Ala. Code
Code of Alabama

Ala. Code § 37-8-52 (2026)

Operations in Proximity to High Voltage Overhead Conductors of Electricity - Generally.

✓ official Alabama Legislature (ALISON) text, laws through the 2026 Regular Session
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(a) No person shall either personally or through an employee or agent, or as an employee or agent of another, use, operate, place, erect, or move any tools, machinery, equipment, apparatus, or material, or move any building or other structure or any part thereof within 10 feet of a high voltage overhead conductor of electricity except where the person has arranged effectively to safeguard against danger of accidental contact with the high voltage overhead conductor of electricity by any of the following:

(1) The erection of mechanical barriers which shall prevent physical contact with the high voltage overhead conductor.

(2) Deenergizing the high voltage overhead conductor and grounding the same.

(3) Temporary or permanent relocation of the high voltage overhead conductor.

(b) Only in the case of compliance with one or more of the above safety measures, after the negotiation of mutually agreeable arrangements with the owner or operator of the high voltage overhead conductor, may the 10-foot clearance requirement be reduced. In no event shall the provisions of this section be construed to permit any contact being made with high voltage overhead conductors and their supports, whether energized or not. The required 10-foot clearance shall not be provided by impressing strains, by attachment or otherwise, upon the conductors or their supporting structures or upon their appurtenances or associated equipment.

(c) Each person who fails to comply with or who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months, or both.

(d) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(1) HIGH VOLTAGE. A voltage in excess of 750 volts, measured between conductors or measured between the conductor and the ground.

(2) OVERHEAD CONDUCTOR. Any electrical conductor, either bare or covered, installed above the ground, except conductors that are enclosed in iron pipe or other metal covering of equal strength.

(Acts 1967, No. 504, p. 1216, §1; Act 2018-402, §1.)

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 1989–1999 · leading case: Cent. Alabama Elec. Co-Op. v. Tapley, 546 So. 2d 371 (Ala. 1989).
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Cent. Alabama Elec. Co-Op. v. Tapley, 546 So. 2d 371 (Ala. 1989). · cites it 3× “The sixth issue raised by CAEC involves the trial court's granting of the plaintiff's motion in limine to exclude evidence of the plaintiff's decedent's violation of Code 1975, § 37-8-52, and the trial court's failure to charge the jury on the effect of that section.”
Mcgregory v. Lloyd Wood Const. Co., 736 So. 2d 571 (Ala. 1999). · cites it 5× “2d 69 (1986); and, 3) Whether the trial court erred in instructing the jury on Ala.Code 1975, § 37-8-52. With respect to the first issue, we note that the duty generally owed by a general contractor to warn a subcontractor of dangers in the workplace was discussed in Breeden v.”
Ala. Code § 37-8-52(a): 1 case
Mcgregory v. Lloyd Wood Const. Co., 736 So. 2d 571 (Ala. 1999). “2d 69 (1986); and, 3) Whether the trial court erred in instructing the jury on Ala.Code 1975, § 37-8-52. With respect to the first issue, we note that the duty generally owed by a general contractor to warn a subcontractor of dangers in the workplace was discussed in Breeden v.”
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