CAA Habitation recommendedFree tool · Service entrance
Service entrance: who does what
From the cable coming from the pole to the panel: tap a part of the diagram to see who owns it, who can touch it and who pays, based on what Hydro-Québec publishes.
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The diagram
From the pole, at the top, to the panel, inside the house. Tap a part.
Outside
Inside the house
- Hydro-Québec
- Your installation, at your expense
The fact sheet
Cable from the pole
This cable belongs to Hydro-Québec up to the bracket attached to the mast, the connection point.
Nobody but Hydro-Québec works on it: a repair done by someone else can be billed to you.
A branch rubbing on it? Hydro-Québec is the one to call, and you don’t trim it yourself.
Service bracket
It marks the boundary, and it’s yours, like the mast and the meter base: they’re installed at your expense.
Mast
It’s yours: when it needs replacing, a master electrician takes care of it, at your expense.
A mast that leans is the first sign of a service entrance to redo, and it shows from the street.
Conductors coming down
The wires running down from the mast to the meter are part of your installation. A cracked or worn jacket is replaced at your expense, by a master electrician.
Meter base
It’s yours, even though it holds Hydro-Québec’s meter: the master electrician installs and connects it, at your expense.
Rust on it? It’s not just cosmetic: water is seeping in.
Meter
It stays Hydro-Québec’s, and it carries a seal. During authorized and declared work, only a master electrician may break it; you don’t touch it.
Supply cable
It’s the last part of the service entrance: it runs from the meter, outside, to the panel, inside the house. It belongs to you.
Electrical panel
It receives the power from the service entrance and spreads it through the house, circuit by circuit, with its breakers.
A direction, not a diagnosis: the visit decides, and the quote is written and free.
The paperwork
You don’t call Hydro-Québec yourself: the contractor makes the request and gets the authorization before the work. On a house of 200 amps or less, they often disconnect and reconnect it themselves, without waiting for a Hydro-Québec crew.
An installation that has been disconnected for more than a year must be brought up to today’s standard before it is reconnected.
If something breaks
Mast down, cable torn off: call Hydro-Québec right away and keep your distance.
A wire on the ground: stay 10 metres or more away, and call 911.
Does a part of your service entrance need replacing?
Our master electricians replace the mast, the meter base and the cable, and handle the paperwork with Hydro-Québec.
The boundary: the bracket
It all comes down to one precise point, the service bracket attached to the mast. Upstream, the cable coming from the pole belongs to Hydro-Québec, and only Hydro-Québec touches it. Downstream, everything that runs down to the panel is part of your installation, except the meter, which stays Hydro-Québec’s even though it sits in your meter base.
This split is written by Hydro-Québec itself, in its standard E.21 and its Conditions of Service: our sources are below.
What you can see from the sidewalk
A leaning mast, rust eating through the meter base, a cracked cable jacket: these are your parts, so the work is at your expense, done by a master electrician. A branch on the cable from the pole, on the other hand, is reported to Hydro-Québec. The details, sign by sign, are in our guide to the 6 signs a service entrance needs replacing.
The service entrance and the panel
The service entrance brings the power in, the panel distributes it. On an older house the two are often replaced together, but not always: the visit decides. To see where you stand, take the panel only or service + panel test, and for capacity, the load calculation.
Get a quote for your service entrance
The part you looked at is attached to the request automatically. Our master electrician looks at your service entrance at the visit, and the quote is written and free.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a service entrance?
All the parts that bring power from Hydro-Québec’s grid to your panel: the bracket, the mast, the wires, the meter base, the meter and the cable. The panel takes over inside the house.
Who pays to replace a mast?
You do: the mast is part of your installation. A master electrician replaces it, and the bill is yours, even when it’s the weight of Hydro-Québec’s cables that wore it out.
Does the meter belong to me?
No, it stays Hydro-Québec’s. It’s the meter base, the box it plugs into, that’s yours.
Who deals with Hydro-Québec for the work?
Your electrical contractor: they make the request, wait for the authorization, then often handle the disconnection and reconnection themselves on a house of 200 amps or less.
A branch is touching the cable: who do I call?
Hydro-Québec: the cable from the pole is theirs. Don’t cut the branch yourself.
Sources
- Hydro-Québec, standard E.21, low-voltage electricity service (PDF, in French)
- Hydro-Québec, Conditions of Service (PDF)
- Hydro-Québec, standards for master electricians (in French)
Sources consulted on September 11, 2026 for our service entrance guides; tool published on November 6, 2026.
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