Step one belongs to the utility
The arborists’ own guidance to tree owners is that nobody should remove branches from or near power lines or go near downed ones, because they could still be live, and that tree parts touching a line are a call to the local electricity provider. Every county page on this site lists the utilities that serve the county, from the federal Energy Information Administration’s 2024 records.
The rule tree crews work under
OSHA’s quick card for tree work tells crews to treat every line as energized and to talk to the utility about de-energizing, grounding or shielding it. It also draws a hard line: tree trimming or removal within ten feet of a power line must be done by trained and experienced line-clearance tree trimmers. A crew that offers to cut a limb off a live wire without the utility is offering to break that rule.
Which wire is it?
From the ground up, the ISA describes:
| Line | What it carries |
|---|---|
| Communication | Phone, cable or internet. Not meant to carry power, but it can become energized. |
| Secondary | Household voltage, 120/240 volts; the drop to your house is one. Many are insulated. |
| Primary | Higher voltage, at or near the top of the pole. |
| Transmission | Much higher voltage, on taller structures. |
Telling the utility which one is involved helps it send the right people.
After the line is safe
Utilities differ on what they clear. Ask what they will take away and what they leave. What remains on your lot, on the roof, across the fence or in the yard, is work a tree service quotes like any other job. What happens on removal day
Checked against the sources below on 2026-10-11.
What are the warning signs a tree may fail?