Transmission Line Easements & What You Can Build Under Them

115 kV single-circuit: 75–100 feet total width, centered on the line.

230 kV single-circuit: 125–150 feet.

345 kV single-circuit: 150–200 feet. Double-circuit or bundled corridors can exceed 250 feet.

The Colorado Power Pathway, currently under construction across the eastern plains, uses a 200-foot easement for its 345 kV segments.

Permanent structures of any kind, including barns, sheds, and residences.

Trees or vegetation exceeding 15 feet at maturity.

Above-ground fuel storage, propane tanks, and hay stacks (fire clearance).

Ponds or excavations that would undermine tower foundations.

Signage, antennas, or communication towers without utility consent.

Row-crop agriculture, grazing, and hay production.

Driveways and gravel access roads crossing the easement at 90 degrees.

Center-pivot irrigation, provided sprinklers clear the conductor sag envelope.

Fencing under 8 feet, with metal gates where towers require access.

Colorado condemnation practice values easement-encumbered land at 40–70% of unencumbered market value, depending on parcel shape and how much productive ground the easement sterilizes. A quarter section (160 acres) crossed diagonally by a 200-foot corridor loses roughly 4.8 acres of usable ground plus adjacency penalty on the rest.

For rural residential valuations, the standard adjustment in Weld, Morgan, and Logan counties is a 5–12% deduction on the whole parcel when the easement crosses the building envelope, and 0–3% when it clips a corner.