[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Aldermen of the City of
Melrose as Rev. Ords. 1976, §§ 15-1 to 15-26 (Rev.
Ords. 1989, §§ 4-21 to 4-36 and 4-51 to 4-60). Amendments
noted where applicable.]
Poles for the support of wires shall not be erected in the public
ways or squares of the City without a petition therefor being first
presented to the City Council, which petition shall be accompanied
by a plan showing thereon the specific location of each pole, and
without receiving written permission to do so from such Council.
State law references — Similar
provisions, MGL c. 166, § 22; location of poles and conduits
for transmission of electricity, MGL c. 166, §§ 21
to 29; wires and poles generally, MGL c. 166, §§ 30
to 42.
Whenever the Inspector of Wires shall receive notice of a public
hearing ordered by the City Council upon a petition seeking a permit
for an original location for wires, poles, piers, abutments or conduits
for the transmission of electricity, he/she shall forthwith make an
inspection of the proposed location and shall, prior to the date of
such hearing, make a report of his/her findings with respect thereto
to the City Council.
A.
Poles must be set in the sidewalk not less than 10 inches from the
outer side of the curbline and shall not be located within 10 feet
of any lamppost or any other pole, except when they are designed to
carry wires on streets running at right angles to each other, nor
within four feet of any fire hydrant.
B.
Where possible, all poles must be uniformly spaced, of uniform height
and not more than 170 feet apart. All poles must be set not less than
six feet in the ground. Poles must be stepped, commencing eight feet
from the sidewalk, such steps to be parallel to the edge stone of
the street. Each line of poles must be run on one side of the street
only, except when it is absolutely necessary to change to the other
side.
C.
Extensions of pole tops must not be made on any pole without the
approval of the Inspector of Wires, and a gain on every pole set in
the streets and carrying wires must be reserved for the wires owned
by the City.
All poles now standing or hereafter erected shall be kept in
good condition to the satisfaction of the Inspector of Wires. They
shall be stenciled, marked or branded with the owner's name or
initials at a point not less than five nor more than 10 feet from
the ground.
Where crossarms are designed to carry six or more wires, they
must be supported with iron braces. The owner's name must be
painted, stenciled or branded thereon.
Where wires of different ownership occupy the same crossarm,
a tag must be fastened to the same at the insulator, on which is stamped
the owner's name or initials. Such tags are to be made of unoxidizable
metal and securely fastened with wire.
Pole brackets must not be used on poles carrying electric wires
of any kind. Wires must be supported by crossarms. Where necessary,
a single wire may be supported on pins on the tops of poles.
No person shall deface any pole by the use of linemen's
spurs or by cutting with a knife, ax or any other implement.
A.
When poles and fixtures have been abandoned by the owners thereof,
they must remove them as soon as they discontinue their use, unless
it is positively known that they will again use them within 60 days.
Wires on such poles or fixtures owned by others must be removed unless
the owners of such wires assume the ownership of such poles and fixtures,
the same to be transferred to them by the original owners by authority
of the City Council.
B.
New poles must not be brought on any street more than two days in
advance of the time they are to be set, and when old poles are taken
down they must be removed from the street the same day.
No person shall attach any wire or line for the transmission
of electricity for any purpose, except the lines and wires of the
City, to any pole, except such as are provided for such purpose or
such as are on his/her own premises or upon other lands with the consent
of the owner thereof, or insert the same into any underground conduit
except with the consent of the owner and by the order of the City
Council.
[Amended 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-158]
All poles and posts used for support for streetlighting purposes
shall be insulated in such a manner as to protect employees and other
persons against accident, and the method of insulation must be approved
by the Inspector of Wires. Guy wires must be insulated from poles
and fixtures by inserting an insulator not less than six feet from
the point of attachment. Guy wires must not be attached to trees on
public ways without the permission of the City Engineer, and pole
brackets must not be used on trees for the support of wires.
State law reference — Insulation,
MGL c. 166, § 30.
[Amended 5-21-2012 by Ord. No. 2012-158]
No street railway, electric light, telephone or telegraph company
shall destroy, cut or mutilate any of the trees located on any of
the thoroughfares or public grounds of the City, except by written
permission of the City Engineer, or allow any trees located on any
of the thoroughfares or public grounds of the City to be injured through
improper insulation of its wires.
Wires must not, when running in the same direction, be attached
to the upper and under side of the same crossarm, and the use of so-called
"hard rubber hood insulators" or "porcelain knobs" will not be permitted
for high- or low-potential conductors.
The two conductors constituting the line and return of any circuit
for alternating currents must be run parallel to each other and at
a distance apart not less than 12 inches, except in case of service
cable. When wires are brought below the roof of a building, the drops
must commence at the top of the same and run straight down and between
and not in front of the windows, hoistways, etc., and as near the
wall as the character of the service will permit. All such drop wires
designed to carry an electric light or power current must be heavily
covered with the best quality of insulation, and that in turn with
at least two braids of cotton, and, when they are within easy reach
of persons from windows, doors, etc., they shall have an approved
additional covering or tube as a further protection to the insulation.
Not over five feet of so-called "weatherproof" and "underwriters"
insulation will be approved for drop wires for services.
No wires shall hang less than 18 feet from the street or sidewalk
at the lowest points of sag.
Transformers must not be placed on any fixture on a roof or
on any wall rising above a roof. Transformers must not be attached
to the outside wall of buildings so that they can be reached by persons
from windows, doors, fire escapes, stairways or the ground. The primary
wires must drop to the transformer at right angles to the mains or
branches. They must be heavily covered with the best grade of insulation,
and that in turn with at least two braids of cotton. So-called "underwriters"
and "weatherproof" insulation will not be approved.
A.
The Inspection of Wires Department shall be a subdivision of the
Inspectional Services Department and shall be under the charge of
the Wiring Inspector, who shall be appointed by the Mayor, subject
to confirmation by the City Council, and who shall devote all of his/her
time to the duties of his/her office.
B.
The term "Inspector of Wires," wherever appearing in this and other
chapters, shall include the "Wiring Inspector."
C.
The Inspector of Wires shall have supervision of all electric and
other wires erected in, upon, over or under any street or building
and all poles supporting wires or lamps and streetlights. The Inspector
of Wires shall also have the powers and perform the duties required
of such an officer by law or by the ordinances of the City. The Inspector
of Wires shall keep a detailed record of the business transacted by
his/her department and shall annually, in January, submit a report
thereof to the Mayor and City Council.
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State law reference — Appointment
of inspectors of wires and their duties, MGL c. 166, § 32.
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The Inspector of Wires will be deemed the sole judge of what
constitutes safe and proper construction and insulation of all wires.
If cables or conductors, poles or fixtures used for the transmission
and distribution of electric current are in an unsafe and dangerous
condition, he/she shall cause the current to be shut off, if the existing
defects are not remedied in a reasonable time, and such defective
wires, cables or conductors shall then be treated as being dead and
unused and shall be removed by the Inspector of Wires at the expense
of the owner thereof.
[Amended 5-18-2009 by Ord. No. 09-177]
A.
The Fire Alarm Maintenance Lineman shall, by virtue of his/her office,
be the superintendent of the fire alarm telegraph and police signal
systems and of all other electric wires and wire systems now or hereafter
owned by the City. The Fire Alarm Maintenance Lineman shall have the
care and management of the wires, apparatus, machinery and other property
connected with the systems, shall keep them in good working order
at all times and shall have access to all buildings and places necessary
for these purposes. The Fire Alarm Maintenance Lineman shall, at least
once every 60 days, inspect and test, or cause to be inspected and
tested under his/her direction, each fire alarm telegraph box in the
City. All additions to such systems and all new electric wires and
appliances required by the City for its use shall be erected under
his/her supervision and to his/her satisfaction.
B.
The Fire Alarm Maintenance Lineman shall, at least once every 60
days, report to the Chief of the Fire Department the results of his/her
inspections and tests of fire alarm telegraph boxes made within the
period of 60 days next preceding the date of his/her report.
The Inspector of Wires may appoint and remove such assistants
as may be necessary for the work to be done so far as permitted by
appropriation.
All electric work shall be installed in accordance with the
rules of the American Insurance Association, the ordinances and regulations
of the City and the rules established by the Inspector of Wires.
State law reference — Authorizing
board of fire prevention regulations to make rules relative to electric
wiring, MGL c. 143, § 3L.
Rules shall be established by the Inspector of Wires regulating
the time of notification of work to be done, the requirements or conditions
for turning on the electric current and such other matters as he/she
may deem advisable.
Any person installing or maintaining electric or other wires
shall, upon request of the Inspector of Wires, furnish him/her with
such information as may be necessary to the faithful and effectual
discharge of his/her duties under this chapter.
Every person proposing to place wires designed to carry a current
of electricity within a building shall give notice thereof to the
Inspector of Wires before commencing the work and shall not turn on
the current to wires that are to be used for electric lighting, heating
or power until written permission to do so has been given by the Inspector
of Wires.
State law reference — Notice to
wiring inspector required, MGL c. 143, § 3L.
