An Act To Expand Municipal Authority Over Utility Pole Permits

LD 873 expands municipal authority to revoke utility pole locations in public streets. It lowers the population threshold from 40,000 to 30,000 inhabitants for municipalities to require removal of poles deemed a public safety or welfare risk after a hearing. The bill directly affects cities with 30,000-40,000 residents that previously lacked this power. Municipal officers must grant alternative locations or shared pole access to utility owners, who must remove poles within a reasonable timeframe. This is a procedural change to existing law (35-A MRSA §2517).