Vegetation Near Powerlines in Ausgrid Areas: Who's Responsible for Trimming What

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Who is responsible for trimming trees near powerlines in Ausgrid areas? As a general rule, Ausgrid manages vegetation around the shared network powerlines in your street, while trees on your property that threaten the individual service line running to your home are the owner's responsibility. Either way, nobody without the right authorisation may trim vegetation close to live wires, and Ausgrid's Electrical Safety Rules set strict methods and clearances for the people who can.

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1. Two zones, two responsibilities

The wires near your home fall into two zones. The network mains run along the street and supply the whole neighbourhood, and Ausgrid keeps vegetation clear of those through its own programs. The service line is the single span from the street to your point of attachment, and it exists only for your property, so trees threatening it are generally yours to manage. If you are not sure whether Ausgrid or Endeavour Energy covers your suburb, check your network area in seconds with our postcode checker.

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2. What Ausgrid's Electrical Safety Rules allow

Section 10.5 of Ausgrid's Electrical Safety Rules sets out the only permitted ways to manage vegetation near energised wires: standard vegetation control by authorised workers down to set clearances, close approach vegetation control by specially authorised crews using insulated tools for anything closer, high voltage live work by crews authorised for it, or a full network outage where none of those can be done safely. There is no category for a homeowner with a ladder and a pruning saw. We cover the broader rulebook in our guide to Ausgrid's Electrical Safety Rules 2026.

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3. Why a branch touching a wire makes the whole tree dangerous

Wood conducts electricity, especially when green or wet. If a branch is in contact with a live conductor, the rules treat the entire tree, and even the ground around its base, as potentially energised. That is why vegetation crews test and assess before they touch anything, and why you should keep children and pets well away from any tree in contact with a wire until it is made safe. Our guide to safe approach distances near Ausgrid powerlines explains how close is too close.

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4. What homeowners can safely do

Plenty. Plant smart by keeping tall growing species away from the service line route. Trim vegetation that is well clear of any wires. Keep an eye on branches approaching your service line after storms, and if your line has been pulled loose or damaged, treat it as live and call for help. Our post on what to do when an overhead service line is down or damaged walks through exactly who you are allowed to call. For urgent hazards we also provide emergency make safe and storm damage repairs.

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5. Getting your power isolated for tree work

If a tree needs major work near your service line, the safest option is often a planned temporary disconnection. A Level 2 ASP can disconnect your service, stand by while the arborist works, and reconnect the same day, so nobody is cutting timber around a live cable. If the service line itself is tired or low, it may be the right time for an overhead service upgrade or a switch to underground.

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Why it's Level 2 ASP work

Any disconnection or reconnection of your service, and any repair to a damaged service line, involves the connection between your home and Ausgrid's network. Only an accredited Level 2 ASP is authorised to do that work. A tree lopper or general electrician is not, no matter how experienced.

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How High Demand Electrical helps

We coordinate the electrical side of tree work across Sydney: temporary disconnect and reconnect so arborists can work safely, make safe callouts when branches bring a service line down, repairs and rerouting of damaged spans, and private power pole replacements where a pole on your land carries the service. One call, and the power side of the job is handled by an accredited Level 2 team.

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