How to Report a Utility Pole Problem: The Landowner Documentation Guide
Reporting a damaged, leaning, or dangerous utility pole takes a few minutes when done well: document it, report it to the utility, keep your own record, and follow up. Here's the 4-step framework.
Published July 15, 2026 · Updated October 18, 2026 · 7 min read
Report a Pole Now, Free →A leaning utility pole. A cracked crossarm. A line hanging lower than it used to. A pole with visible rot at the base. Every Texas landowner eventually sees something on their property that needs to be reported to the utility, and how you report it shapes what you can show later.
A phone call gets a work order in the utility's system. A report you also keep yourself, with a photo, a location, and the date you sent it, means you can show what you reported and when, whatever happens to the call log. That matters if the utility doesn't respond, or if something worse happens later.
This guide walks through four steps for reporting a utility pole problem so the report is clear, complete, and easy to follow up on.
Step 1: Document What You Observe
Before reporting anything, document what you see: photographs, the location or address, the date, and a plain-language description of what appears wrong.
For your own records, photograph the pole from a few positions: from a distance to show its surroundings, from mid-range to show its overall condition, and close up to show the specific concern. Include any visible damage, the direction it leans, vegetation contact, attached equipment, sparking, or hanging wires. Keep the originals; many phones record the date and location with each photo.
An AcreSeal report takes one photo. Choose the one that shows the whole pole and the problem in the same frame, with the pole's ID tag if you can read it, and keep the others on your phone.
Also note any earlier contact about this pole. Have you called the utility before? Did they respond? Have crews been out recently? Have neighbors raised the same concern? That history helps whoever reads the report.
Step 2: Choose the Right Reporting Channel
The channel depends on urgency. Immediate hazards call for 911 and the utility's emergency line. Everything else goes to the utility, with a record you keep yourself.
Emergencies (active sparking, downed lines, fire risk, imminent danger to people or buildings): call 911 first, then the utility's emergency line. Photograph only if it is safe; safety comes before documentation. File a written report after the emergency response.
Non-emergencies (leaning, damaged, or deteriorating poles): report to the utility and get a ticket number. A written report you keep alongside it gives you a dated record of what you reported.
Calling the Utility and Filing an AcreSeal Report: What Each Gives You
Calling the utility and filing an AcreSeal report do different jobs. The utility is the one that fixes the pole. An AcreSeal report is a record you keep.
1. Your Own Copy
When you call, the record lives in the utility's system, and you have no copy of when you called or what you said. AcreSeal's free landowner report records your photo, location, and submission time, and gives you a link you can share with the utility or anyone else.
2. A Record That Can't Be Quietly Edited
An AcreSeal record is hash-chained, and the database rejects any later edit to its photo hash, description, GPS or creation time, so a change after the fact is detectable rather than silent. Be precise about what that does and does not settle: outside timestamping services attest the time only once a utility seals a work order that includes the report. Until then the time is AcreSeal's own, and a dispute about "when did the landowner report this" rests on our records rather than on outside attestation.
3. Where HB 144 Fits
Each utility's HB 144 pole plan has to include processes for documenting and responding to landowner reports (Tex. Util. Code §38.103(b)(5)). What HB 144 does not do is give any single report force with the PUCT: under §38.103(d) the commission reviews each plan against its stated objectives, not individual complaints. An AcreSeal report doesn't enter the utility's own system unless the utility uses AcreSeal, so report to the utility too.
4. Something to Follow Up With
A report with a photo, a location, and a date gives you something specific to point to when you follow up: which pole, what you saw, and when you first raised it.
5. No Account, Any Hour
Some utilities ask you to log in to an account or call during business hours. AcreSeal's form needs no account and no download, and works from a phone at any hour. It's free.
The recommended approach: report to the utility and keep the ticket number, file an AcreSeal report, and share its link with the utility. That way the report exists in both places.
See a pole problem on your property?
File a free, documented report in about 60 seconds — no account needed. AcreSeal locks the photo digest, GPS fix and creation time, so a later edit is detectable. You can reference the complaint ID in any regulatory filing.
Report a Pole — FreeStep 3: File the Report and Keep a Copy
A good report captures the photo, the location, and the time you sent it, in a form you keep. AcreSeal's free form at acreseal.com/report does that.
Open the form from your phone. There's no download and no account. Add a photo, confirm the location on the map or adjust it, describe the problem in English or Spanish, and submit. You get a tracking ID and a link you can share.
Save the link and the tracking ID with the utility's ticket number. Together they are your record of what you reported, where, and when.
Step 4: Keep the Record and Follow Up
Filing the report is the beginning, not the end. Keep your link and ticket number, track the utility's response, and escalate if there isn't one.
If you are told “it's not our pole,” ask for the answer and the service rule section in writing. Keep the AcreSeal link somewhere you can find it, such as an email to yourself or your notes app, and share it with the utility when you contact them. When the utility responds, note the date and anything they commit to. If you were given a timeline and it passes, follow up in writing.
If that doesn't resolve it, you can file a complaint with the Public Utility Commission of Texas at puc.texas.gov/consumer. If property damage or an easement dispute is involved, a Texas real estate attorney with utility experience can advise you.
What HB 144 Does for Landowner Reports
Texas HB 144 (89th R.S., 2025) requires each electric cooperative, electric utility, and municipally owned utility that distributes electricity to the public to file a distribution pole management and inspection plan with the PUCT. One of the seven required plan elements is processes for documenting and responding to a report or complaint made by a landowner (Tex. Util. Code §38.103(b)(5)).
The PUCT's rule, 16 TAC §25.63, sets January 1, 2027 for the initial plan. Separately, Tex. Util. Code §38.103(c) requires an annual update each May 1. The PUCT has contracted an outside consulting firm to review plans and updates and recommend findings (PUCT Contract No. 473-25-00019). The commission reviews each plan against its stated objectives (§38.103(d)); it does not rule on individual reports.
In practice, that means your utility will have a written process for landowner reports. Ask what it is when you report. See our guide to who's responsible for a utility pole on your property for the ownership questions.
When to Escalate to the PUCT
The Public Utility Commission of Texas accepts consumer complaints about utilities. Situations where a complaint may make sense include: (1) the utility doesn't respond to your report within the timeline it gave you, (2) the utility acknowledges the report but won't act on what you believe is a safety concern, (3) the utility's work causes new damage or a new hazard, or (4) you have reported the same condition several times without a response.
When you file, include the dates you reported, the utility's ticket numbers, your photos, the AcreSeal link if you have one, and any responses you received.
File PUCT complaints at puc.texas.gov/consumer.
The Bottom Line
Reporting a utility pole problem well takes a few minutes: document it, choose the right channel, file a report you keep, and follow up. Calling the utility and filing an AcreSeal report aren't either/or. The question is whether your report exists in one place (the utility's log) or two (the utility's log and a record you keep).
The pole on your property will be there tomorrow, next week, and next year. When it needs attention, a clear, dated report and a written follow-up are what get it on the utility's list and keep it there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I report the utility pole problem to AcreSeal or to my utility company?
Both. The utility is the one that repairs the pole, so always report to the utility and keep the ticket number. An AcreSeal report records your photo, location, and submission time, and gives you a link you can share with the utility or anyone else. It doesn't by itself show the utility received your report, which is why the call or ticket matters too.
How do I report a damaged utility pole on my property?
Call your utility's outage or service line first if the pole looks dangerous. For a free AcreSeal report, open acreseal.com/report from your phone. No account is needed. Take a photo, confirm the location, describe the problem in English or Spanish, and submit. You get a tracking ID and a link you can share.
What's the difference between calling the utility and using AcreSeal?
A call creates a record in the utility's own system, which you can't see or keep. An AcreSeal report gives you your own copy: the photo, the location, and the time you submitted it, with a link you can share. After a report is filed, its photo digest, description, location, and creation time can't be edited. The two work best together.
What information should I include when reporting a utility pole problem?
Include: (1) a clear photo showing the specific concern, (2) the location, with GPS if your phone provides it and a street address as backup, (3) the date you noticed it, (4) a plain description of what's wrong (leaning, damaged wood, a low or hanging line, vegetation contact, sparking), (5) any earlier contact with the utility about this pole, and (6) anything that makes it urgent, such as a road, a building, or people nearby.
How long does it take a utility to respond to a report?
It depends on the utility and on how urgent the problem is. Downed lines, sparking, and fire risk are emergencies: call 911 and the utility's emergency line. For a non-emergency report, ask the utility when you report what timeline to expect, and write down what they tell you. Under Tex. Util. Code §38.103(b)(5), each utility's pole plan includes processes for documenting and responding to landowner reports.
What if the utility doesn't respond?
Follow up in writing and keep a list of the dates you reported, the ticket numbers, and any answers. If that doesn't resolve it, you can file a complaint with the Public Utility Commission of Texas at puc.texas.gov/consumer. If property damage or an easement dispute is involved, a Texas real estate attorney with utility experience can advise you.
Can I report a utility pole problem without giving my contact details?
Yes. On AcreSeal's form, email and phone are optional. The report itself keeps the photo, the location, and the submission time, so take the photo from a spot you are comfortable having recorded. Without contact details, AcreSeal can't reach you about the report, so keep your tracking ID.
By the AcreSeal Team
AcreSeal builds forensic compliance documentation for Texas utility pole management. Records are hash-chained, so a later edit is detectable; anyone holding the file can recompute the digest at acreseal.com/verify. Third-party attested time covers reports a utility has sealed into a work order.
File a Report Now
Photograph the pole, confirm the location, describe the concern, and submit. Free, no account. Your report records the photo, location, and submission time, and you get a link you can share with your utility.
This article is for informational purposes and is not legal advice. Utility pole safety issues and regulatory complaints depend on the facts of each case. Immediate hazards (downed lines, sparking, fire risk) require calling 911 first. Sources: Texas Utilities Code §38.103 (HB 144, 89th R.S., effective September 1, 2025); 16 Texas Administrative Code §25.63 (PUCT Project No. 59431); Public Utility Commission of Texas.