Thick lines run pole to pole along the street or back easement in Melissa. A thinner line drops from a pole to the mast on your roof. A tree grows into one of them, the power flickers, and the first argument starts: whose job is this?
The answer depends on which wire the branch is touching. Get that one fact right and the rest falls into place.
First, learn the three sets of wires over your yard
Top of the pole is the primary line: high voltage, feeding a whole street. Below it sit secondary lines, still energized, running pole to pole at lower voltage.
Then there is the service drop: the single bundled line that leaves the pole and lands on your house. It serves one home. It looks harmless next to the primaries. It is still energized, and the insulation on it can be worn thin where a branch has rubbed it for years.
Lowest are phone and cable lines. Oncor does not prune around those. A branch on a cable line is not a power emergency.
The pole-to-pole rule: that part is Oncor's job
In Oncor territory, which covers most of Melissa, McKinney, and the rest of Collin County, trimming between poles is utility work. Oncor says it plainly: any trimming from one pole to another must be done by Oncor. Its contractors clear vegetation around high-voltage primary lines, clear at least seven feet around open-wire secondary lines, and clear three to five feet from neutrals and wrapped secondaries.
That work runs on a cycle. Crews leave notice before planned work. Report a real hazard, a limb resting on a primary or a cracked branch over the line, by calling Oncor at 888-313-6862. If something is sparking or on fire, call 911 first.
Crews will not shape your oak or haul off a tree that fell for other reasons. After a storm they clear what they need to restore power. The fallen tree is still yours once the lines are safe. Our storm damage guide covers that handoff.
The service drop: that part is yours
The line from the pole to your roof is the exception that trips people up. Oncor does not prune around service drops in its regular program. If a hackberry in the side yard has grown around that drop, arranging the trimming is on the homeowner.
Arranging it does not mean doing it yourself. Hire a crew that does this work regularly, and ask about a temporary disconnect first. Through your retail electric provider, Oncor can disconnect and lower the service line so the crew can prune without a live wire in the work zone, then reconnect it. There can be a charge. It is cheap compared with the alternative.
The 10-foot line you do not cross
Here is the rule that keeps people alive: do not get within 10 feet of the main power lines, and do not let a tool, a ladder, or a cut branch get there either. Electricity can arc to a nearby object. You do not have to touch the wire.
That rule also limits what a regular tree crew can do. A crew without line-clearance training should stop short of the primaries and tell you to call the utility. If a company offers to just reach in and grab the limb off the primary for cash, that is your answer about that company. Walk away. Our guide to choosing a tree service lists the other tells.
Most bad outcomes start with a homeowner on an aluminum ladder, pole saw in hand, under a service drop. Aluminum conducts. Wet branches conduct. Stay on the ground, well clear of any wire, or do not start.
Why utility cuts look so rough
Drive down Sam Rayburn Highway after a clearance cycle and you will see it: oaks cut into a V, elms flat on one side. Utility crews are cutting for years of clearance in one visit. The tree will grow back toward the light, so they cut to the next good fork, and the shape reflects the wires, not the tree.
Afterward, a private crew can rebalance the rest of the canopy so the tree does not sit lopsided. What does not help is topping what is left. Our topping guide explains why that sends fast, weak shoots straight back at the wires.
Private follow-up pruning on oaks should follow oak wilt timing: avoid wounding oaks from February through June when you can. See the oak trimming timing guide.
Plant the next tree like you have seen this movie
Most wire conflicts were planted twenty years ago. A live oak that will spread 50 feet does not belong under a primary line. Neither does a pecan, a red oak, or a Bradford pear.
Under or near lines, think small and think mature size, not nursery size. Texas redbud, desert willow, crape myrtle kept as a small tree, and yaupon holly all top out low enough to stay out of most service drops. Our desert willow guide and redbud guide cover two of the best fits. Save the big oaks for the open middle of the yard, at least 20 feet out from the line's path, and check the easement on your survey before you dig. Call 811 before planting, same as any dig.
If a tree is already too big for its spot, repeated clearance cuts cost money and the tree declines a little each time. At some point removal and a right-sized replacement is the cheaper, safer answer.
Who to call, in order
Sparking, fire, or a line down: 911, then Oncor's outage line. A limb on a primary or a tree leaning into pole-to-pole lines: Oncor at 888-313-6862. Branches around your service drop: a qualified trimming crew, with a temporary disconnect arranged first. A branch on a cable or phone line only: your cable or phone provider, and a private crew for the tree itself.
If you are not sure which wire you are looking at, treat it as the dangerous kind and keep your distance. That habit prevents most bad stories.
Common Questions
Who trims trees around the power lines between poles in North Texas?
Oncor does. In Oncor territory, trimming from one pole to another must be done by Oncor and its line-clearance contractors. They clear high-voltage primary lines on a cycle and after reports of a hazard. Call Oncor at 888-313-6862 to report a tree in those lines.
Who trims branches around the line from the pole to my house?
You do, through a qualified tree crew. That single line is the service drop, and Oncor does not prune around it as part of its pole-to-pole work. Ask your retail electric provider about a temporary disconnect and reconnect so the drop can be lowered while the crew works.
Can I trim a tree near power lines myself?
Not near the main lines. Stay at least 10 feet away from limbs near high-voltage lines, and leave that work to line-clearance qualified workers. Even around a service drop, a ladder, a pole saw, and a wire overhead is a bad mix. Ground-level pruning well away from any wire is the limit for do-it-yourself work.
Why did the utility crew cut my tree into a V shape?
Utility crews trim for clearance, not looks. They cut enough so the tree will not grow back into the lines before the next cycle, which often leaves a V or an L shape. A private crew can balance the remaining canopy later.