New Construction — File 202414

New Construction, Alterations to existing buildings, All utilities including but not limited to Electric, Telephone and Cable TV/ Internet shall have the location of these services approved by the superintendent of highways, electric lines and lights, or his designee and final Grant of location by the Board of Aldermen. All new building construction in the City of Somerville must provide utilities that are underground. Plans shall be submitted that show the location of the underground utilities. Overhead lines will only be permitted when the construction is the result of a fire or natural disaster and the same type structure is replacing what was removed. Example: One family three bedrooms is replaced with the same, overhead allowed. One family 3 bedroom replaced with a one family with 4 bedrooms must provide underground utilities. Any changes from the previous structure will require underground utilities. Zoning Ordinances Electric, telephone, cable TV and other such utilities shall be underground except where this cannot be accomplished because it is physically or environmentally infeasible, in which case such utilities shall be screened Utility service. Electric, telephone, cable TV and other such lines and equipment are placed under-ground from the source or connection, or are effectively screened from public view; Code of Ordinances Sec. 11-51. Superintendent of highways, electric lines and lights; lines and lights duties. (a) The superintendent of highways, electric lines and lights shall have supervision of all wires over, under or in the streets and other public places and over buildings, and every wire within a building which is designed to carry any electric light or power current, and all poles, conduits and other structures holding, supporting or containing such wires in streets and other public places. Sec. 11-71. Laying conduit and wires and erecting poles. (a) Every petition presented to the board of aldermen for permission to erect poles or to lay conduits to support or to contain wires for the transmission of electricity shall be accompanied by a plan showing the exact proposed location of each pole or conduit. (b) All the poles erected upon locations granted by the board of aldermen, and all other fixtures to which it is desired to attach wires, shall be located and placed as directed by the board of aldermen, and the particular position of such fixtures, unless designated by the board of aldermen, shall be satisfactory to the superintendent of the division of highways, electric lines and lights. A plan showing the exact location of each pole and conduit, certified by said

superintendent and satisfactory in all respects to the city engineer, shall be made and filed by the person to whom the permission was granted, with the city engineer, within 20 days after the erection of said poles or the construction of said conduits. (Code 1963, §§ 11-24, 11-25; Ord. No. 2005-10, § 9, 6-23-2005) State law reference— Location of wires, M.G.L.A. c.166, § 22.