Building a fence near a power utility pole?

ning · May 22, 2020

Hi all - I'm building a fence and the ideal line has the fence come very near a power pole (PG&E, California).
I've made a variety of inquiries with PG&E for guidance, but the best I've gotten is a pointer to their "Greenbook" which pretty much just describes how you give access to meters and such; there's no mention of setbacks from power poles.

I'm sure I've seen fences almost touching poles, and I'm not expecting to attach my fence to the pole, but I'd like more information. Anyone know?

I need a gate in the vicinity of the pole anyhow so I'm thinking of sinking a fence post to one side of the pole, and having the gate opening allow access to the pole - kinda like this:

Does that seem reasonable?

Wagtail · May 22, 2020

Looks good to me... you're being more than accommodating.

As long as you're not attaching to the pole, they have easy access to it for maintenance/repair, and for future removal/replacement, you're good to go.

Jstpssng · May 22, 2020

Is the pole on your property with an easement, or is it on the road R/W?

stevewarner1957 · May 22, 2020

If your along a road, make sure you don't build on the ROW. I would contact the agency with responsibility over the road, state, county, municipality, etc. Request they mark their right of way.

stuckmotor · May 22, 2020

My advice is DON'T BUILD ON THE POWER COMPANY'S RIGHT OF WAY unless you are going to keep the trees down to their satisfaction. I live on a hill side near town and have a well built dog pen with trees near the fence. On the last two occasions after they've left, I found damage to the fence consistent with a limb having fallen on it. Once it was half-donkey repaired in a way I'd never have fixed it. The other time, I discovered a bent horizontal conduit several months after they'd left. Neither time could I find a rotten limb that was placed there by the wind. On one occasion they parked the bucket truck on the drain field of my septic tank.

On the other side of the house is a very steep hill. When we moved here it was all grown up and I considered it to be woods. Then, they cut down twenty or more ft. tall trees beneath the line and left them where they fell. The old lady next door gave me bricks about the mess and it took my son and myself many years to work it out of the way. Last year they came back and cut limbs and saplings, chipping a few, putting some into the woods, and blocking a road that I'd cleared with others.

The farm is another nightmare. My pastures are severely overgrown and the crews almost always drop limbs on the fences often causing me to have to round up cows and repair fence in the hottest kind of weather.

Being 69 years old, I'm divesting myself of cows and wish there wasn't a single power line near my fences or within reach of any of my trees that might fall on them.

If you're willing and able to keep the right of way mowed for the rest of your life things might go well. Good luck.

EddieWalker · May 22, 2020

Here in Texas, I already had the fence in place when the power pole was installed. They insisted that it be on my property, inside the fence. There is probably a foot between the pole and my fence. I cannot mow around it, so I weed eat there.

I guess that you have your reasons for having the pole inside the gate area. If it was me, I would slide the gate over so I could get through the gate with a tractor or vehicle.

CobyRupert · May 22, 2020

Having a pole in the path of the gate opening doesn’t make sense (IMHO).

zzvyb6 · May 22, 2020

Chances are that pole maintenance will require access from a very large boom truck, especially if there is a transformer on it or branch lines. If there would ever be a neighborhood developed next door, there will be a lot of activity there as lines are upgraded and added, with large transformers.

ericm979 · May 22, 2020

We're going through that now- PG&E is putting in new poles and insulated lines. They worked around the existing fences near the old poles to put the new poles in. Never even talked to me, which is fine. Other PG&E guys whose job it is to talk to people did. They used a large boom truck with an auger to drill the holes and another big boom truck to stand the poles up. They had no problem reaching over the fence from the road.

The tree crews that came through to clear for the project were more of a problem. I had to yell at them for doing dumb stuff a couple times and they beat up the old fences and an old rock wall some. (one fence is mostly down and I plan to replace it after clearing 50 years of brush and trees from the fence line). A PG&E guy told me they were not happy with the tree company. At least I got them to remove everything they dropped that I didn't take for firewood and clean up when they were done.