Grant PUD tree trimming near power lines

Where Grant PUD trims

Grant PUD is the public utility district for Grant County, with customer service offices in Ephrata, Grand Coulee, Mattawa, Moses Lake, Quincy and Royal City. The PUD points out that the county gets frequent wind events, and limbs blown into lines are a common outage cause there. See tree service in Moses Lake and the Grant County page for local permit and storm notes, and the utilities index for other utilities.

What the PUD trims

The PUD is responsible for trimming and removing vegetation that could contact its lines. It says it has the legal right and obligation to trim interfering trees, does not need the property owner’s permission, and will not give prior notice. Contract crews trim “for function, not fashion,” pushing growth as far from the line as they can.

All of this is done at no cost to you, and crews clean up the site when they finish. Beyond pruning, the PUD removes trees that pose an imminent threat to its lines, trees where pruning alone cannot reach a safe clearance, and trees in irreversible decline from disease or insects. It also clears woody invasive species that block access for maintenance and applies herbicide to slow regrowth. The PUD does not publish a trim cycle (not stated).

Clearance distance

Grant PUD’s figure is at least 12 ft of clearance between its lines and any vegetation, more than the 10 ft published by Avista and Cowlitz PUD. It does not break that down by voltage (not stated).

The service line to your house

Grant PUD’s vegetation pages do not say who keeps trees clear of the service line from the pole to your house, or whether the PUD will disconnect it so a private crew can prune (not stated). Before anyone climbs a tree that touches that wire, call 509-754-0500 and ask. Do not let a crew start until the line is confirmed safe; our page on tree removal near power lines explains how that job is sequenced.

How to request trimming

Call 509-754-0500 during business hours about a tree near a line. General questions go to customer service at 509-766-2505, which answers 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week. No response-time target is published (not stated).

Trees that are not near a line are ordinary tree trimming, and the tree trimming cost page has modeled Washington ranges.

A tree on a line right now

Treat the tree and the ground around it as energized. Keep people and animals back, do not cut or pull anything, and call 800-216-5226; call 911 first for fire, injury or a line on a vehicle. Grant PUD’s tree page gives no stay-back distance (not stated); Snohomish PUD uses 30 ft, a reasonable floor. A crew can start only after the PUD has made the line safe; see emergency tree service.

Who may work within 10 ft of a line

A Moses Lake or Quincy tree service can take everything outside that zone. Check the company’s L&I contractor registration with our Washington tree service license lookup, and read the Washington tree removal permits guide if the tree is coming down.

Planting under Grant PUD lines

Keep a 20 ft clear zone around poles and lines, and avoid planting directly under a line. Small trees, with a mature height under 20 ft, go at least 20 ft from the pole or line; trees that reach 40 ft or more go at least 50 ft away. Keep 10 ft clear in front of a pad-mounted transformer and 3 ft at the sides and back, and call 811 before every dig.