Trees Near Power Lines: Who Trims Them on a Rental Property

On most rental properties, the electric utility trims trees around its primary distribution lines (the high-voltage wires on the poles along the street or back lane), while the property owner is responsible for branches around the service drop, the lower wire that runs from the pole to the building. Even on the owner's side, the work is not a ladder-and-pole-saw job: safety rules in both the US and Canada keep anyone who is not trained for electrical work at a set distance from energized lines, so the usual first step is a call to the utility to disconnect or cover the service wire.

For landlords and property managers this matters every fall. Wet snow and ice load branches that already sag toward the wires, and the first storm of the season is when contact, outages and fires happen.

The two kinds of lines on a property

It helps to separate the wires before calling anyone.

Primary distribution lines run pole to pole and carry thousands of volts. They are usually the highest wires on the pole. Clearing trees around them is the utility's job, done by its own crews or by line-clearance contractors it hires, on a trimming cycle it sets.

The service drop (sometimes called the service line or service entrance) is the single cable, or twisted bundle of cables, that runs from the pole or transformer to the mast or meter on the building. It carries lower voltage, but it is still energized and can still kill. Most utilities treat trees around the service drop as the customer's responsibility, though many will disconnect or temporarily cover it at no charge so a tree crew can work safely.

Transmission lines (the tall steel towers or large wooden structures in a cleared corridor) are a separate category. If a rental backs onto a transmission corridor, the utility manages that right-of-way under its own vegetation plan, and owners should not cut anything inside the corridor without contacting it.

Policies differ between utilities, so treat this as the common pattern and confirm with yours. The utility's website usually has a page titled something like "trees and power lines" or "vegetation management".

US rules: OSHA and the 10-foot distance

In the United States, two federal OSHA standards shape who can work near overhead lines.

• 29 CFR 1910.333 covers workers who are not qualified for electrical work. For lines up to 50 kV, an unqualified person and any conductive object they hold (a pole saw, an aluminum ladder, a branch being cut) must stay at least 10 feet away, with more distance as voltage increases.
• 29 CFR 1910.269 covers line-clearance tree trimming, the work of pruning near energized lines. Only workers trained as line-clearance tree trimmers may work inside those minimum approach distances, and the standard sets requirements for training, equipment and procedures.

The practical takeaway for an owner: a general tree crew can prune a tree near the service drop once the utility has disconnected it or confirmed the work is clear of the 10-foot zone. Pruning near primary lines belongs to the utility or its line-clearance contractor. State rules and individual utility tariffs can add to this, so check both.

Canadian rules: provincial safety law and the local utility

In Canada, the distance rules come from provincial occupational health and safety law, and the utility sets its own trimming policy.

• Ontario: the construction regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (O. Reg. 213/91) sets minimum distances from energized overhead conductors, starting at 3 metres for lines from 750 volts up to 150,000 volts. Local distributors such as Toronto Hydro and Hydro One trim around their own lines and publish guidance for homeowners on service-line trees.
• Québec: Hydro-Québec handles vegetation control around its distribution network and asks property owners to contact it before any work near its lines. For the service connection to a building, owners can ask Hydro-Québec to interrupt the supply so a tree crew can work.
• British Columbia: WorkSafeBC sets limits of approach to energized conductors in Part 19 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, and BC Hydro manages trees around its lines.
• Alberta, Manitoba and other provinces have similar limits of approach in their own safety codes, with the local utility (ENMAX, EPCOR, Manitoba Hydro and others) trimming around its own system.

Across all of these, the pattern holds: the utility clears its lines, the owner clears the service drop with help from the utility, and nobody without electrical training works inside the limit of approach.

What this means for a landlord

You own the tree, and the hazard. Even when the utility is responsible for clearing its lines, a dead or decaying tree on your lot that falls into those lines can still raise questions about the owner. If a tenant has reported a cracked limb hanging over the wires and nothing was done, that record matters. We covered how owner responsibility works in who is liable when a tree falls on a neighbour's property.

Tenants should not do this work. Lease clauses that ask tenants to "maintain the yard" do not extend to cutting branches near energized wires. Tell tenants in writing to report branches touching or near wires, and never to prune them themselves.

Report contact right away. Branches resting on a primary line, sparking, or a line sagging under a limb are emergencies for the utility, not for a tree crew. Tell tenants to stay at least 10 metres (about 33 feet) away from any downed line and call the utility's outage number.

Book the utility before the tree crew. For service-drop pruning, the disconnect appointment usually comes first, and in fall it can take days or weeks. Ask the tree company to coordinate the date with the utility so the crew is on site while the line is dead or covered.

Planning clearance pruning on a rental

When you ask for a quote on branches near the service drop, give the crew what it needs to plan the job:

1. Photos showing the tree, the wire and the building in one frame, plus a close-up of where branches touch or come near the line.
2. The utility name and, if you have it, the account or meter number for the building, so the disconnect can be requested.
3. Tenant contact details and any access limits, since the power to the unit will be off during the work.
4. What else is nearby: the roof, gutters, a neighbour's fence, parked cars.

A good quote for this kind of work states that the utility will disconnect or cover the line, what will be cut, how much clearance the cuts leave, and whether brush is chipped and hauled. Proper pruning cuts limbs back to a branch collar or a lateral branch rather than leaving stubs, so the regrowth does not head straight back into the wire. Our page on trimming branches over roofs and service lines explains what clearance pruning includes.

If a storm has already brought a limb onto the service drop, the utility must make the line safe first. After that, see our guide to emergency tree removal for how cleanup is usually handled and documented for insurance.

Frequently asked questions

Is the landlord or the utility responsible for trees near power lines?

It depends on which wire. The utility is usually responsible for trees around its primary distribution lines and transmission lines, while the property owner handles trees around the service drop that feeds the building. Utilities often help with the owner's side by disconnecting or covering the service line for free while the work is done.

Can a regular tree service trim branches near the service drop?

Yes, once the line is made safe. In the US, workers who are not trained for electrical work must stay at least 10 feet from lines up to 50 kV under OSHA 1910.333, and in Canada provincial rules set similar limits of approach. Once the utility disconnects or covers the service drop, a tree crew can prune around it normally.

Will the utility cut down a tree that threatens its lines?

Utilities normally prune for clearance rather than remove trees, though many will remove a tree that is dead, dying or directly threatening a primary line. Removal of the trunk, the stump and the wood left on site is often the owner's job afterward. Ask the utility what it will leave behind before its crew arrives.

Get branches off the wires before winter

If branches at one of your rentals are touching the service line or hanging over it, send the address, a photo and the utility name through our quote form. We match the job with a local tree crew that reviews the tree, coordinates the disconnect with the utility, and gives you a written scope for the pruning and cleanup.