Compare the items the section’s opening designer note says belong on the drawings with the pole line plan, pole details, and one-line: conductor sizes and materials, guy strand and anchor types, cutout fusing, pole top switch ratings, metering connections, ruling span and sag tables, and avian protection. Then trace each pole-mounted device the edited Section 33 71 01 keeps, such as transformers, arresters, reclosers, sectionalizers, capacitors, and regulators, to a pole detail and the one-line, and check the grounding, risers, overhead service, and testing requirements against those sheets.
Assemble the review package
Gather the pole line plan and profile, the pole framing and equipment details, the sag tables, the site electrical one-line, the protective device coordination study if any, the guy and anchor details with the soil information, the grounding details, the riser and underground duct drawings, the building service entrance drawings, the tree removal or clearing plan, and the issued Section 33 71 01 with Sections 26 08 00, 33 71 02, 26 20 00, and 31 11 00. Review one line from its source pole to its last transformer before assuming the others are detailed the same way.
WBDG publishes UFGS 33 71 01: Overhead Transmission and Distribution as a public guide-specification reference (accessed October 22, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Construction grade and loading | Installation article + pole line plan + general notes | Do the bracketed grade of construction, loading district, and governing code the section keeps match the general notes and the design basis on the drawings? |
| Poles and crossarms | Poles, Crossarms and Brackets, and Armless Construction articles + pole details | Is each pole’s material, length, and class or strength indicated, as the section says, and do the framing details use the crossarm or armless construction the edited section keeps? |
| Conductors, ruling span, and sag | Overhead Conductors, Connectors and Splices and Conductor Installation articles + plan and profile + sag tables | Does each conductor labeled appear in the edited conductor articles, and are sag tables provided for the conductor and ruling span, since stringing is checked against them? |
| Guys and anchors | Guy Strand, Round Guy Markers, and Anchors and Anchor Rods articles + pole details + soil information | Are the guy strand and anchor type drawn at each guyed pole, with the anchor described for the soil at that location, as the designer note asks? |
| Arresters, cutouts, and coordination | Surge Arresters and Fused Cutouts articles + one-line + coordination study | Are cutout fuse types and ratings indicated and coordinated with the existing upstream sectionalizing equipment, and are arresters shown where the pole details need them? |
| Pole-mounted equipment | Transformer (Overhead-Type Distribution), Group-Operated Load Interrupter Switches, Recloser, Sectionalizer, Metering Equipment, Capacitors, and Voltage Regulator articles + one-line + pole details | Does every device on the one-line have a pole detail and a kept article, with no article left for equipment the project does not have? |
| Risers, overhead service, and grounding | Conduit Risers and Conductors, Overhead Service, and Grounding articles + Sections 33 71 02 and 26 20 00 + grounding details | Is the riser shield type indicated, is the handoff to the building service entrance clear, and is the grounding configuration shown at each pole that needs it? |
| Clearing, testing, and energization | Tree Trimming, Field Quality Control, Pre-Energization Services, and Performance of Acceptance Checks and Tests articles + Section 26 08 00 + clearing plan | Are trees to be removed indicated, and do the test plan and schedule cover the acceptance tests, sag and tension witnessing, and pre-energization services before the line is energized? |
Worked example: cutouts with no fusing on the drawings
Illustrative example: a new overhead line extension feeds a pole-mounted transformer bank and a recloser. The issued Section 33 71 01 keeps the Fused Cutouts article with fuse ratings “as indicated,” but the one-line and pole details show the cutouts with no fuse type or rating, and the recloser on the one-line has no pole detail.
Ask the electrical engineer to add fuse types and ratings to the one-line or pole details, coordinated with the existing upstream sectionalizing equipment as the designer note describes, and to add a recloser pole detail. Confirm that the protective device study covers the new devices before closing the item.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 33 71 01 stops at the pole and the overhead service. Riser conductors and terminations are specified through Section 33 71 02, and the building service entrance through Section 26 20 00, while site lighting poles may sit in a separate exterior lighting section, so check those boundaries before comparing this guide with the interior distribution or exterior lighting guides.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.