CenterPoint’s goal is to keep the areas around power lines free and clear of obstructions, said Alicia Dixon, CenterPoint’s manager of public relations.

But Dixon could not point to a document or set of guidelines that spelled out how close to power lines property owners could build.

CenterPoint’s power line clearance standards document does not include any measurements, saying only that tree-pruning is based on clearances the company thinks are necessary to provide and maintain service reliability.

Banuelos said the tree house was 12 feet away from the lines, a gap too big for any child to reach across, especially through the structure’s back wall.

And according to neighbors, the house was built at least seven years ago.