What To Do If You Find Exposed Wires Or Cables In Your Yard
Whether you are preparing your lawn for the winter or are mowing and fertilizing in spring and summer to make your grass the envy of the neighborhood, surprises can happen when you're doing yard work. Most of the time, however, this involves an unexpected patch of weeds or a bird's nest. Finding exposed wires or cables in the yard can be quite shocking. You may wonder where they came from and what you should do with them.
If you suddenly find an exposed cable or wire in your yard, do not touch it. It can be nearly impossible to tell whether exposed underground wiring is old or in use at a glance. If the exposed cable carries electrical current and you don't realize it, you could suffer a potentially fatal shock or severe injuries by handling it.
The best option for identifying exposed wires is to call your state's buried utility line marking service or a private utility locating company. You might be surprised at the different kinds of cables and wiring buried on your property, either by professional companies to serve the neighborhood or by previous homeowners to serve your property alone. You could have electric, cable TV, telephone, and fiber optic wires buried in your yard that the utility company placed there. Previous homeowners may have buried wires for landscape lighting or irrigation systems that you don't know about. A utility line marking company can figure out who the line belongs to, helping you determine who to call for help.
Why utility line services can help with your exposed cable
If you believe the exposed wire is an electric line or is dangerous, call 911 and let first responders investigate the problem. If the line poses no danger, you must then determine who it belongs to, so you can request help. For example, you could have an exposed fiber optic cable because the internet company failed to bury it after providing service to the neighborhood. Erosion could expose other lines that were buried at a shallow depth.
A service that specializes in finding and marking buried cables is a good starting point for identifying the owner. 811 is the number you'll want to call before digging any holes in your lawn or if you find exposed wires. All states have an 811 service, and calling it sends professionals to your property who will mark any underground wires and cables originating from public utilities. This information helps you identify the owner of the exposed wire, and, as an added bonus, the 811 service is free.
Depending on the nature and origin of the exposed underground cables, you might have to call a private utility locating company. The 811 service doesn't mark privately owned cables and wires on your property, such as for your property's landscape lighting. If 811 cannot identify the owner of your exposed cable or wire, the private utility locating company might be able to determine whether it's a private line for your property that a previous owner may have installed.
You could be liable if damage happens to an exposed cable
Not calling 811 is a common mistake to avoid when installing a chain link fence, but it's also a mistake if you have an exposed line. Don't ignore a cable that's exposed in your yard. If you don't report the problem and later damage the line with a mower or trip over it, you might have to pay the cost of repairs or fines. If you call 811, though, you can show proof that you tried to find and notify the owner of the cable about the problem.
Once you determine the owner of the exposed cable or wire, contact that utility. For example, AT&T has a telephone number and a live chat service you can use to notify it of problems. Understand that you might have to be persistent. WRTV reported on a story where an Indianapolis property owner tried to report an unburied cable to AT&T and couldn't get the corporation to respond and fix the problem for months. Keep records of each time you call for help to protect yourself in case damage happens to the line while you're waiting.
If 811 or the private locating service determine it's a privately owned line for your property, you may have to call an electrician or landscaping company to investigate. These professionals can determine if the line is old and can be removed or if it needs repairs.