Building safely near powerlines

This information has been developed to assist property owners when designing and planning buildings, signs and other structures near overhead and underground powerlines.

Plan your build

When planning and before commencement of work, it is essential that you confirm that the proposed construction work e.g. building, structure, sign, crane, scaffold, does not breach the minimum clearance to structure distances that must be maintained from overhead or underground powerlines as detailed in the Queensland Electrical Safety Regulation 2013, Schedule 4 and 5. Buildings or structures that don't comply are a serious safety hazard.

What to consider

As the property owner, you or your builder can request Safety Advice to check that the proposed building or structure maintains the required safe clearances from the electricity network. Make sure you have considered the following in your plans:

• Scaffolding - when planning your build, you should allow for the width of any scaffold that may be needed to erect it. Scaffolding is considered a structure and must be able to be positioned in a way that clearance distances are met.
• Pillar box location - if your property is supplied by underground powerlines from a pillar box, make sure your building plans do not place anything too close to it. This includes structures such as garages, retaining walls or driveways, as they may restrict safe access to the pillar box.
• Swimming pool - water and electricity don't mix. Locating a swimming pool under any powerline, including the service wire from the power pole in the street to your home is not recommended.
• Weather Conditions - minimum distances from the closest powerline to the building or other structures must be maintained during strong winds or high temperatures. Under these conditions, the powerline can swing or sag considerably towards the building or structure.

Planning approval

It is important to know, your local council building approval does not guarantee that the distance from the planned building or structure to powerlines has been checked. You should consider requesting Safety Advice so we can assess the plans and ensure they meet the minimum clearance to structure distances throughout construction.

Breach of minimum clearance

Failure to consider overhead or underground powerlines during the planning stage can have expensive consequences and cause delays. If it is an entirely new building and the minimum clearance is not met, we will not be able to connect it to the power supply until it has been rectified to comply.

We also conduct inspections of the electricity network regularly to monitor for potential clearance or other safety issues. If a breach is identified, the property owner is required to remove the building or structure, or pay for a change to the nearby electricity network (if this is possible) to resolve the issue and make it safe.

Ensure you’re in the clear

Get in touch with us during the planning stage of your build. We’ll check that none of your proposed buildings or equipment (e.g. scaffolding, cranes) will enter a powerline exclusion zone during construction. Some situations where minimum safety clearances should be considered include:

• A new build that is near the electricity network, especially one that is near the property boundary
• Rebuilds, especially where a small, single story building is to become a much larger building or be replaced by a multi-story building
• Erecting carports, sheds or a cubbyhouse
• Installing a tall antenna, typically in areas where broadcast reception is poor
• Erecting a flag pole or shade sails
• Raising the ground level below powerlines
• Moving the location of a driveway or building driveways close to pillar box or poles
• Excavating near poles, stay wires or where electricity assets run underground.
• Erecting temporary fences or scaffolding, or placing shipping containers, close to poles or powerlines
• Building plans that would require a crane near overhead powerlines