Powerline and Pole Safety

Clearing Brush for safe delivery of energy

Our pole brush program is a year-round effort to remove brush from the base of wood poles supporting power lines that may cause fires.

Poles with certain equipment such as fuses, switches, arrestors, and certain connectors are required to have a firebreak of ten feet or more in each direction.

The program also includes clearing around transmission line structure.

This fire prevention program is mandated by laws enforced by Cal Fire.

Three steps to clearing brush

State law requires these wood poles to be clear of vegetation all year, so SDG&E has an ongoing, three-tiered program to assure that the poles remain in compliance.

Herbicides

From November through February poles are cleared and treated with safe herbicides to prevent growth.

Landscaping

From March through June, the poles not treated are cleared by a team of trained contractors.

Landscaping touch ups

All wood poles that are not treated with herbicides are visited again during July through October for touch-ups.

Exemptions to clearing wood poles

There are some exemptions to clearing wood poles. If the vegetation around the wood pole is watered with fixed irrigation, and/or maintained such as a lawn, or a garden, the pole does not require a firebreak. For this reason, our contractors do not clear these poles.

Doing It Yourself

Although SDG&E prefers to conduct brush clearing we realize that some customers prefer to do the work themselves. SDG&E will work with you to assure the wood pole clearance requirements are met as defined in the regulations.

More Information

Call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-411-7343