What are property owners responsible for?
Ausgrid is responsible for supplying power to the connection point at your property. Property owners are responsible for the electrical assets beyond this connection point. This includes all private power poles, powerlines, and pole-top fittings. It is the property owners responsibility to ensure that these electrical assets are maintained safely.
Trees and vegetation growing on private property
Property owners are usually responsible for maintaining safe clearances between electrical assets and vegetation growing on their property. Given the potential dangers, always hire a professional arborist or licensed contractor to trim back vegetation near powerlines. You may need approval from your local council before trimming trees on your property.
Trees growing on council land are maintained by Ausgrid or local councils. Throughout the year, Ausgrid and local councils will cut back vegetation near powerlines to reduce the risk of power outages, electrical fires, and power surges.
Communication with our customers
We regularly contact our customers in bushfire-prone areas to remind them of their responsibilities for maintaining private poles, power lines, and surrounding vegetation. We conduct inspections and send remediation letters to properties where we identify bushfire safety concerns.
If you have recently received a communication from Ausgrid and have further questions, please refer to our FAQs for more information.
What is Ausgrid responsible for?
The following illustration shows some typical arrangements for supplying power to customers.
| RESPONSIBILITIES FOR VEGETATION: If a tree on your property is growing near service wires, you are responsible for arranging any necessary tree trimming to maintain safe clearance distances. For more information and other example scenarios please visit Tree Trimming Responsibilities. |
Different types of connection to the electricity network
Scenario 1
Customer A is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network direct to their property. There is no private pole or overhead powerline on this property.
Customer B is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole. An underground cable then supplies power to the property. The property owner is responsible for maintaining the pole and this underground power supply.
Customers C and D are supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a shared private pole. Private overhead lines then supply electricity from the pole to each property. These customers are jointly responsible for maintaining the shared private pole. They are each responsible for maintaining their own individual overhead powerlines and associated fittings.
Customer E is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole. A private overhead line then supplies power to the property. The property owner is responsible for maintaining the private pole and overhead powerline and any vegetation that may impact on these.
Scenario 2
This customer is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole.
Private overhead lines then supply power to their home and shed. At the rear of the property there are additional private overhead powerlines (sub-mains) that extend from the back of the property to supply power to a water pump.
Ausgrid will periodically inspect the private overhead lines supplying this home and shed to check for safety and bushfire hazards, as they form a continuous overhead line with Ausgrid’s
service wire, but will not be inspecting the sub-mains at the rear of the property. The property owner is responsible for the safe maintenance and operation of their private poles and powerlines, including sub-mains.