BGE trims vegetation around its distribution lines on roughly a four-year cycle, to minimum clearances set by Maryland regulation (COMAR 20.50.12.09) — four years' expected growth for lines under 14 kV, and greater distances for higher voltages. After a storm, BGE crews clear trees and branches from their equipment to restore service, but BGE states plainly that it is not responsible for removing wood debris and that final disposition of the material is the property or tree owner's responsibility. For a downed line call 800-685-0123; to report an outage, 877-778-2222; for a gas odor, 877-778-7798 or 911.
Two BGE questions come up constantly in Howard County, and they have very different answers. “Will BGE trim this tree?” often: yes, on their schedule, around their lines. “Will BGE clean up after?” almost always: no.
The trim cycle is a regulation, not a favor
BGE runs a four-year distribution vegetation management cycle. That's not an internal preference — Maryland's Public Service Commission sets pace requirements in COMAR 20.50.12.09: a utility on a four-year cycle must complete 15% of its total distribution miles within 12 months, 40% within 24, 70% within 36, and 100% within 48 months.
The same regulation sets minimum horizontal clearances by voltage:
- Above 34.5 kV: the greater of 15 feet or four years' growth
- 14 kV to 34.5 kV: the greater of 10 feet or four years' growth
- Under 14 kV: four years' growth
“Four years' growth” is why a trim can look more aggressive than expected. The crew isn't clearing to today's silhouette; they're clearing to where the tree will be at the end of the cycle. Vertical clearances are specified separately and vary by voltage and conductor type.
Transmission corridors work differently — BGE manages roughly 1,250 acres of transmission right-of-way using integrated vegetation management, favoring selective treatment and low-growing plant communities over repeat mowing.
What BGE does after a storm — and where it stops
This is the part worth internalizing before the next storm, because it determines what you're left holding.
BGE crews clear trees and branches from wires and equipment in order to restore service. They assess whether debris can be safely removed and, where it can't, dispatch a tree crew and ground the equipment. What they are doing is restoring the circuit, not clearing your property.
BGE's position on the wood is explicit: BGE is not responsible for removing wood debris, and as BGE has stated publicly, it “cannot assist customers with the disposal of tree debris. The final disposition of this material will be the responsibility of the property and/or tree owner.”
In practice: the trunk gets sectioned where it lies, the canopy stays where it fell, and the yard is yours. That's not BGE being difficult — it's the boundary of what a utility restoration crew is scoped and equipped to do. Our downed power line guide covers the emergency sequence; this page is about what happens after the lights come back on.
The service drop: the line most people get wrong
BGE maintains the main distribution lines that run pole to pole. The line that leaves the pole and attaches to your house — the service drop — is a different animal, and guidance BGE has provided to Maryland municipalities indicates the property owner is responsible for trees affecting that line.
We'd rather be straight with you than confident: BGE's current customer-facing wording on service-drop responsibility isn't something we can quote verbatim, and the equipment demarcation between the utility and the homeowner is worth confirming for your specific property. Call BGE at 800-685-0123 and ask. Five minutes on the phone beats an assumption about a live conductor.
What is clear and useful: BGE will de-energize a service line so a tree contractor can work safely. That's the mechanism that makes this kind of job possible at all. It requires advance arrangement — BGE's documented contractor process involves a request form to its Forestry Unit, with a period of days to weeks before the outage is scheduled, and the trees must be marked. Nobody is de-energizing your service drop on a same-day phone call, so if you have a tree growing into the line to your house, start the conversation before it becomes urgent.
BGE's own customer safety guidance says to use a licensed professional to trim any trees near overhead power lines. In Maryland that has a specific meaning — see how to verify a Maryland Licensed Tree Expert.
Numbers worth saving
- Downed power line / electric emergency: 800-685-0123
- Report an outage: 877-778-2222
- Gas odor: 877-778-7798 — or 911. Make that call from outside the house.
On distance: BGE's residential guidance says stay at least 10 feet from overhead power lines, and its business guidance uses 20 feet. Use the larger number. Assume every downed or tree-draped line is energized regardless of whether it's sparking or humming, and keep people and pets well back until BGE says otherwise.
What we can and can’t do
No legitimate tree company touches a tree in contact with an energized line. What we do handle: everything after BGE has cleared and de-energized — sectioning and removing the tree, hauling the wood BGE leaves behind, grinding the stump, and documenting the work if an insurance claim is in play. And on the preventive side, taking down a tree growing toward the service line before it becomes a storm-night phone call.
Wood left in your yard after a BGE restoration, or a tree crowding the line to your house? 410-826-9006 — free written estimates throughout Howard County.
Frequently asked questions
How often does BGE trim trees near power lines?
BGE operates on roughly a four-year distribution trim cycle. Maryland Public Service Commission regulation requires utilities on a four-year cycle to complete 15% of distribution miles within 12 months, 40% within 24, 70% within 36, and 100% within 48 months, so the cycle is a regulatory obligation rather than a courtesy schedule. Transmission rights-of-way are managed separately.
Does BGE clean up the tree after a storm?
No. BGE crews remove trees and branches from wires and equipment in order to restore service, but BGE's own guidance states it is not responsible for removing wood debris, and that “the final disposition of this material will be the responsibility of the property and/or tree owner.” Expect the trunk sectioned where it fell and the canopy left in the yard.
Who is responsible for a tree touching the line to my house?
This is the most commonly misunderstood part, and worth confirming directly with BGE at 800-685-0123 rather than assuming. BGE maintains the main distribution lines running pole to pole; guidance BGE has provided to Maryland municipalities indicates property owners are responsible for trees affecting the service line from the pole to the house. BGE will de-energize a service line at no cost so a tree contractor can work safely, but that has to be arranged in advance, not the morning of.