What To Know About Residential Power Lines

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The Service Drop

The overhead service drop, or underground service lateral, are the electrical conductors that come from the utility pole, pedestal or ground-mounted transformer to the home. Changes to the service drop will always be completed by the utility company, and the cost for most changes are the responsibility of the customer. The major safety issue here is that the service drop conductors have no fuse, circuit breaker or any kind of overcurrent protection at their supply end; they are directly connected to the utility’s distribution grid and are energized at all times. 

There are three conductors coming to the service mast in the overhead service drop, two ungrounded conductors (hot legs) and a separate grounded conductor (neutral). The hot legs have black thermoset, polymer or other nonmetallic conductor insulation. If all three wires are connected to the electrical service masts that runs through the roof, and/or down the exterior wall of the house in a service-entrance conduit, you can usually assume there is 240-volt service for the house since each hot leg measures 120–volts from each hot leg to the neutral.   

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Who Owns What?

Power line regulations and responsibilities will vary from one municipality to another and will depend on whether a power line is public or private. Public lines are installed and owned by a public utility company. Sometimes they are on public property, but sometimes they are on private property. Utility companies own everything up to the service point, the point of connection between the serving utility and the house premises wiring system, and the service point is often on private property.

Different utility companies define where that service point is exactly located, and it can vary greatly depending on whether the electrical service is overhead or underground, the size of the electrical service rated in amperes, where it originates at the utility equipment, and where it terminates at the customer’s equipment.

Privately owned electrical distribution lines are sometimes found in gated communities, apartment complexes, mobile home and RV parks, college campuses, large industrial facilities and elsewhere. Discover the reason behind colored balls hanging on power lines. 

So if a tree does fall on a mast or service drop, the chart above will give you an idea who is responsible for what, but it ultimately depends on where you live and which utility company services you.

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