Oncor follows generally accepted industry guidelines and best practices to have minimal impact on the health of trees pruned. Our vegetation management experts include certified arborists who work diligently so our customers can receive the safe and reliable electric service they expect, which vegetation and trees can adversely affect.

As a courtesy, we notify all customers on each planned project being worked even if no trees on their property need to be pruned. This is to make you aware that we will be working in the area. Also, it may be necessary to access your property to clean up brush that may have fallen from a neighboring property. 

A minimum of 10ft. will be cleared away from all high voltage primary distribution lines, including overhang. All cuts will be taken to a proper lateral. A minimum of 7ft. will be cleared around all open wire secondaries, and vegetation will be cleared to 3-5ft. from neutrals and wrapped secondaries. Click here to view an example.

In order to provide safe and reliable electric service to the communities we serve, we perform vegetation management throughout our service area. In most areas, we are focused on vegetation that has a matured height that is less than 10 feet away from our lines and that could cause a potential issue in service reliability. In most areas, vegetation is pruned on a rotating schedule to ensure performance across the service area. On transmission lines, Oncor may remove all trees from the Right of Way (ROW) to ensure that the clearances required by Electric Reliability Standard FAC-003-4 are maintained.

If the branches have grown near the service line running across your property from the pole to the electric meter, you should call a qualified tree trimmer or arborist to prune the tree limbs. For safety reasons you should contact your Retail Electric Provider to request a temporary disconnect and reconnect. This allows Oncor to temporarily lower the service line to your home or business, thereby allowing you to safely prune the trees. After you complete the work, Oncor will re-install the line and reconnect the electricity. There is a nominal charge for this service.

If the limbs are near lines other than the service line, such as high voltage lines, customers shall not go or bring any materials within 10 feet of the lines distance and contact Oncor to make arrangements so that the work can be done safely. Never work near, within, or around transmission lines without contacting Oncor first. Greater clearance distances may be required.

Even if you do not have trees that need to be pruned, it may be necessary to access your property to clean up brush that may have fallen from neighboring properties.

There are several legislative and governing policies in place to ensure that we can continue to provide safe and reliable electric service. This includes:

• Official city franchises
• State laws, which include the utility code that prevents landowners and others from obstructing our maintenance.
• The official state tariff that gives us the right to prune and remove trees as necessary for the safe and reliable operation of the system.
• The Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA) that requires the utility to maintain clearances per the National Electric Safety Code and according to industry standards
• The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) official standard of the required minimum vegetation clearance distance for high voltage transmission lines.

Oncor will remove any tree debris created by us when our authorized crews are performing pruning and vegetation management, including after storms. Following major storm events, debris removal may take up to several weeks, as our first priority is to restore power as quickly and safely as we can to everyone affected. While we will remove the debris we create, we do not remove debris from trees that have fallen due to the storm or other reasons not-related to Oncor, such as pruning done by cities, communication and cable companies. If a tree falls, it is the resident’s responsibility to remove it. For safety purposes, if a tree has fallen on a power line, please contact us 888.313.4747 so we can assist with making the area safe prior to tree removal. 

It is not necessary for you to be present. If you would like to be, however, we will gladly work with your schedule so that you can be present while the crews perform their work. 

Per Texas state law, only line clearance certified personnel who are approved by Oncor are authorized to work (themselves or their equipment) within 6 feet of high voltage lines. OSHA requirements state that non-certified personnel should stay a minimum of 10 feet away from high voltage lines.

To report a tree within 10 feet of power lines that could cause a potentially hazardous condition like sparking, customers should call Oncor at 888.313.6862 to report the situation. If there is a fire or sparking occurring, call 911.

Generally, crews begin work around 7:30-8 a.m. and end the work day at approximately 5p.m., except in emergency or power restoration work which may occur at any time. 

No, Oncor may prune or remove trees to prevent interference with the reliability and integrity of electrical service within your service area. During planned maintenance, there should not be any interruption in electrical service unless a hazardous situation arises.

The tree crews are required to sterilize all pruning tools when working on oak species. Tools are required to be sterilized again after the completion of each oak tree. 

The crews are required to “paint” cuts made by hand and chainsaws on all oak species. They do not paint pruning wounds on non-oak species because research shows it is better for the tree to heal naturally. 

There is a certified arborist assigned to each group of crews. 

If the branches have grown near the service line running across your property from the pole to the electric meter, you should call a qualified tree trimmer or arborist to prune the tree limbs. For safety reasons, if you will be pruning near the service line, you should contact your Retailer or Oncor at 888.313.6862 to request a temporary disconnect and reconnect. This allows Oncor to temporarily lower the service line to your home or business, thereby allowing you to safely prune the trees. After you complete the work, Oncor will re-install the line and reconnect the electricity. There is a nominal charge for this service.

Unfortunately, the crews can only prune trees that are within the scope of work. Any additional trimming would need to be completed by a private arborist at the owner’s expense. 

Given no other stress factors on the tree, utility pruning alone should not adversely affect the health of the tree. Generally, it takes more than one stress factor, in addition to pruning, to cause detrimental impact to the health of a tree. Our arborists take great care in ensuring that best practices for pruning are followed.

Trees that are continually maintained along utility easements develop reaction, or tension, over time to compensate for weight distribution. This reactive tissue also develops in the root system. Given no other factors that compromise tree structure, particularly in the roots, utility pruning alone is highly unlikely to contribute to tree failure.

The International Society of Arboriculture, the world’s leading authority on the management of trees, strenuously advises against stub-cutting trees. This practice results in very weak attachment of new growth, a much higher likelihood of decay, and a whorl of limbs which makes future pruning more complicated. In summary, stubs are generally bad for the tree and can be a source of future problems.

First, you should call 811 to make sure it is safe to dig in that area, which includes checking and verifying with your city and your property records to make sure you have the property rights to plant in the area.

Ideally, no one should plant trees under power lines, but there are select species that maintain low height. Check out the Know Before You Grow section to help guide you in selecting the right tree for your property — one that doesn’t interfere with power lines at its full maturity. In general, no part of the tree should be within 10 feet of a distribution line.