it.
Can I trim the branches before they reach the line?+
That is exactly the right instinct, and it is best done well before contact, by a crew working at a safe distance. Once a branch is close to a conductor the job is the utility's. Planning ahead — reducing a limb that is heading toward a line, or not planting a tall species under one in the first place — is the version of this problem that never becomes an emergency.
The utility trimmed my tree and it looks terrible. Is that normal?+
Directional pruning around a conductor produces a shape people dislike, and it is done that way deliberately: cuts are made back to laterals that will grow away from the line, rather than stubs that regrow straight back into it. It is not topping, even though it can look severe from the ground. If a tree needs that treatment repeatedly, the real answer is usually that it is the wrong species for that position.
My power is out and a tree is on the line. Should I clear it?+
No. An outage does not mean the line is de-energised — power can be restored remotely and without warning, and a downed conductor can be backfed from a generator elsewhere on the circuit. Report the location to the utility and stay away until they have made it safe. The tree work happens afterwards.
Who pays for tree work around a power line?+
The utility generally maintains clearance around its own distribution conductors as part of its system maintenance, at no charge to the property owner. What is usually not theirs is the rest of the tree — the parts away from the line — and any removal you want for your own reasons. Ask the utility what their work covers before you assume you need to pay for it.
What if the tree is dead and standing near a line?+
That is worth reporting rather than watching. A dead tree within falling distance of a conductor is a predictable outage and a predictable hazard, and utilities generally want to know about them. Reporting it also creates a record that you raised it, which matters if it eventually comes down and causes damage.
Can I use a pole saw if I stay off the ladder?+
No. A pole saw extends your reach into exactly the zone the approach distance exists to keep you out of, and many are fibreglass or aluminium shafts that offer no useful protection. The combination of a long tool, a raised head position and an overhead conductor is one of the most reliable ways to be seriously hurt in your own yard.
What should I tell the utility when I call?+
The street address with a landmark, whether anything is on the ground, whether anything is burning or arcing, whether the tree is on a house or across a road, and whether people or animals are near it. If a conductor is down and people are nearby, say that first — it changes how the call is prioritised.
Utility and electrical-safety references
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