Your utility company is usually responsible for the wires connecting your home to the pole. Homeowners are responsible for almost all other electrical components.
Usually, the utility is responsible up to the point of connection, which is usually the splices outside of the weatherhead. Some utilities only have responsibility to the pole, and some to the meter. You would have to contact your utility company to be sure which applies here.
Your electric company is only responsible for maintaining and repairing the following items: Wooden utility poles. Overhead and underground power lines. Electric service lines that run between utility poles and to your home.
above ground. The average cost to run power underground is $10 to $25 per foot, or $5,000 to $12,500 for 500' of new electrical lines. Overhead power line installation costs $5 to $15 per foot, or $4,000 to $7,500 for 500'. The cost to bury existing power lines is $2,000 to $6,000.
In electric power distribution, a service drop is an overhead electrical line running from a utility pole, to a customer's building or other premises. It is the point where electric utilities provide power to their customers.
The cable(s) from the cut-out to the meter and the meter itself are the responsibility of the supplier who sells the electricity to you.
Utility pole installation costs $1,200 to $5,600. A utility pole is also called a power pole, electric pole, or telephone pole. A meter pole costs $500 to $2,200 installed. Electrical meter poles are smaller poles that connect service lines to a breaker box in a house or mobile home.
Your utility company is usually responsible for the wires connecting your home to the pole.
Electrical circuits are generally placed underground to protect the lines from high winds, ice and other damaging elements. Underground installation also improves aesthetics, but is usually more costly. For this reason, most utilities will install underground lines at the customer's request and cost.
For all intents & purposes, a utility easement usually belongs to the utility companies. (A lot of municipalities even label them as much on their property tax maps, etc.)
Fallen Power Lines Are Dangerous And Destructive
Home damage caused by falling trees or power lines themselves is covered by most homeowners insurance policies.
You own the section of power line that connects to your house. The lines company that serves your area owns the power lines - up to the point where they connect to the lines on your property. This is usually at a power pole near the boundary of your property.
If electrical lines have been torn from your house, or the electric meter or power pole mast attached to your home has been damaged, contact a private electrician to make the repairs. Meter sockets and power masts attached to a house are the responsibility of the homeowner.
An electric service drop is the bundle of electrical cables (or three individual wires, in older installations) that run from the electric utility company's power pole to the connection at your house.
Many residential and commercial property owners do not realize they have a right to compensation for the electric lines and towers placed on their properties. If even a portion of your property is used by electric companies for their utilities, you deserve just compensation.
» Homeowners own and are responsible for electrical equipment attached to the house (service stack, attachment hardware, riser and meter box) and the pole with an attached meter box for mobile or manufactured homes. » FPL is responsible for the wire or service line to the house and the electric meter.
Responsibility for underground power lines typically falls on the local utility company or provider in a given area, which is responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repairs of these lines.
To convert your service, there is a flat fee of $651.49 that would be due to FPL along with possible additional costs that depend on a number of variables such as: Whether your local government's electrical authority requires electrical installation or wiring to be upgraded as part of your conversion.
While underground lines are protected from wind, wildfires and tree branches, they are vulnerable to earthquakes and flooding. They are also more expensive to build and maintain. By comparison, it costs approximately 3-5x more per foot to construct underground power lines versus overhead lines.
Depending on a few different factors you'd be looking at $10-40k. The fact that it seems to have live lines in 4 directions and that would have to move 20+ feet to relocate over either driveway (so good chance 2 poles would replace one) makes the higher end of the range seem more likely.
Typically the utility company owns the overhead wire and maintains the splices at the top of the weatherhead. The home owner is normally responsible for the meter socket, mast, and service entrance conductors.
For power lines above areas used only by pedestrians, including sidewalks, decks, and patios, the minimum vertical clearance of wires above the ground is generally 14.5 feet. These distances are regarded as enough to provide safe passage to all pedestrians, even when they are carrying tools or other objects.
Underground electrical lines will typically cost more, ranging anywhere from $500 to $150,000 while overhead costs $250 to $80,000. For 500 feet of electrical line, the average cost is between $5,000 to $12,500. Installing overhead lines costs for 500 feet costs between $4,000 and $7,500.
For your safety, PEC recommends to build at least the length of a power pole (around 40 feet).
The cost to get utilities on land ranges from $6,500 to $30,000 on average. A pro will factor in the utilities needed and your location to determine the exact cost. When a fresh start on new property also means getting utilities on land, you could pay anywhere from $100 to $60,000 to set everything up.