Tree touching power lines in Ontario, Canada: who is responsible

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It describes Hydro One's pages and one Electrical Safety Authority guideline. Other distribution companies and the rest of Canada are not covered here.

Who is responsible

The Hydro One page Caring for your property says the company is responsible for vegetation management on road allowances, but not for trimming or maintaining trees and vegetation on customer property, which it says is the owner's responsibility. It separates two kinds of line. Its own lines usually run along the road, are not on private property and serve several customers. Privately owned lines sit on a pole within the property boundary, carry power to the home or other buildings on the property and do not supply other customers. The page says Hydro One recommends a qualified contractor for work near privately owned lines and will temporarily disconnect the electricity service for free once a year. For trees close to its lines on the road allowance, it gives a customer line, 1-888-664-9376, and says it will assess the situation and decide the action.

Hazards and requests

The same page says a tree that is smoking, sparking or burning on a line, a tree that is an immediate hazard to the line (split, leaning, hanging over or uprooted) and a tree leaning on a pole are hazardous conditions, and gives 1-800-434-1235 for reporting them. The Hydro One tree trimming page repeats that number for emergencies and describes an online eligibility screening for non-emergency requests, after which the request goes to an online portal. It says that if a property does not qualify, hiring a qualified arborist is recommended.

The Hydro One vegetation management page says the company does not trim trees on private property beyond its safety requirements, and that only line-clearance qualified professionals should work near electrical equipment. It says its work includes tree trimming or cutting, brush control, selective herbicide use only with landowner consent, and habitat creation where feasible. It says owners of planned tree removal on their property are notified in person, by phone, text or letter, but may not be told about routine trimming, brush control or work on adjacent properties.

Planting distances

The Caring for your property page gives three planting zones for overhead lines:

Zone	What the page says
Tall Zone	At least 8 metres from overhead lines: the place for tall-growing trees such as Colorado spruce, white pine and sugar maple.
Medium Zone	5 to 8 metres on either side: plants should not exceed 8 metres at maximum height, for example serviceberry, ornamental pear and white cedar.
Low Zone	Directly under the lines and 5 metres on either side: plants should not exceed 3 metres, for example dogwood, honeysuckle and silverberry. A 5 metre area around poles is kept clear of vegetation.

What the Electrical Safety Authority says

The Electrical Safety Authority guideline Vegetation Management Around Powerlines says it is awareness material that does not have the force of law, and that where it conflicts with a by-law, statute or regulation, the law prevails. It says members of the public should not prune or remove trees around overhead powerlines and electrical equipment and should contact the local distribution company. It says that from 2001 to 2011 the Ministry of Labour and the Authority reported 176 contacts with energized powerlines linked to pruning or removing trees, with two fatalities. It cites section 188(2) of Ontario Regulation 213/91 for limits of approach, and gives 3 metres for primary distribution lines of 750 volts or more and no more than 150,000 volts. The table in section 188(2) of the regulation, on Ontario's e-Laws site, sets the same 3 metre minimum distance for that voltage range. It says utility arborists holding 444B certification are authorized to work within those limits.

Who to call

Hydro One emergency line, 1-800-434-1235: a tree smoking, sparking or burning, or a hazard to the line, per the company page
Hydro One forestry inquiries, 1-888-664-9376: trees close to its lines on the road allowance and general forestry questions
Hydro One, tree trimming service: the eligibility screening and online request
Your local distribution company: the Electrical Safety Authority guideline says to contact it for work around powerlines