Utility line clearance work: who does it and what applies

This page describes. The danger and the distances are on the power lines guide. Here the subject is the work as a job: who is hired for it, what it is called, and where each country writes down who may do it. The line owner, the regulator and your employer decide what applies on a given job.

United States

Who the work is done for

OSHA 1910.269 covers line-clearance tree trimming done to clear space around electric power generation, transmission or distribution lines or equipment, on behalf of an organization that operates, or controls the operating procedures for, those lines. It says tree trimming done for a homeowner or a commercial entity other than that kind of organization is outside the rule. So the job is defined by who it is for. See 29 CFR 1910.269 on the eCFR.

OSHA's June 24, 2021 inspection memo adds that different standards can apply. It says some line-clearance tree trimming is covered under 1910.269, some under 1910 Subpart S, and some tree trimming under the Telecommunications standard, 1910.268. The text is in the OSHA memo on tree care inspections.

The Utility Arborist Association says line clearance contractors employ qualified line clearance arborists who get ongoing electrical safety training, and that the equipment and tools are maintained as non-conductive. Its FAQ also says most tree care workers are not qualified to work near energized power lines. See the UAA frequently asked questions.

The terms in the rule

A line-clearance tree trimmer is an employee who, through related training or on-the-job experience or both, is familiar with the special techniques and hazards involved in line-clearance tree trimming.
A line-clearance tree trimmer is not a qualified employee unless he or she has the training the rule requires for a qualified employee.
A trimmer who is not a qualified employee must be trained and competent in listed skills, such as telling exposed live parts from other parts and working out nominal voltage.
Training can be classroom or on-the-job, and the employer must check by supervision and annual inspection that employees follow the work practices.
Anyone doing this work in the aftermath of a storm or similar emergency must be trained in the special hazards of that work.

ANSI Z133 and its levels

ISA says the Z133-2026 safety standard has been approved by ANSI and is available. TCI Magazine, from the Tree Care Industry Association, describes four electrical levels in it. Level 1 is unqualified for any voltage, Level 2 is qualified for 750 volts or less, Level 3 for voltages up to 35 kV, and Level 4, called line clearance, for all voltages. It says the old category of incidental line clearance was removed. A Level 3 arborist may work within 10 feet of supply lines above 35 kV only under an abatement plan made with the utility. See the TCI Magazine article and the ISA Z133-2026 page. A standard is not a law unless a regulator adopts it.

Associations and programmes

The Utility Arborist Association describes itself as an organization of over 5,000 individuals committed to maintaining trees and other vegetation so that energy is distributed safely and reliably. Its certification page lists a management credential for middle managers and a Rights-of-Way Stewardship accreditation for utilities. See the UAA organization page and its certification page.

ISA Certified Arborist Utility Specialist is an add-on credential. The program guide, revised August 2025, asks for a current ISA Certified Arborist with 2,000 hours of verifiable electric utility vegetation management work in the two years before applying, or 36 cumulative months of full-time utility work within 10 years. It is valid for three years. Fees and renewal are on the certifications by country page, and the details are in the ISA program guide. It is a credential, not a licence.

Tree Line USA is a programme of the Arbor Day Foundation, run with the National Association of State Foresters and the Utility Arborist Association. It recognises utilities, not individual workers. Recognition is earned annually for work done January 1 through December 31. Its standards ask for annual formal training for employees, contractor workers and supervisors who do the pruning. See Tree Line USA and its standards page.

Canada

British Columbia

Part 19 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation says tree pruning or falling within the listed distances of overhead energized high voltage conductors must be carried out by a worker authorized by the owner of the power system. It also says a certified utility arborist or a qualified electrical worker must be at the site directing the work, with at least one more qualified person trained in emergency rescue. Other points in the same Part:

The owner must assure that any reclose feature is disabled, and workers must be told the conductor voltages.
An apprentice utility arborist works to wider limits than a certified one, or to the certified limits when in the presence of and under the direct supervision of a certified utility arborist.
Vegetation inside the stated limit must be cut with approved insulated tools. Insulated hand tools and aerial devices must be kept clean and dielectrically tested.

The tables hold the figures and are in Part 19 on the WorkSafeBC site. WorkSafeBC's guidelines say a certified utility arborist must have completed the relevant Industry Training Authority approved training programme. See the guidelines for Part 19.

Ontario

Skilled Trades Ontario lists Utility Arborist as a trade. It says the person prunes, rigs or moves branches and woody vegetation near or able to contact electrical apparatus, removes dangerous trees, and does condition assessments in electrical rights of way. Training is generally 6,000 hours, about three years. The page says the trade is non-compulsory, so the certificate does not have to be renewed. See the Utility Arborist trade page.

United Kingdom

HSE's page points to regulation 14 of the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Regulation 14 says no person shall be engaged in work on or so near a live conductor that danger may arise unless it is unreasonable for it to be dead, it is reasonable to work live, and suitable precautions are taken. Regulation 16 of the same regulations says no person shall be engaged in work where technical knowledge or experience is necessary to prevent danger unless they have it, or are under suitable supervision. The text is in regulation 14 and regulation 16.

HSE's tree work page says to agree with the line owner, usually the Network Operator, for lines to be disconnected, and that the Network Operator may arrange for the works to be done by a specialised utility arboricultural contractor. See HSE on tree work and power lines.

Lantra lists utility arboriculture awards. Its Level 2 Award in Utility Arboriculture, Basic Electrical Knowledge, is described as a nationally recognised regulated qualification that acts as a licence to practise for people doing vegetation management near overhead power lines. Its Level 3 Award in Arboricultural Activities has ground, rope and harness, and MEWP pathways. The rope and harness pathway lists aerial tree rescue as a prerequisite, and the MEWP pathway needs a current licence for the MEWP type. See Lantra's Level 2 page and Level 3 activities page.

Australia

Electric line clearance is regulated by state.

Victoria

Energy Safe Victoria says its line clearance work rests on the Electricity Safety (Electric Line Clearance) Regulations 2026. The statutory rule is S.R. 71/2026, effective June 24, 2026. The regulations require a management plan to state the qualifications, skills and competence of the people who inspect, prune or remove trees. They define a suitably qualified arborist for assessing trees as holding at least the Certificate III in Arboriculture with a tree defect evaluation unit, or an equivalent, plus at least 3 years of field experience in assessing trees. See Energy Safe on line clearance and the Victorian legislation page. One Energy Safe page still names the 2025 interim text.

For workers, Energy Safe says the requirements differ depending on whether you work for a private company or person, a local council, or a Victorian Electricity Supply Industry company. Work for distribution businesses follows the VESI Vegetation Management Guideline. The managing trees page says a person is exempt from the regulated distances if they hold a current certificate from an Energy Safe approved tree clearing course and comply with the Blue Book and the Vegetation Management Rules. It says only authorised powerline pruning contractors should prune trees touching or close to power lines. The workers page says the distributor must be notified when working near its powerlines, and that workers have the right to refuse unsafe work. See Energy Safe on tree industry workers and managing trees near powerlines.

New South Wales

ISSC 3, the Guide for the Management of Vegetation in the Vicinity of Electricity Assets, was issued in November 2016 as an interim guide. It gives a minimum standard for vegetation near electricity distribution assets, public or private, and lists Essential Energy, Endeavour Energy and Ausgrid among its contributors. It assumes the user is trained, qualified, authorised and competent. See the ISSC 3 guide.

ISSC Guide 39, dated June 2025, sets the competencies and approved training for people who work on or near electricity networks. Its vegetation pathways start with the Certificate II in ESI Powerline Vegetation Control, UET20321, with separate units for control from ground level and from within the tree. The elevating work platform pathway lists TLILIC0005, the boom-type EWP licence unit. See the ISSC Guide 39.

New Zealand

The Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003 set duties for tree owners and for electricity line companies. A network company, Orion, says they were amended in October 2024 and July 2026. Orion says clear-to-the-sky applies from October 17, 2026 in urban areas for 33 kV and 66 kV lines only, and in non-urban areas for all voltages. It describes a treefall hazard zone from July 23, 2028, where line owners assess trees and tree assessments are made by a suitably qualified and experienced arborist. See Orion on trees near power lines.

At a glance

Country	Term or credential	Where it is written
US	Line-clearance tree trimmer; Z133 Level 4	OSHA 1910.269; ANSI Z133
Canada	Certified utility arborist; Utility Arborist trade	WorkSafeBC Part 19; Skilled Trades Ontario
UK	Lantra utility arboriculture awards	Electricity at Work Regulations; HSE
Australia	Powerline Vegetation Control units	Energy Safe Victoria; NSW ISSC 3 and 39
New Zealand	Qualified and experienced arborist	Hazards from Trees Regulations, via Orion

The wider rules by country are in safety rules by country, and aerial lifts are in bucket trucks and EWPs.