Private poles and powerlines

There are many different arrangements for supplying electricity to homes and businesses across Ausgrid’s distribution area.

Ausgrid is responsible for building and maintaining the electricity network in the street and supplying power to the connection point on your property. Property owners are responsible for the electrical assets on their property beyond this connection point, including all private power poles, powerlines and pole-top fittings. It is your responsibility to ensure that these poles and powerlines are safely maintained.

Communicating with our customers

We regularly communicate with our customers in Bushfire areas to ensure that customers are aware of their responsibility to maintain private poles, powerlines, or trees.
We also inspect and issue remediation letters to premises where a bushfire safety issues have been identified.

If you have recently received a communication from Ausgrid and have further questions please refer to our FAQs and Repairs and Costs sections.

What is Ausgrid responsible for?

The following illustration shows some typical arrangements for supplying power to customers.

Different types of connection to the electricity network

Scenario 1

Customer A is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network direct to their property. There is no private pole or overhead powerline on this property.

Customer B is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole. An underground cable then supplies power to the property. The property owner is responsible for maintaining the pole and this underground power supply.

Customers C and D are supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a shared private pole. Private overhead lines then supply electricity from the pole to each property. These customers are jointly responsible for maintaining the shared private pole. They are each responsible for maintaining their own individual overhead powerlines and associated fittings.

Customer E is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole. A private overhead line then supplies power to the property. The property owner is responsible for maintaining the private pole and overhead powerline and any vegetation that may impact on these.

Scenario 2

Customer A is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole. A private overhead powerline then supplies power to the property. The property owner is
responsible for maintaining all private poles and overhead powerlines on their property.

Customers B and C are supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a shared private pole, located on Customer A’s property.

In this example, all three customers are jointly responsible for maintaining this shared private pole and powerline.

The powerline is then attached to another shared private pole on Customer B’s property.

Customers B and C are jointly responsible for maintaining this shared pole and powerline.

From this pole, private overhead lines supply Customers B and C, who are each responsible for maintaining their individual overhead powerlines and associated fittings.

Each customer must keep trees on their property a safe distance from poles and powerlines.

Where powerlines cross boundaries they are a shared responsibility between customers.

Scenario 3

This customer is supplied by a service wire from Ausgrid’s network to a private power pole.

Private overhead lines then supply power to their home and shed. At the rear of the property there are additional private overhead powerlines (sub-mains) that extend from the back of the property to supply power to a water pump.

Ausgrid will periodically inspect the private overhead lines supplying this home and shed to check for safety and bushfire hazards, as they form a continuous overhead line with Ausgrid’s
service wire, but will not be inspecting the sub-mains at the rear of the property. The property owner is responsible for the safe maintenance and operation of their private poles and powerlines, including sub-mains.