A tree on or against an SDG&E line is an electrical hazard, not a yard chore. Stay away from the tree, the wires, and any tools that could reach them. For a standing conflict, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343 before anyone starts private tree work. If a line is down, stay away and call both 911 and SDG&E from a place that is already safe. A phone call never authorizes anyone to walk up to the wires.
Branch Pro San Diego is a referral service. We match you with licensed, insured independent local tree companies. You hire and pay that company directly. Ordinary tree work waits until the utility has given the direction that job actually needs.
Who to call for a tree near San Diego power lines
Start with the utility, not with a saw. SDG&E’s tree-safety FAQ is the place to confirm what the company will handle on that span.
SDG&E can evaluate trees that conflict with its conductors. After an Area Forester review, the utility may remove a tree. Replacement, if any, is the utility’s call. Do not assume a private crew can take a tree the utility still controls.
The service drop is the line from the pole toward the house. SDG&E does not typically prune vegetation on service drops. Heavy strain or abrasion is an exception. If you are not sure whether a branch is only brushing that drop or loading a higher-voltage span, stay back and ask SDG&E. Do not sort wires by height, color, or insulation.
You can ask SDG&E to de-energize a service drop before private work. The current FAQ describes 15-day advance scheduling and no charge for that specific request. Confirm the required advance notice with SDG&E before you schedule private work.
Call 911 for every downed line, or if anyone is hurt or life is in immediate danger. For a downed line, also call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343 from a place that is already safe. Do not wait to decide whether the line looks dangerous. Keep people away until responders and the utility control the scene.
Who is allowed to work close to energized lines
A contractor license is not an electrical qualification. An ISA credential is not one either. Cal/OSHA Title 8, section 3423 sets tree-work rules near electrical hazards. Work within 10 feet of high-voltage lines requires qualified line-clearance tree trimmers, or trainees working only under the required supervision in that section. For low voltage at 600 volts or less, the exception is a qualified tree worker with the training and safeguards that rule requires. An ordinary contractor license does not meet it.
Section 2950 sets approach distances that change with voltage. Those distances cover the body, tools, equipment, and parts of the tree. Ten feet is not a universal maximum, and it is not a number you should use to decide a cut is safe. Section 2951 puts voltage determination, qualified staffing, and coordination with the line operator on the employer before the work starts.
Section 2946 is a general high-voltage proximity and boom-equipment rule. It is not a universal 10-foot tree-worker certificate. Boom guards and warning devices do not cancel the other requirements.
SDG&E’s public guidance is to keep people, tools, and materials at least 10 feet from overhead lines and to call when lines obstruct work. The utility may turn off, cover, or move lines depending on the job. Those options do not let ordinary workers enter the electrical hazard. High-voltage work is not automatically a de-energized job. The utility and qualified personnel decide what that span needs.
For later professional tree trimming or tree removal, ask the independent company who is qualified for the electrical part of that job, and what must wait on SDG&E. If trimming is no longer the right answer, the removal page covers that choice after the lines are under utility direction.
What to do if a tree falls on a line
Treat a downed or contacting line as energized. Stay away. Do not take photos beside the tree, move furniture, or try to lift branches off the wire.
- Call 911 for every downed line, or if anyone is hurt or life is in immediate danger.
- From a place that is already safe, also call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343. A downed line needs both calls.
- Keep others back until the utility controls the electrical hazard.
- Only after SDG&E directs that private tree work may begin, hire an independent company for the vegetation. Utility crews handle the electrical hazard. They do not automatically remove the rest of the tree.
SDG&E’s downed-line page is the current public instruction.
Urgent vegetation work after the utility clears the electrical side is a separate hire. See emergency tree service for that later step.
Wind, shutoffs, and trees near lines
Dry, gusty weather can swing a branch into a conductor that looked clear on a still day. Use the National Weather Service San Diego forecast for your address, and finish only the safe preparations you can do from the ground. Do not climb or prune toward a line because wind is coming. Our Santa Ana wind tree prep guide covers those ground-level steps.
SDG&E may issue Public Safety Power Shutoff notices. A shutoff does not mean a line is safe to approach. Follow the utility’s current notices, and still treat downed or hanging wires as live. Parcel fire-clearance rules are a separate question from line clearance. Confirm those with the fire authority for the actual address, using current defensible-space guidance. The fire-safe tree trimming checklist is for vegetation planning after you know which authority applies. It is not permission to cut near conductors.
Planting near existing lines
Ask SDG&E what mature height, spread, and setback it wants for that span before you plant. A compact tree in one yard can still conflict with a low span, a service drop, or a future growth pattern.
Species choice and drought performance are a different question from utility approval. Our drought-tolerant trees for San Diego guide is plant-selection reading. It does not approve a tree under a conductor.
If the planting is a City of San Diego street tree, start with the City’s street-tree maintenance process. A private contractor’s schedule is not authority to plant, trim, or remove a city tree. Report line conflicts on those trees to SDG&E.
What to put in a private-work quote after the utility has spoken
Once SDG&E has said private work may proceed, get the independent company’s plan in writing. Ask which conductors are in play, who requests any de-energizing or covering, and what stops if the utility has to return. Ask how the crew will reach the tree without putting people or equipment into the electrical space the utility still controls.
California tree contractors may hold a C-49 Tree and Palm classification, or an active legacy C-61/D-49 issued before January 1, 2024. Check the named company on the CSLB license lookup. That license is not line-clearance proof. An individual ISA credential, if offered, can be checked in the ISA credential directory or with the person’s digital certificate. A missing directory listing does not by itself disprove a credential, and a listing does not assign that person to your job.
The Branch Pro San Diego service area hub lists the communities we cover. Call (858) 400-4423 after SDG&E has directed that private tree work may proceed. Calling the utility is not that direction. Then we can match you with a licensed local company for the remaining vegetation.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call if a tree is touching a power line in San Diego?
For a standing conflict, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343 first. Call 911 for every downed line, or if someone is hurt or life is in immediate danger. A downed line also needs SDG&E from a place that is already safe. Stay away until the utility controls the wires. Private tree work comes after SDG&E directs that it may begin, not after the phone call alone.
Will SDG&E trim or remove the tree?
Ask SDG&E about that span. The utility can evaluate trees that conflict with its lines and may remove a tree after an Area Forester review. It does not typically prune service-drop vegetation, except for heavy strain or abrasion. Confirm the current path on the tree-safety FAQ rather than assuming a free private trim.
Can I ask SDG&E to turn off the service drop?
Yes. SDG&E’s current FAQ lets the customer request service-drop de-energizing, with 15-day advance scheduling and no charge for that specific service. Confirm the required advance notice with the utility before you schedule private work.
How far should a new tree stay from power lines?
Ask SDG&E about mature height, spread, and setback for the actual conductors. Use species guides for horticulture, not as a substitute for that utility answer.
Can a homeowner trim a branch that looks several feet from the wire?
Stay away and report the conflict. Approach distances vary by voltage and include tools and tree parts. A gap you can see from the yard is not a cutting permit. Qualified electrical or line-clearance work, and any covering or de-energizing, belong with the utility and qualified personnel.
Can any licensed tree company handle a tree near power lines?
Not automatically. A C-49 or active legacy D-49 license covers tree contracting. It does not prove electrical qualification. Ask who on that job is qualified for the voltage involved, and what must wait on SDG&E. If a company offers to cut beside an energized line without that plan, keep looking.