# How far should you live from a power line?

> Fields usually reach background at 30–60 m; precautionary policy targets are 0.4–1 µT, and a 24-hour log beats any distance rule.

- Canonical URL: https://emfbase.com/questions/how-far-should-i-live-from-a-power-line
- Collection: Direct answers
- Record id: `questions:how-far-should-i-live-from-a-power-line`
- Status: verified
- Last verified: 2026-08-12
- JSON: https://emfbase.com/api/questions/how-far-should-i-live-from-a-power-line
- Also known as: safe distance from power lines, how close to pylon is safe

## Key values

- **Topic:** distances

## Question

What is a safe distance from a high-voltage power line?

## Answer

Magnetic fields beneath a loaded transmission line typically fall from tens of milligauss at the conductors to residential background by roughly 30–60 m, depending on current, conductor height and phase arrangement. No jurisdiction sets a health-based setback; the Netherlands uses a 0.4 µT policy target for new lines and Switzerland applies a 1 µT installation value at sensitive locations, both precautionary rather than effect-based. Because line loading changes hourly, a 24-hour log at the property is worth more than any distance rule.

## Related records

- [High-voltage transmission line](https://emfbase.com/emitters/high-voltage-transmission-line): Fields directly beneath a loaded transmission line reach tens of milligauss and fall off roughly with distance for a balanced three-phase circuit, reaching background at 30–60 m for typical loadings.
- [Swiss installation limit value for power lines](https://emfbase.com/limits/swiss-installation-limit-power-lines): 1 µT (10 mG) magnetic flux density at places of sensitive use — the strictest power-frequency installation value in force in Europe.
- [ELF magnetic field survey](https://emfbase.com/protocols/elf-magnetic-survey): A source-finding walkthrough plus a 24-hour log, because power-frequency magnetic fields track electrical load and a spot reading answers almost nothing.

## Sources

- `niehs-emf` National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. *Electric and Magnetic Fields*. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/emf — government, link checked 2026-08-12
- `ch-onir` Swiss Confederation (2000). *Ordinance relating to Protection from Non-Ionising Radiation (ONIR / NISV, SR 814.710)*. https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2000/38/en — regulation, link checked 2026-08-12
- `who-elf` World Health Organization (2007). *Electromagnetic fields and public health: exposure to extremely low frequency fields*. https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/radiation-and-health/non-ionizing/exposure — government, link checked 2026-08-12

Data licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Dataset version 2026.08.1. Retrieved from EMFBase, https://emfbase.com.

This record is reference data, not medical or legal advice. Regulatory limits, scientific guidelines and precautionary values are labelled separately and answer different questions.