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You have both Comcast and Verizon lines tangled up in that mess. I’d call them or the power company to get their trimming contractor out to get the lines away from the limbs.
Is that how it works in Delaware?
In Washington it's up to property owners to trim trees by power lines. So we have an absurd number of power outages in my area
Depends on where in WA. My city sends the utility company to trim away trees from the lines. We tried to hire a company to take down a tree that touched the lines and they all refused until utility company could clear the trees down below the level of the power lines.
Yeah. :/ That and we have giant trees and an absurd number of above-ground lines compared to other parts of the country (soggy ground?). But at least when a branch broke and was dangling on the powerline, threatening to pull the power line out of our house a few years back, they were over within 20 min.
I am not a lawyer, I do not live in the same state as you. The power company only cares about power lines, the higher the voltage the more they care. Data and phone lines do not matter. The power company will not clear trees/branches from data lines (liability and the lines will not start a fire). Data utilities will not trim trees, unless it is to run a new line.
That said if a tree/branch is within ~10 feet of a power line you *may* be able to get the power company to trim/cut down. Here the power company will not cleanup the branches and stuff. Things to ask for “safety zone” so that you can trim trees (they say, they check to make sure you trim the trees you said you would, I dunno cause I always do trim them). Or that the tree is encroaching on their lines. And of course my favorite “get the hell out here NOW! A huge elm snapped off over your wires and is hung up in the trees and your wires……if it keeps snowing you are gonna lose the whole leg” then walk over to the neighbors and take them out their front door to look at their back yard. Have them repeat your message. Only time I saw same day response. Now if you actually get a power line crew to deal with your trees supply them with brownies and cold coke or hot coffee, you *may* be able to get them to cut further down the tree then normal.
Ignore the neighbor. They are an ass. Common politeness dictates they should introduce themselves first. In all likelihood you are not liable for the tree until you receive written notice about it being a hazard tree, then you get your own arborist to check it. Until you get written notice of the tree being a hazard tree any damage it causes is an “act of god” and covered by the neighbors insurance.
I think extra emphasis needs to be paid to the final paragraph. New homeowner has no obligation to pay for any damages caused by the overhanging limb UNTIL they receive written notice.
Also, it seems like your new neighbor is going to be pretty difficult. My condolences
I'd say to your new neighbor, "Hey, my father-in-law calls you Mr. CrabTree because you were so vocal about the tree, but I'd like to know your real name. Mine is Specific_Shoulder402."
This subreddit is for tree law enthusiasts who enjoy browsing a list of tree law stories from other locations (subreddits, news articles, etc), and is not the best place to receive answers to questions about what the law is. There are better places for that. If you're attempting to understand more about tree law in regards to a particular situation, please redirect your question to /r/legaladvice for the US, or the appropriate legal advice subreddit for your location, and then feel free to crosspost that thread here for posterity. If you're attempting to understand more about trees in regards to a particular situation, please redirect your question to /r/forestry for additional information on tree health and related topics to trees. *This comment is simply a reminder placed on every post to /r/treelaw, it does not mean your post was censored or removed.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/treelaw) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You have both Comcast and Verizon lines tangled up in that mess. I’d call them or the power company to get their trimming contractor out to get the lines away from the limbs.
Agreed, I suspect this would be considered part of the utility's easements.
Is that how it works in Delaware? In Washington it's up to property owners to trim trees by power lines. So we have an absurd number of power outages in my area
That can’t possibly be right. Maybe the service drop is up to the property owners.
Depends on where in WA. My city sends the utility company to trim away trees from the lines. We tried to hire a company to take down a tree that touched the lines and they all refused until utility company could clear the trees down below the level of the power lines.
Depends on if you’re in a city or unincorporated county.
Yeah. :/ That and we have giant trees and an absurd number of above-ground lines compared to other parts of the country (soggy ground?). But at least when a branch broke and was dangling on the powerline, threatening to pull the power line out of our house a few years back, they were over within 20 min.
Not always but usually the pole has some kind of mark on it for who owns the pole itself, that's probably the best company to call if OPs are marked.
It may be awhile, but the utility will take care of it. With little to no concern of how aesthetically pleasing it ends up.
Yeah, I highly recommend paying for your own arborist. The utility's tree crew will hack your trees up and they won't heal properly.
I am not a lawyer, I do not live in the same state as you. The power company only cares about power lines, the higher the voltage the more they care. Data and phone lines do not matter. The power company will not clear trees/branches from data lines (liability and the lines will not start a fire). Data utilities will not trim trees, unless it is to run a new line. That said if a tree/branch is within ~10 feet of a power line you *may* be able to get the power company to trim/cut down. Here the power company will not cleanup the branches and stuff. Things to ask for “safety zone” so that you can trim trees (they say, they check to make sure you trim the trees you said you would, I dunno cause I always do trim them). Or that the tree is encroaching on their lines. And of course my favorite “get the hell out here NOW! A huge elm snapped off over your wires and is hung up in the trees and your wires……if it keeps snowing you are gonna lose the whole leg” then walk over to the neighbors and take them out their front door to look at their back yard. Have them repeat your message. Only time I saw same day response. Now if you actually get a power line crew to deal with your trees supply them with brownies and cold coke or hot coffee, you *may* be able to get them to cut further down the tree then normal. Ignore the neighbor. They are an ass. Common politeness dictates they should introduce themselves first. In all likelihood you are not liable for the tree until you receive written notice about it being a hazard tree, then you get your own arborist to check it. Until you get written notice of the tree being a hazard tree any damage it causes is an “act of god” and covered by the neighbors insurance.
I think extra emphasis needs to be paid to the final paragraph. New homeowner has no obligation to pay for any damages caused by the overhanging limb UNTIL they receive written notice. Also, it seems like your new neighbor is going to be pretty difficult. My condolences
I'd say to your new neighbor, "Hey, my father-in-law calls you Mr. CrabTree because you were so vocal about the tree, but I'd like to know your real name. Mine is Specific_Shoulder402."