Between the utility’s wires and the panel inside the house there is a short stretch of equipment that confuses almost everyone, because ownership changes somewhere in the middle of it and the exact point varies.
Working from outside in, the utility runs conductors to the house either overhead or underground. On an overhead service those wires terminate at a point of attachment, usually a hook or bracket bolted to the structure, and the utility’s responsibility generally ends at or just past that connection. The mast or conduit holding that attachment, the weatherhead at the top, the cable running down and the meter enclosure on the wall are normally the property owner’s equipment.
The meter itself is the utility’s. The box it plugs into, the meter base or socket, is usually not. This is the distinction that surprises people when a meter base is damaged, because the utility will pull the meter and disconnect power but will not repair the enclosure.
From the meter, service entrance conductors run to the main disconnect. Until they reach that disconnect they are not protected by any overcurrent device, which is why the run is kept as short as practical and why the code treats it with particular care.
Underground services follow the same logic with different hardware. The transformer, the buried cable and the connection at the pedestal belong to the utility. The conduit riser at the house, the meter base and everything inward belongs to the owner.
The practical consequence is worth knowing before there is a problem. Storm damage to a mast, a meter base pulling away from a wall, or a corroded service cable are all repairs that have to be arranged and paid for privately, and they require coordination because the utility has to disconnect and reconnect around the work.
Exact boundaries differ between utilities and are published in each one’s service requirements document, which is the only authority worth relying on for a specific address.
Anything touching this equipment is also a coordination job rather than a scheduling one. The meter has to be pulled and the seal broken by the utility, work happens with the house de-energised, and an inspection usually has to clear before power is restored. Planning around a day without power is part of the job.
Related reading: https://worldaid.eu.org/discussion/profile.php?id=2192551