California City Municipal Code Art. 5 Utility Poles

Telegraph, telephone, and electric power corporations and persons granted the right to construct lines of telegraph, telephone, and electric power wires along, upon, or across City streets may erect poles or posts for supporting the insulators, wires, and other necessary fixtures of such lines in such a manner and at such points as do not inconvenience the public in the ordinary use of such streets.

Power wires along the City streets shall be suspended on posts or poles not less than twenty-five (25) feet in height, and such wires across such streets shall be suspended at least twenty-five (25) feet above such streets.

(a) No person engaged in moving buildings or structures from one part of the City to another and no person, except persons operating and controlling the same, shall cut or otherwise interfere with any telegraph, telephone, or other electric wires or the poles, crossarms, insulators, guides. Anchor wires, or anchor posts. Whenever a person wishes to move a building or structure from one place in the City to another over a street above which telegraph, telephone, or electric power wires are suspended, at an insufficient height above the street to allow the passage of such building or structure along or upon such street, and it shall be necessary to remove the poles upon or from which such wires are suspended, or, to remove or cut any line wires, guy or anchor wires, or anchor posts to allow the passage of such building or structure along or across such street, the person moving the building or structure shall give reasonable notice to the corporation, person, or managing agent controlling and operating such wires, poles, or posts of the desire to have such wires cut or such poles or posts removed so as to permit the passage of such building or structure along or across such street.

(b) The person moving the building or structure shall deposit with the corporation, person, or managing agent such sum as the corporation, person, or managing agent shall estimate to be necessary to cover the expenses and damages incident to the cutting of such wires or removal of such poles or posts and restoring such wires, poles, and posts to their former condition after the passage of such building or structure. The person, corporation or managing agent controlling and operating wires shall be entitled to payment from the person moving the building or structure of the expenses and damages incident to the cutting of such wires and removing such poles and posts and restoring to former condition after the passage of such building or structure over or across such street. If such expenses and damages are greater than the deposit, the person moving such building or structure shall pay to the person, corporation, or managing agent controlling and operating such wires, the additional expenses and damages. If such expenses and damages are less than the deposit, the person, corporation, or managing agent controlling and operating the wires shall return to the person moving such building or structure, the balance of the deposit remaining after paying the expenses and damages.

(c) After making the request and deposit, the corporation, person, or managing agent controlling and operating the wires shall fix and designate a reasonable time when such wires will be cut or such poles or posts will be removed to allow the passage of the building structure.

(d) At the time so fixed and designated, the building or structure shall be moved along or across the street expeditiously so as to occasion the least delay and inconvenience in the use of such wires.

(a) The person, firm, or corporation placing or maintaining a pole, pole line, pipe, pipeline, railroad track, or other structure or fixture upon any City street, whether under a franchise or otherwise, shall move the structure or fixture at its own cost and expense to such different location in the street as is specified in a written demand by the City Engineer when necessary to ensure the safety of the traveling public or to permit the improvement of the street. No such change of location shall be required for a temporary purpose.

(b) The City Engineer shall specify in a written demand to the person placing or maintaining the pole, pole line, pipe, pipeline, railroad track, or other structure or fixture a reasonable time within which the work of relocation shall be commenced, and such person shall commence such relocation within the time specified in the demand and diligently prosecute the relocation to completion.

(c) If the person fails to remove a structure required by this section to be removed within the time specified, such structure shall constitute an encroachment on the street and a public nuisance. The City Engineer shall file an action in any court of competent jurisdiction in the name of the City to abate such encroachment as a nuisance.