Fallen Power Line on Your Property? Stay 8 Metres Back and Call These Numbers First

What should you do if a power line has fallen on your property? Stay at least 8 metres away, treat the line as live no matter how it looks, and call your electricity distributor straight away: Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or Endeavour Energy on 131 003. If anyone is injured or something is on fire, call 000 first. Never touch the line, anything it is resting on, or anyone in contact with it.

⚡ Quick Answers: fallen power lines

• Is a fallen power line dangerous if it is not sparking? Yes. A downed line can be silent, still and carrying full voltage. Both Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy require every fallen wire to be treated as live until an authorised person proves otherwise.
• How far back should I stay? At least 8 metres, roughly the length of a bus. The ground around a live conductor can be energised too.
• Who do I call first? 000 if life is at risk or there is fire. Otherwise Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or Endeavour Energy on 131 003, depending on your network.
• Can my own electrician remove it? No. Only the network can make a fallen line safe. A Level 2 electrician repairs the service line to your home after the network confirms it is dead.
• What if it has fallen on my car or fence? The car or fence can be live as well. Stay clear and keep others away. If you are inside the car, stay inside and call for help.
• Who pays for the repair? The network fixes its own poles and mains. The service line and any private pole on your side are your responsibility, repaired by a Level 2 ASP.

1. Treat every fallen line as live

A fallen wire gives you no reliable visual clue about whether it is energised. It might spark and jump, or it might lie completely still in the grass. Network protection equipment can also re-energise a line automatically after a fault, so a wire that was dead a minute ago may not stay that way.

That is why both Ausgrid's Electrical Safety Rules and Endeavour Energy's Electrical Safety Rules tell even their own trained crews to treat every fallen conductor as live until it has been identified, isolated and proven de-energised by an authorised person. If that is the standard for lineworkers, it is certainly the standard for the rest of us.

2. Why the 8 metre rule exists

When a live conductor touches the ground, electricity spreads out through the soil around it. The voltage drops off with distance, which means a person walking toward the wire can have one foot at a higher voltage than the other. That difference, called step potential, can drive current through your body without you ever touching the wire.

Endeavour Energy's safety rules set the safe approach distance to fallen conductors at 8 metres, worked out from typical soil conditions across its network area, and Ausgrid applies the same 8 metre rule to fallen wires. Keep children and pets well inside that margin, and remember wet ground carries current further.

3. The calls to make, in order

First, 000 if anyone has been shocked, is trapped, or if the fallen line has started a fire. Second, your distributor's emergency line: Ausgrid on 13 13 88 for most of eastern and northern Sydney, Endeavour Energy on 131 003 for western Sydney, the Blue Mountains and surrounds. Not sure which one covers you? You can check your network area in seconds with our postcode checker, and we keep a full list of emergency contact numbers worth saving.

Third, once the network has made the scene safe, call a Level 2 electrician to repair whatever was damaged on your side of the connection point.

4. What not to do while you wait

Do not try to move the wire with a broom, branch or anything else. Timber and plastic can conduct when damp, and the 8 metre rule applies to you and your tools together. Do not drive over a fallen line, even one that looks insulated. Keep everyone indoors or well clear, and stay out of pooled water anywhere near the wire.

If a line has come down on a car with someone inside, the safest place for them is usually inside the vehicle until the network confirms the line is dead. Getting out is a last resort reserved for fire, and it means jumping clear without touching the car and ground at the same time, then shuffling away with feet together.

5. Network line or your service line?

Who repairs the damage depends on which wire came down. The mains running along the street between power poles belong to the network, and the network repairs them at its own cost. The service line running from the street to your roof or private power pole is yours, and repairing it is Level 2 ASP work, not something the network or a standard electrician will do.

Our guides on damaged overhead service lines and who is responsible for what after storm damage break the split down in detail, and if a tree brought the wire down with a pole attached, start with what to do when a tree falls on a power pole.

6. What happens after the network makes it safe

The network crew will isolate the line, prove it dead and either repair their own asset or cut away and secure the damaged service line so the property is no longer dangerous. That is make safe, not repair. Your power may stay off until the private side is fixed.

From there a Level 2 electrician can make safe any remaining hazards, re-run the overhead service mains, repair storm damage to the connection point and arrange reconnection, usually the same day the repair is finished. If blackouts are a regular event in your street, it is also worth understanding how an automatic transfer switch and standby generator keep the essentials running while repairs happen around you.

Why it's Level 2 ASP work

Everything between the network's mains and your switchboard, including the point of attachment and service fuse, sits in a category that only accredited Level 2 electricians are authorised to touch. A standard electrician cannot legally reconnect or re-run a service line. Before you book anyone for this work, it is worth knowing how to verify a Level 2 ASP accreditation.

How High Demand Electrical helps

We run a 24/7 emergency response across both Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy areas. Our Level 2 teams handle emergency make safe, service line re-runs, private power pole replacement, defect notice rectification and reconnection, and we provide the written damage reports insurers ask for after storms. One call covers the whole chain from hazard to power back on.

Fallen Power Line FAQs (Sydney)

Is a fallen power line on my property my responsibility?

Making it safe is always the network's job, so call them first regardless of whose wire it is. The repair is yours only if the damaged section is the service line or a private pole on your side of the connection point. See our storm damage responsibility guide.

Can I move a fallen line with something wooden?

No. Damp timber conducts electricity, and no household object is rated for network voltages. Stay 8 metres back and let the network handle it.

What if a line falls on my car while I am driving?

Stop, stay inside, put hazards on and call 000 or the distributor. The car body protects you while you are in it. Only exit for fire, and never touch the car and the ground at the same time.

How quickly does power come back after a line comes down?

Network faults are prioritised by safety risk and the number of customers affected, so timing varies. If the damage is on your service line, a Level 2 repair can usually be arranged the same day the network makes the site safe. See what same day reconnection realistically looks like.

Line down? Get it made safe and repaired fast

Request an emergency make safe or call 0402 559 777 any time, day or night. Every job starts with a quick site assessment so the scope and pricing are confirmed before work begins.