Centerpoint wants to dig in my yard to prove it is not their fault (house) - Houston - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

SACK786 · 02-27-2021, 08:28 PM

So, I’m not sure of what my rights are and what can I possibly do. The week before the big winter storm I had a new fence put in. The contractor put in the work order to have all the lines marked for electric and cable/internet. The new post were put in the ground basically where the old post were. The power/cable box is in my yard not that far off a side of the fence I share with my neighbor. A couple days after the power came back on from the storm, my neighbor had a loss of power to half of his house. He called Centerpoint, they came out, saw the new fence, and immediately try to blame us and say we didn’t mark the yard. We called our contractor and he sent proof of the yard being marked. The Centerpoint employee is now telling my neighbor, he will come back and dig up my yard to prove that it was not Centerpoint’s fault. I called 811 to have them mark the lines, but I feel like my fence will be ruined and this person is going to be wreckless about it. He also told my neighbor that he is going to come back on his own time to install a new power cable in my neighbor’s yard. The Centerpoint employee is basically doing it for free. Does Centerpoint have to produce a work order to dig in my yard? Is there anything I can do to stop the digging?

WRM20 · 02-27-2021, 10:03 PM

You can't stop Centerpoint from digging to install a power line. There's probably an easement. They can destroy your fence if it's on the easement, and probably don't have to repair it, but usually do to avoid trouble.

Having said that, if your neighbor lost power to half their house, and their power line is not in any area impacted by the fence, then something went wrong with the cable. The replacement would be free in any case, as Centerpoint is responsible for getting power to the meter.

oceangaia · 03-01-2021, 12:28 PM

If the OP's contractor damaged the feed line the OP could be assessed the cost to repair.

ManApplet · 03-01-2021, 12:45 PM

I'd be standing out there with friends photographing and videotaping. also document your post locations before they mess with the fence. And for sure have a good look at the new markings compared to the old ones. I used to photograph the markings before letting a crew start work. They can easily test their lines integrity without digging. access at the box and at the house service and determine if the lines are good, it might be the transformer ( I assume that is what your ground box is)

ManApplet · 03-01-2021, 12:57 PM

An example of how poorly some installations are documented and then marked: I was abandoning a very old fuel distribution system that had remote piperuns all over and numerous old underground utilities of all sorts. I had diggers hotline mark it off and when I got their completion notice I went out there photographed the entire place and designed our plan of attack. Half way through the first excavation day a phone company truck shows up and without speaking to anyone (me being in charge) he starts planting flags and spray painting new lines, one of which actually crossed a trench we had just dug out to shallow bedrock. There was nothing hanging out of either trench wall. I asked him what he thought he was doing. He said we shouldn't be working until after they got the place marked. He said back at the office someone noticed a goof up on this and he came out to fix it. Then I looked at his maps, flipped them over and showed him the property on the other side of the highway to which they were applicable. And then I demanded he remove the errant flags and obliterate the new markings. In the case today, if they marked it wrong it is on them.

oceangaia · 03-01-2021, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ManApplet

In the case today, if they marked it wrong it is on them.

Is that how it is legally or just how it "should" be? I'm just thinking how the IRS give tax advice but still plants the responsibility on the taxpayer.

ManApplet · 03-04-2021, 11:22 AM

It certainly is not on you if you did your due diligence and had it marked and then avoided the marks as they describe. ( so many inches either side)

SACK786 · 03-04-2021, 11:32 AM

An Update - we had the lines marked. When the guy came out again he didn’t mark anything where those lines are suppose to be according that Centerpoint employee. I even asked him specifically about the area and let him know there a good chance someone was digging there. I then called CenterPoint to see if there was anything reported about a broken cable dispute in my yard. Now my neighbor is saying that the guy will no longer be digging in my yard. Thank goodness. It seems a phone call resolved the issue.