Vegetation growing too close to powerlines can cause damage to the electricity network. Trees and branches can fall onto powerlines and cause outages, and trees touching powerlines can put you at risk of electric shock.
Homeowners and occupiers are responsible for keeping trees clear of powerlines on their property.
We recommend trimming trees and plants before they get too close. Once they do get too close to powerlines – it’s important you get an accredited arborist to do the work and don’t take matters into your own hands.
Vegetation notifications
Our vegetation team inspect trees near powerlines to check they are a safe distance from powerlines – we also conduct aerial inspections annually. If we notice trees on your property are too close, we will leave a notification card to advise you to trim it.
- Trimmed vegetation: If you’ve trimmed vegetation following a notification we sent you, let us know.
- Apply for an extension: If you’ve arranged for vegetation to be trimmed following a notification we sent you, and the appointment is outside of our required timeframes, apply for an extension.
- Report vegetation: If you’ve noticed vegetation in your area that is too close to powerlines, report it to us.
Minimum distances
Most trees and vegetation must be kept at least 1 metre from service lines and 1.5 metres from powerlines. For higher voltage powerlines and bushfire prone areas, the minimum clearance increases to 2 metres. If you are unsure of the voltage of powerlines on your property, call us on 13 23 86.
Minimum distances of trees and vegetation from powerlines
Manage vegetation
Before trees get too close
- You can arrange to trim trees that are more than the minimum distance away from powerlines.
- To avoid regular trimming, we recommend you allow for three years of regrowth and keep trees and vegetation at least 2.5m from powerlines.
- Think about growth height when planting on your property and the location of the plants. Here are some suitable shrubs you could consider.
Once trees are too close
- Trees and vegetation that have grown past the minimum distance must be trimmed by an accredited arborist. These arborists are trained to safely work near our powerlines.
- Penalties may apply if you fail to trim vegetation or attempt to trim vegetation that is too close yourself.
- If there is an electricity outage as a result of vegetation, planned or unplanned, powerlines must be treated as live and considered unsafe for trimming or any other purpose.
