can a cable company put cables in your yard?

Question

my dad is putting up some fencing in our yard, and while the holes for the fence poles where being dug we accidentally cut a cable.

the next day Comcast comes to us saying we just cut the cable that connected our neighborhood. so they took out one of our fence poles to reconnect the cable and said the were gonna send us a bill

CAN THEY DO THAT????

its my yard and i want to put up some fences. besides i had no idea that cables would be berried in my yard by some company.

wouldn't this be like me berrying a satellite dish in the yard then sell that house and charging the new home owner for disrupting my dish???

Answer 1

This is why fencing requires permitting, and you have to get cable "locates" for permission to dig. You were probably putting your fence within the "easement".....the area that is technically your property, but utilities are allowed to dig there (easement is typically 10-15 feet from the roadway or canal into your property). You damaged their line, and yes they can and will charge you for it. You may also be required to remove your entire fence because you didnt' get a permit to build it.

You may be able to get off on a technical, if the cable pipes were too shallow.....cable is supposed to be at least 3 feet in the ground.....also within the easment...not running through the middle of your yard.

Answer 2

Yes, they probably can. It's a virtual certainty that there is a utility easement on your property, often along the rear property line. This gives them the right to lay the cables undergound as well as string them overhead on poles.

Before you dig you must call for a survey. Some states provide a unified service such as MO's 1-800-Dig-Right and others require you to contact all of the utilities first. If there's a unified service in your area, all of the utility companies will know about it and a call to any of them should trigger the proper survey. This can often be provided with as little as 24 hours notice. There's usually no cost for the service.

If you have the survey done and cut a line, you're off the hook for the damages. But if you don't have it done, you'll be billed for any damage. Be thankful that you only cut a TV cable line. Imagine what could have happened if you had cut a natural gas main!

Answer 3

You are not the first and you will not be the last to make that mistake. Sure they can do that. I know it's not the answer you want to hear.

The cable companies locate underground wires for anybody who asks through diggers hot line for free . They pay for frequent ads telling people to call before digging. I know you have heard of digger's hot line before.

Answer 4

They have the right to charge you for it. No matter where you are, you are supposed to call the major utilities before you dig. What if you dug out a gas line? You could have blown up yourself and the entire neighbourhood.