How Much Does Utility Pole Installation Cost?

Dennis Howard
by Dennis Howard

Building in rural areas offers several challenges. The lack of basic support services such as water, sewer, and electricity must be addressed before actual construction can begin on the home. Of these, electricity often means dealing with a utility company and long distances to the service.

On average, it costs between $300 and $1,800 to have a utility pole put in place. In most cases, getting utility service to a rural location involves setting utility poles and installing service wiring. Installation of the pole may not include the cost of the overhead wires to bring electric service to your site.

Utility pole installation costs differ across various parts of the country. The terrain and geology of the area often determine much of the cost of installing utility poles. You must also consider the cost of the overhead wiring and any other additional equipment or labor in the project.

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Cost ComponentAverage Cost
Cost of a typical wooden utility poles$100 to $850
Delivery Charges$50 to $500
Installation Costs$750 – $3,000
Utility Wiring$25 – $50 per foot
Construction Service Pole$1,000 – $4,000

What is Involved in Installing a Wooden Utility Pole?

The installation of a wooden utility pole typically costs between $750 and $3,000. To many people, these costs seem high for simply putting a wooden pole in the ground; however, once you understand what is involved with installing a wooden utility pole on your property.

Video: How To Install A Utility Pole

First Things First – Getting the Pole to Your Site

The first problem you may have after you purchase your utility pole and before you can install it, you must get the pole to your site. Wooden poles typically range between 25 and 120 feet. In addition to handling and transporting such a long item is the weight. Looking at the average weight of a wooden utility pole gives you some idea of the difficulty you can face.

Length of a #1 Douglas Fir Utility PolesHandling Weight of the Pole
25’846 lbs.
30’1109 Lbs.
35’1349 Lbs.
40’1669 Lbs.
50’2336 Lbs.
60’3013 Lbs.
80’4615 Lbs.
90’5546 Lbs.
100’6561 Lbs.
120’9005 Lbs.

Many power companies and electrical supply companies that sell individual utility poles will deliver the pole. In general, having a utility pole will cost between $50 and $500 per pole. The cost difference is driven by several factors such as:

  • The length of the pole
  • The distance to your site
  • Permits required to transport the pole

Be sure that you figure the delivery costs into your budget when you start purchasing utility poles. Wooden utility poles are not something you can toss on your average utility trailers or into the bed of your pick-up truck and haul home from the yard.

Understanding the Pole Installation Requirements

Once you get your utility pole to your site, you still face the installation. Installing a wooden utility pole is not simply a matter of digging a hole and standing it up. There are some things to consider to allows the pole to stand safely on your site.

  • How Deep Should the Pole be Buried? – Typically, utility poles are buried to a depth that equals ten percent of their overall length plus two feet. So, a forty-foot utility pole is set into the ground six feet. If your soil is questionable, the depth may be even greater. If you need an above-ground pole height of 40 feet, you must consider the amount of the pole that will be in the ground for a safe installation.
  • Soil Conditions – You can use the standard calculation for installing a well-drained wooden utility pole in good soil and doesn’t have large rocks. In soils that are inundated with water, a soil engineer is needed for best practices. If large rocks are a problem, you may need special considerations, including backfilling and concrete.
  • Tip Load Bearing Weight – A large consideration is what you intend to put on your utility pole. Typically, a #1 wooden utility pole will support up to 4,500 Lbs. when it is applied horizontally.

Handling Power Poles – Not a Simple Feat

Once you have your pole and your site is prepared, getting your pole vertical and in the hole is the next challenge. Lifting a twenty-five foot long 849 Lb. length of round Douglas fir is no mean feat. A utility pole is not an object that you can muscle into place.

Utility companies and others who routinely install utility poles use special equipment to dig the hole for installation and handle the pole vertically. Since most homeowners don’t have access to this kind of equipment, hiring professionals is the usual option.

Installation fees can vary greatly due to differing soil conditions, locations, and the length of the pole you are installing. Typically, you can figure on the installation costing between $750 and $3,000.

A Single Pole or A Line of Poles

If you need one power pole on your property, contracting with a company specializing in power pole installations is your best bet. However, if you want to extend power lines to a rural property, you should contact the utility company that provides electricity in your area. These rural electric companies probably offer a per pole price for extending electricity to your property from the closest tap into their grid system.

Getting an average estimate for bringing electrical service to your rural property varies greatly. Terrain, ground conditions, and other installation difficulties can add to the cost of running overhead electrical service to your site.

The spacing of utility poles is about every 125 feet or 40 poles per mile. The cost to install electrical service ranges between $500 – $3,000 per pole. These figures include running the wire needed between the poles. At a median cost of $1,750 per pole, if you are a mile from the nearest electrical service, you can expect a cost of about $70,000.

Why Are Utility Poles So Expensive?

A utility pole is much more than just a piece of wood. Some factors make utility poles expensive to purchase.

  • Not every Tree Is Utility Pole Material – It takes a special tree to become a utility pole. Consider a utility pole forty feet in length. The tree must have a straight and large trunk to meet the minimum circumference at the bottom and the top. The wood grain must be dense enough to provide the strength required for these long utility poles.
  • Harvesting – Felling a forty-plus-foot-tall tree without damaging the trunk takes special skill and equipment. You then face the problem of getting the felled tree out of the forest and to the mill. These are all expensive tasks.
  • Preparation – Utility poles don’t go from the forest directly to the utility company for installation. The raw utility poles are first turned to the proper dimensions from top to bottom and then treated with preservatives to protect them from damage by insects and water.
  • Shipping – Moving anything 20 to 120 feet in length and weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds is challenging and expensive. Special trucks, permits, and skilled drivers add to the cost of the utility pole.

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No Simple Installation

Installing a utility pole is no simple operation. Most property owners don’t have the expertise or the equipment to install a utility pole safely. Considering the special skills and equipment needed to install a utility pole properly, it is understandable that the cost can be considerable.

Dennis Howard
Dennis Howard

Dennis is a retired firefighter with an extensive background in construction, home improvement, and remodeling. He worked in the trades part-time while serving as an active firefighter. On his retirement, he started a remodeling and home repair business, which he ran for several years.

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