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Stay safe around electrical equipment
Ever wonder what that green metal box is in your neighborhood or even your own front yard? These
green boxes house high voltage utility equipment  that can pose a serious safety hazard if treated or
handled inappropriately.

In the event of an equipment failure or a power outage, it’s important that our workers have safe access to the equipment to make needed repairs. Therefore, for your safety and that of our workers, there are IID standards to limit landscaping around electrical equipment. Trees, shrubs, fences, large landscape rocks or other obstructions are not permitted in access areas around electrical equipment.

Follow these simple safety guidelines around electrical equipment:

• Only qualified trimmers, specially trained to work around utility equipment, are permitted to prune vegetation near utility equipment.  
• The equipment must remain well ventilated—adequate air is needed to keep the boxes cool and working properly or they may become a fire hazard.
• The equipment must remain uncovered. Do not build a structure around IID’s equipment or attempt to fence it in.
• Never let children wander close to the equipment— it may be hot or have sharp edges.

Clearance around equipment is critical
Please plan your plantings accordingly around utility boxes. If your plantings encroach on IID equipment, we may be forced to remove them.

IID will remove vegetation around and above equipment as required in order to complete inspections, maintenance, upgrades or replacement of equipment.

Before you start any project, call the Underground Service Alert, toll free, at 8-1-1 two working days before you begin your project. Experts will locate electric, gas, telephone, water and sewer lines on your land.

Tree conductor minimum clearance (mid-span)
IID prunes to keep vegetation at least 10 feet clear from power lines. Higher voltage power lines require larger clearance distances.

Required Minimum Line Clearance Standards at the Power Pole
If you are involved in a new construction project or new subdivision, please use the drawing at right for reference when planning your landscaping near IID electrical equipment. Proper planting of vegetation near this equipment is essential to maintain the reliability and accessibility of our electrical system.

Manageable, slow-growing trees are recommended.

For additional information, please see the IID Developers Guide.

Line Clearance Standards for Date Palm Trees
Date palm trees are beautiful and add a certain ambience to a neighborhood. Few other symbols conjure up images of lush, tropical foliage as the instantly recognizable outline of this palm tree. As beautiful as date palm trees are, they can tower to heights up to 70 feet, and be a serious threat to power lines. The drawing above shows line clearances for date and palm trees.

Download / View

• Regulation 11 - Discontinuance or Refusal of Service [PDF]
• Regulation 23 - Clearance Requirements for Power Line Corridors [PDF]
• Before you dig call 811

If you see any of the following stay away and report it immediately by calling 1-800-303-7756. If it is an emergency, dial 911.

	Conductor down
	Vegetation touching conductors
	Vegetation and other debris entangled on power lines
	Power line fire, sparking, arching, smoke

For more information, please review the following document.

Underground Clearance [PDF]