Item 4E AudioOrdinance Number 483-O is a proposed amendment to the Southlake
Subdivision Ordinance to require all utility service lines in new subdivisions be
buried underground.
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Specifically, this ordinance would require and provide that all electric utility lines and wires that
will be operated at nominal voltages, all telephone utility lines and wire, all cable television and
other communication or utility lines and wires, and all terminals shall be installed, placed and
constructed underground; and cable television, telephone, and electric transformer and primary
switching gear may be pad mounted or placed underground.
Southlake does not currently have any provision on the books that requires such
undergrounding, although nearly all developments already underground their service lines to
meet the market demand for higher quality and aesthetically clean developments. One note is
that this ordinance does not address the utility distribution or transmission poles themselves, but
rather the service lines that branch from those poles directly to the house or place of business.
Trenching, boring, weatherproofing and other factors make undergrounding utilities significantly
more expensive. This ordinance does not interfere with the utility company’s ability to charge
for the difference between overhead and underground utilities.
Temporary utility service via overhead lines would also be permitted for a period of 12 months
and street lighting would be permitted so long as the electrical lines to those street lights were
buried underground. The ordinance also addresses the placement of utility equipment above-
ground and the screening of that equipment from public view.
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Any questions regarding Ordinance 483-O can be directed to Ken Baker or
Clayton Comstock at the numbers provided here……………………………..
Thank you.
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