Here's a rule that surprises almost every homeowner: the distributor trims vegetation around the street mains, but keeping trees clear of the service line to your own house is *your* responsibility under the NSW Service and Installation Rules. Branches resting on that wire are one of the most common — and most preventable — causes of outages, damage and defect notices.
The Boundary of Responsibility
The network owns and maintains the service line itself, right up to the point of attachment on your house. But the rules make the customer responsible for maintaining the required clearances between that service and trees and shrubs on their premises — a minimum of 0.5m in every direction for insulated service lines.
So if your jacaranda has grown through the wire span between the street pole and your roof, arranging (and paying for) the trim is on you — not Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy.
Why Branches on the Wire Matter
Branches abrade the cable's insulation as they move in the wind, letting moisture in and eventually exposing live conductor. They add weight that drags the line below its legal clearance heights, and in storms they're the classic cause of a torn-down service line — an emergency that costs far more than a trim.
A damaged or sagging service line is also a standard trigger for a defect notice, with a deadline to rectify.
How to Do It Safely
Never trim branches touching or near a service line yourself, and don't send a general gardener up either — treat every cable as live, always. The safe approach is a temporary disconnection arranged under your network's procedures: the service is properly isolated first, the trimming is done by a vegetation contractor qualified to work near powerlines, and the service is then reconnected. Your distributor's rules set minimum safe approach distances that untrained people must stay outside.
If the line has already been damaged — hanging low, insulation scuffed through, or pulled from the wall — it needs repair or replacement, which is also Level 2 work.
Book a Disconnect-and-Trim
Sydney Power Group is accredited across the Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy networks and can arrange temporary disconnection and reconnection for tree work, and quote any service line repairs. Call 0466 125 125 or get a quote.
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