In Texas, the electric utility is responsible for trimming trees near its distribution power lines, and it does the work at no charge to the property owner. You remain responsible for trees that don’t threaten utility equipment and for keeping vegetation clear of the service drop running from the pole to your house. So the short answer to who is responsible for trimming trees near power lines in Texas depends on which line the tree is near.
What the Utility Must Trim
The Public Utility Commission of Texas requires every electric utility to maintain a vegetation management plan for its distribution lines, which operate below 60 kilovolts. The governing rule, 16 Texas Administrative Code 25.96, sets the trimming clearances, scheduling, risk management, and post-storm protocols the utility has to follow.1Cornell Law School. 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.96 – Vegetation Management
The utility’s authority to come onto your land to do that work comes from its right-of-way. Under the rule, the right-of-way is any land where the utility’s electric lines sit and that the utility has the right to access for maintenance and vegetation management.1Cornell Law School. 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.96 – Vegetation Management That right usually traces back to a utility easement recorded on the property’s deed. Within the easement, the utility can trim or remove trees without your permission, though most utilities give notice before routine work.
Routine trimming runs on a multi-year cycle, neighborhood by neighborhood. Oncor, the state’s largest transmission and distribution utility, leaves a door hanger before crews arrive, then clears at least seven feet around open wire secondary lines and three to five feet from neutrals and wrapped secondaries.2Oncor. Vegetation Management
Two limits on what you get for free. The utility trims to what its plan calls for, not to what looks best from the yard; aesthetic pruning beyond that is on you to arrange privately. And after a storm, crews will prune whatever they need to in order to restore power, but they won’t remove the fallen tree or haul off the debris. That cleanup is the property owner’s.2Oncor. Vegetation Management
What You’re Responsible For
Trees That Aren’t Near Lines
Any tree on your property that doesn’t threaten utility infrastructure is yours to maintain, trim, or remove. The utility has no obligation to touch it. A dead, leaning, or diseased tree that poses no risk to power lines is a job for a private arborist.
The Service Drop
The service drop is the wire running from the utility pole to your home’s weatherhead. The utility typically owns that wire, but 16 TAC 25.96 explicitly excludes service drops from the vegetation management requirements that cover distribution lines.1Cornell Law School. 16 Tex. Admin. Code 25.96 – Vegetation Management Keeping vegetation clear of it is on you.
Don’t try to trim around a live service drop yourself. Contact your utility and request a temporary disconnect, then hire a qualified arborist to do the work. The utility reconnects afterward, typically for a nominal fee.2Oncor. Vegetation Management
Planting the Right Tree in the Right Place
The cheapest way to avoid future conflicts is to pick the right species for the spot. Industry guidelines recommend keeping trees with a mature height over 25 feet at least 20 feet from power lines, and 50 feet away is better if you want to avoid utility trimming entirely. Trees planted directly beneath or next to lines should have a mature height under 15 feet. Ornamentals, large shrubs, and dwarf fruit trees work well in those zones. A fast-growing shade tree planted too close to a line eventually gets reshaped by utility crews.
Transmission Lines Are Always the Utility’s Job
The distribution rules above are what apply to the lines running through neighborhoods. The tall steel-tower lines that carry power across long distances are governed separately. Under NERC Reliability Standard FAC-003-4, transmission owners must prevent vegetation from encroaching on minimum clearance distances around lines operating at 200 kilovolts or higher, and they must inspect 100 percent of applicable corridors at least once per calendar year.3Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. FAC-003-4 Transmission Vegetation Management If you live near a transmission corridor, you will never need to arrange trimming yourself.
Why Trimming Near Lines Yourself Is Off-Limits
Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 752 restricts activities near high-voltage overhead lines. Anyone working closer than the prescribed clearance distances must notify the line’s operator at least 48 hours in advance, and only authorized professionals may prune or remove trees within roughly 10 feet of energized high-voltage conductors.4State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 752 – High Voltage Overhead Lines Contact with a line carrying thousands of volts is almost always fatal.
Federal workplace safety rules reinforce the point. OSHA requires unqualified persons to stay at least 10 feet from any energized overhead line carrying 50 kilovolts or less, with additional clearance at higher voltages.5eCFR. 29 CFR Part 1910 Subpart S – Electrical Safety-Related Work Practices That 10-foot minimum covers anything you’re holding. A metal ladder, a wet branch, or a long pole can bridge the gap. If you can see power lines near a tree you want to trim, call the utility.
Who Pays When a Tree Hits a Line
When a healthy tree comes down on a power line in a storm, the utility repairs its own equipment and you handle cleanup of the tree. Standard homeowners insurance generally covers damage to your home or other covered structures from a fallen tree when the cause was a covered peril like wind, hail, or lightning. Most policies also set aside a specific amount for tree removal when the tree damaged a covered structure, though coverage is limited if the tree missed the house entirely.
A tree that was obviously dead, rotting, or structurally compromised before it fell is a different problem. If a property owner knew or should have known a tree was dangerous and did nothing, they can be held liable for damage it causes to power lines, neighboring homes, or vehicles. Insurers will look at whether the tree showed visible signs of decay, and prior written complaints from neighbors or the utility strengthen a negligence claim. If your utility sends you a notice that a tree on your property is hazardous, don’t set it aside.
Reporting a Tree Hazard or a Downed Line
For a tree leaning into power lines, a branch resting on a wire, or vegetation that looks likely to bring a line down in the next storm, call your electric utility directly. Utilities have vegetation management teams that assess and schedule these cases.
For an immediate danger, including a sparking line, a tree already on a wire, or a downed line, call 911 first and then your utility. Stay at least 35 feet away and treat the line as energized even if it looks dead. A downed line can electrify the ground around it, a nearby fence, or standing water.