Electric Distribution
Subdivision control ordinances require that certain electric, gas, telephone and cable TV facilities be available in each new development. Typically, these facilities must be installed underground. To coordinate each facility placement, a utility easement is required for We Energies and the local telephone and cable television companies serving your area.

Electric utility easement guidelines

• Standard-size lots of less than 1.5 acres with minimal vegetation along lot lines and relatively even terrain should have a utility easement of a 6-foot-wide strip along each side of each lot and a 12-foot-wide strip along the rear of each lot.
• Large-size lots of more than 1.5 acres and/or with much heavy vegetation along the perimeter and/or great terrain differential should have a utility easement of a 6-foot-wide strip along each side of each lot and a 12-foot-wide strip along the front* of each lot.

*Large lot sizes or heavy vegetation make facility installation along rear lot lines difficult. Under these conditions, buried electric facilities may be installed along the front lot lines. For this reason, we suggest that the utility easement includes the front and the sides of each lot.

The required easement width allows room for multiple utilities (electric, telephone, cable TV) plus equipment.

If the development includes mound systems for waste water treatment, their placement could restrict utility easement placement. The state of Wisconsin specifies that vehicular traffic, excavation and soil compaction are prohibited within the basal area of the mound system (the mound) and 15 feet down slope of the basal area. We Energies standards specify no vehicular traffic or trenching in the area of soil extending 25 feet beyond the downslope and side edges of the mound system.

What you do

• Include on the face of your plat the easement provisions that appear on the We Energies Utility Easement Provisions sticker, along with a key that identifies lot portions designated utility easement areas. This will accommodate the electric, telephone and cable television installations.
• Include We Energies and names of local telephone and cable television companies serving your area on the easement face. We may file our own easements in the area to avoid easement modification.
• Work with your engineering firm to include easement information appearing on the enclosed easement sticker on your plat template so that it appears on all of your developments. This enables you to simply add specific utility names to each newly platted subdivision or development to arrange for your utility easements.
• Communicate any revisions in the development’s plat or plans to your We Energies representative as soon as they occur. Revisions can have an impact on the easements being obtained for the development, which can affect both cost and timing for utility installation.

Note:

• If additional easements are required from adjacent property owners, the time to obtain easements for your development may be extended. If an easement is not allowed, a route change will be necessary, potentially delaying the project and causing additional costs.
• If a sticker easement or a specific easement is not granted prior to lot sales, an additional easement charge will apply for each lot sold.
• A utility easement is set aside for utility construction only, drainage or other facilities cannot be constructed on the utility easement. Likewise, utilities cannot install facilities on drainage, berm, landscape or other types of easements.
• The easement location, sometimes needed for insertion into the final plat for municipal subdivision approval, can be provided upon request.
• Access to our electrical distribution equipment located in the utility easement must not be blocked, fenced in, or otherwise made inaccessible, nor can grade be altered in the easement area.

What we do

• Our Right of Way agent works with you to verify proper use of sticker easement and obtain all necessary easements to construct electric facilities within your development.
• Upon request, we can provide final easement location when it’s needed for insertion into final plat for municipal subdivision approval.
• We record easements with county register of deeds.

Natural Gas Distribution
Subdivision control ordinances require that certain electric, gas, telephone and cable TV facilities be available in each new development. To coordinate each facility placement, a utility easement may be required.

Natural gas utility easement guidelines

• Natural gas infrastructure typically is installed within public road right-of-way, so a utility easement typically is not needed for natural gas installation.
• If the gas distribution system is routed on private property, a separate natural gas utility easement will be needed for the portion of the system being located on private property. Your We Energies representative will work with you to obtain this easement.
• Special permission is necessary if the utility easement obtained for electric, telephone and cable TV needs to be used for natural gas facilities.

What you do

• Provide us with details if the natural gas distribution system needs to be routed on private property.
• Communicate any revisions in the development’s plat or plans to your We Energies representative as soon as they occur. Revisions can have an impact on the easements being obtained for the development, which can affect both cost and timing for utility installation.

What we do

• Our Right of Way agent works with you to obtain necessary easements to construct natural gas facilities for your development.
• Record easement with county register of deeds.

Utility Easement Provision Form