Upgrading Utilities in Maricopa: Why Easements are Important?

Published on June 13, 2024

Aerial view of a residential street with houses on both sides. The road has a labeled 50-foot right of way, with 8-foot public utility easements on each side.

In recent months, the City of Maricopa has gotten many questions about the crews seen working in communities and along roadways, feeding cabling underground or marking gas lines, with flags or spray paint. The short answer is they’re contractors installing upgraded infrastructure for our local utility companies.

We hope that this article and video will share some insight into the process for how companies approach these upgrades and why they have rights to install items in what may appear to be private property.

Understanding Easements:

An easement is a portion of land that is designated for the installation and maintenance of utilities such as power, water, gas, and telecommunications. This is usually about a 10 to 15-foot section from the top of the curb to your property line. The best way to see where yours is located is to check your plot plan on file with Pinal County.

“This area can look a bit different depending on the type of sidewalk installed in your neighborhood,” said Carlos Gonzalez, an Engineering Inspector with the City of Maricopa. “Factors like the placement of a sidewalk will determine how far an easement extends from the curb line.

Aerial view of a residential street marked with a 50-foot-wide green right-of-way. Red areas indicate 8-foot public utility easements (P.U.E.) on each side.

The Process for Completing Work:

In order for utility companies to access easements and complete the upgrades or installations they go through a permitting process with the city.

Once a plan is approved, the work is completed in four phases:

Crews locate any existing utilities, and then mark them with spray paint or flags. This ensures they remain visible for a longer period of time, and they are not struck accidentally while work is being completed.
Crews then drill down to reach the existing lines or to feed new lines underground.
The new equipment is installed.
Crews complete repairs.

“The repairs are often done in batches so the contractors can order the best materials for the job that are often only available in larger quantities,” Carlos explains.

The first step in reporting any issues should be to look for signage or notifications distributed in your neighborhood by the contractors or companies doing the work.

Secondarily, you can report a problem using the city’s online portal. City staff will review the issue and connect with you or the contractors to get it addressed.