Partially constructed ADU too close to power lines

Question

My family has hired a contractor to construct a two-story ADU; the initial plans have been okayed by the city and the wood for the entire first floor has been assembled and the concrete laid. After this, the contractor identified a problem: after consulting with the utility company, we learned the second-story wall as planned is horizontally too close to the overhead power lines, requiring a change in the second-floor design. Upon consultation with the architect, we learned that not only does the second floor have to be changed, but the first floor would need alteration as well, because the workers building the second floor require additional room for scaffolding. Our contractor disputes this. It would be incredibly problematic if true, as that would require destroying a large part of the already constructed first floor and presumably raise our costs significantly.

We contacted our power company and they claimed the only way they could shift the power cables would be if we paid for a pole replacement, which would cost up to $25k. I am planning on visiting City Hall and asking what my options are, especially since they approved the plans. I have two questions:

1. Is it true that clearance for scaffolding is required, even if the first floor has been already assembled? I live in SoCal.

2. What is the simplest recourse for me to have the ADU built to standard and without sacrificing too much room or raising costs? Will pole replacement end up being the simplest option?

Answer 1

I'm surprised no one noticed the powerlines before getting to the second floor. This is really a bad situation. It's hard to give any definite answers to your questions because we're not the ones making the decisions.

Clearance to powerlines is required for temporary construction aids such as scaffolding. The distances depend on the voltage of the lines in question. In some cases the power company can temporarily relocate or deenergize the line to provide the clearance.

The pole replacement might be the easiest way out but power companies are not known for their rapid construction methods and would have to get their engineers out there to decide what's needed to be done. They might need to get permits and or easements.

Answer 2

A temporary pole while construction is underway will be significantly cheaper than 25k. That will get the power lines out of the way temporarily.

For a permanent solution, consider landing the power at the ADU instead of the main house, and then running an underground feeder from the ADU to the main house. How were you planning to get power to the ADU in your original plan? Just reverse the power flow and upgrade the wire size.