Quick answer
PECO trims trees that threaten its distribution lines, the main wires running pole to pole. The overhead service line from PECO's line to your house is your responsibility, or your contractor's. PECO will make that service drop safe so the tree work can go ahead, and it asks for that request at least two weeks in advance.
Which wire is which on the pole
Most poles in the Philadelphia area carry several kinds of wire. The highest ones are usually the distribution lines, which carry power along the street. Below them, a single wire or bundle runs from the pole to the side of your house: that is the service drop. Lower still are cable, phone and internet lines, which belong to other companies entirely.
Knowing which one a branch is touching tells you who to call. A limb in the top wires is PECO's concern. A limb on the drop to your house is yours to clear, with PECO's help to make it safe. A limb on the cable line goes to your cable or phone provider.
What PECO trims and what it leaves to you
PECO trims trees that threaten its distribution lines. It does not trim along the overhead service lines running from its line to a home; keeping those clear is the property owner's job, or the job of the contractor they hire. That catches many owners off guard, because the drop often runs through the same tree PECO's crews just worked on along the street.
This guide covers PECO territory in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs. If you live on the New Jersey side of the river, ask your own electric utility how it handles service drops before scheduling any work near one.
How a service drop make-safe works
Cutting branches around a live service drop is dangerous work, even for a crew that does it often. So the usual approach is to have the utility make the drop safe first. PECO will do that so tree work can proceed, and it asks for the request at least two weeks ahead.
Once the drop is made safe, trimming around the service line can go ahead without anyone working close to an energized wire. Then PECO restores the connection. The two-week lead time is the part most people do not plan for, so if a limb is rubbing the drop now, get the request in before it becomes urgent.
- Call us to look at the tree and the wire it is near
- We work out the cuts needed and the date that suits the job
- The make-safe request goes to PECO at least two weeks before that date
- PECO makes the service drop safe on the scheduled day
- The limbs around the drop are cut and lowered clear of the wire
- Power is restored and the brush is chipped and hauled
A limb rubbing the wire to your house? Call and we will plan the make-safe and the trim.
Call (916) 312-2373Why this matters so much around here
Trees on lines are behind some of PECO's worst outages. The February 2014 ice storm left about 713,800 customers without power, the March 2018 nor'easter about 598,800 with gusts near 60 mph, and the June 2020 derecho about 453,700, with four deaths blamed on falling trees. Isaias in August 2020 cut power to about 402,400 customers.
It keeps happening. The Juneteenth 2025 storms cut power to roughly 327,000 PECO customers as trees fell onto lines. Most of those failures start with a limb that was already weak, overextended or leaning toward a wire. A long, heavy limb over the service drop is worth shortening with crown reduction before the next storm tests it, and a split fork over the line may be worth supporting with cabling and bracing.
After a storm: a limb or tree on the wires
In Philadelphia, a tree that falls on private property is the owner's to resolve. Call 911 for emergencies such as a tree on a house or car or a road that is blocked. Trees on power lines go to PECO. PECO does not handle cable or telecom lines, so a tree on those goes to the company that owns them. Once the lines are dealt with, clearing the debris is left to residents.
That sequence matters for tree work too. Nobody should cut a tree that is resting on an electric line until PECO has dealt with the wire. After that, the trunk and limbs can come off the yard, roof or fence. A broken branch still hanging over the wire is a job for hanging limb removal, and our guide on who handles a fallen tree in Philadelphia sorts out the rest of the responsibilities.
Safety rules for homeowners near wires
Wires do not need to be sparking to be live, and a branch touching one can carry current to anyone touching the branch. Treat every downed or tree-tangled wire as energized.
- Stay well back from any downed wire, and keep children and pets away
- Keep yourself, ladders and pole saws at least 10 feet from overhead lines
- Never pull on a branch or rope that touches a wire
- Do not try to trim around the service drop yourself
- Report trees on power lines to PECO, and call 911 if anyone is in danger
Keeping wires clear for the long run
Regular pruning on a set cycle keeps limbs from growing back into the drop between visits. Shorter, slower species planted near overhead lines save a lot of trouble later, while a young oak or maple planted under a wire is a problem scheduled for twenty years out. If you are replacing a tree that kept fighting the lines, choose its spot with the wires in mind, and stick to light cuts on trees that already sit beside them.
Power line and PECO questions
PECO clears trees threatening its distribution lines along the street. The overhead service line from its line to your house is the owner's to keep clear, so those branches stay until you or a contractor cut them.
PECO makes the wire to your house safe so tree work can go ahead without anyone cutting near a live line. It asks for the request at least two weeks ahead, so set the trim date first.
Your cable, phone or internet provider. PECO does not handle cable or telecom lines. Once that company has dealt with its wire, the tree itself can be cut and cleared.
Not if you would come within 10 feet of a line. A pole saw is long and conductive enough to bridge that gap. Leave limbs near wires to a tree crew working after a make-safe.
Ask PECO about debris from its own trimming. After storms, though, residents are left to clear fallen tree debris on their property once any wire has been dealt with.
Tree work near wires
Tree Trimming Near Service Lines
Clearing the wire to your house, with the utility make-safe step booked first.
Broken & Hanging Limb Removal
Snapped branches hung up in the crown, brought down before they drop on their own.
Emergency Tree Removal
A tree cracking, leaning hard or blocking the way out. We answer around the clock and make it safe first.
Storm Damage Cleanup
Limbs and trunks scattered after a microburst or nor'easter, cut up and hauled away.
Branches crowding the wires?
Call and describe the tree and the line it is near. We will plan the PECO make-safe and the cuts so nobody works near a live wire.