- Tanya Porter's garage, built around a power pole, faces relocation demands.
- Rocky Mountain Power initially threatened disconnection, citing utility access regulations.
- After inquiries, the company found a solution without moving the garage.
LINDON — If your power company told you to move your garage in four weeks or lose your electricity, what would you do?
That's the situation Tanya Porter faces.
Her detached garage is literally built around a power pole. The roof's eaves are constructed with a cut that makes room for it.
The house and garage were built in 1977. That's one year after the power pole went into the ground, according to markings on the pole.
Porter and her husband bought the home in 2011, and in the years since, she says the garage's location has not caused a single issue.
"It's kind of 'forget about it,' like, we don't have any issues with power," Porter said. "My neighbors don't have any issues with power."
Then came a letter from Rocky Mountain Power. It said her garage prevents them from accessing their power pole. The letter pointed to regulations approved by the Utah Public Utilities Commission that require homeowners to provide utility workers access to their premises for maintenance.
"They have access to above their pole," Porter said.
The letter also stated she had to get the garage moved in four weeks, or they would cut power to her property.
"They're threatening me if I don't move it that they're going to disconnect my service," she said.
"50 years this has been fine, and now they're strong-arming you?" I asked.
"Now they're strong-arming me," she answered.
She said she called Rocky Mountain Power to ask about alternatives.
"They said, literally, the only thing I can do is to move my garage," Porter said. "That is my only option."
The letter itself raised many questions for Porter. How far does she have to move her garage? What sort of clearance is required for utility workers? And why is the power company threatening to shut off her power before they clearly explain the fix?
Porter said she feels overwhelmed.
"I just lost my husband in December. The letter came on the three-month anniversary of his death," she said. "I'm not equipped to move a garage."
Tanya called me and we reached out to Rocky Mountain Power on her behalf. We asked: What changed after all these years? Why was the letter written so aggressively? And is it appropriate to tell a homeowner her only option was to move a garage in a matter of days?
Another way found
The company did not answer those questions directly. But a spokesman told us the utility "initially assumed, incorrectly, that the structure was a small shed, rather than a full-sized garage."
The spokesperson said after a site visit, the company found another way to handle the power pole.
"I hope they rescind their letter," said Porter. "I hope they don't turn off my power."
Once the KSL Investigators started asking questions, Rocky Mountain Power apparently engineered an option that does not involve moving the garage after all. Though the utility insists that resolution was in the works well before they heard from KSL.
Regardless, the pole will be replaced, the garage stays in place, and Porter keeps the lights on.
Investigating this one, we found that while building a garage so that it wraps around a power pole might have passed muster in 1976, generally, today it will be a no-go.
If you do build a structure in such a way, courts have been known to side with utility companies who want the homeowner to tear down the structure.
That said, if a structure was legal when it was built, it's typically allowed to remain even if prohibited by today's codes.
