Tree touching power lines in North Carolina, United States: who is responsible

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes the pages of two utilities. It does not cover North Carolina's electric membership corporations or municipal utilities, and no North Carolina statute or Utilities Commission rule was opened for this page. Other states have their own rules.

What Duke Energy says

The Duke Energy page Distribution Line Vegetation Management says qualified line clearance personnel following industry standards assess and manage vegetation near power lines, and that only qualified line clearance personnel should take down trees near electrical lines. It says that in residential, commercial and maintained areas the company notifies customers a minimum of three days before planned pruning in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, and 14 days in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Notice is typically a door hanger and may also be calls, letters, door knocking, bill inserts, newspaper notices, text or email. It says that if notification attempts are unsuccessful, work proceeds without further notification. It adds that trees to be pruned or taken down may be live, dead, diseased or damaged, inside or outside the right of way.

Which line is whose

The Duke Energy page Tree Pruning Requests sorts the lines on a pole and says what it does for each.

Line	What the Duke Energy page says
Primary power lines	These may need to be addressed if a tree poses a risk to reliability. A request form is followed up within 10 business days. For emergencies such as fallen trees on primary lines, the page says to contact the company by phone so it can dispatch a representative.
Neutral lines	They provide the return path for electricity. The page says no request should be submitted for vegetation around them, because they are managed during routine maintenance.
Street and outdoor lights	They are not subject to pruning unless vegetation is damaging the lights or their supply lines. The company does not prune for light illumination patterns.
Service lines	These carry electricity from the utility pole to the meter. The page says property owners have primary responsibility to keep them clear of trees and vegetation, and that the company de-energizes the line at no cost when contacted before work around it. If a tree or limb applies heavy pressure to the line, a request can be submitted for a representative to evaluate.
Communication lines	Telephone and cable lines are not maintained by Duke Energy. The page says to contact the local cable or telephone company.

Transmission lines

The page Transmission Line Vegetation Management says the company has transmission lines carrying voltages as high as 525,000 volts and that federal regulations require its highest-voltage lines to stay free of interference by trees and other vegetation at all times. It says a vegetation-related outage on those lines could result in a fine of up to US$1 million per day. It says a tree inside a transmission right of way that matures above 15 feet is evaluated for removal, that rights of way are maintained on a multiyear cycle, and that property owners are typically notified at least three days before scheduled work in developed and maintained areas. It describes rights of way as permitting the removal of trees and vegetation within a designated corridor and generally authorizing the removal of trees outside it that threaten the line.

What Dominion Energy says

The Dominion Energy page Virginia/North Carolina Tree Trimming and Powerlines is written for both states. The statements below are the ones it makes for both.

Question	What the Dominion Energy page says
Why it trims	It says its regulators recognize the importance of maintaining vegetation around its power lines and require that such maintenance be performed.
Cycle	Nearly all neighbourhood power lines are cleared on a four year cycle, and maintenance trimming cycles typically run four to five years.
Notice	It notifies by letter or a message on the bill approximately 30 days before line clearing begins, and contract crews give a courtesy knock on the door before working on a property.
Method	Trained line-clearing professionals follow the ANSI A300 standards and use directional pruning, commonly a V shape around the lines, though an L shape or other methods may be used. The page says it does not shape trees for looks.
Service line	During scheduled maintenance it trims only limbs that vigorously rub the service line to a home or business and does not cut down live or dead trees on or near that line. It says it will disconnect the service line at no cost so owners or their contractor can safely remove limbs or trees.
Debris	It removes pruning debris and brush from its maintenance trimming in residential areas, with larger limbs and trunks staying on the owner's land. For hazard trees and storms it says all limbs and debris are the property owner's responsibility.
Rural rights of way	A minimum of 20 feet is trimmed above the primary distribution line and 15 feet to the side.

The page says the company employs trained professionals and contractors who must be OSHA certified to trim trees around power lines, and that approaching power lines is not only deadly but against the law. For a tree or limb touching a power line, it says to call the company so it can evaluate whether the tree should be removed.

What the sources leave out

The pages read give no North Carolina rule on who clears a private tree and no price for any owner.

Who to call

Duke Energy, tree pruning requests page: a tree that poses a risk to a primary power line, or de-energizing a service line before tree work, per the company
Dominion Energy, Virginia and North Carolina tree trimming page: a tree or limb touching a power line, or a service line disconnect, per the company