Where's the line on landscaping around a meter?

I put a cedar screen around mine a few years back, hinged like a door so it swings all the way open, and it has been fine thru two readings and one actual meter swap. The swap is the part that matters. When they changed the old meter for a smart one, the tech pulled it with the panel live for maybe two minutes, and he needed room to stand square in front of it and get both hands on it. A fixed open-front box whould have been a problem, a hinged one wider than the meter was not.

Your neighbor's gravel story sounds like a diferent issue to me. Buried or half-buried meters are a pain for reading but the utility mostly cares when they need to replace the thing, and I have heard of them charging to fix grade issues they had to dig through. The part your buddy got right is that rules really do vary by utility. Mine just wanted the screen to open without tools and not block the line side. I called the office before building and the guy on the phone told me exactly what they expect, took two minutes. Worth doing before you cut lumber, since they can absolutely make you remove it if the next reader decides they hate it.

I'd pump the brakes on building anything fixed around it. I learned this the expensive way. Put up a nice lattice enclosure around my meter maybe six years ago, painted to match the house, looked great. Then I needed a service upgrade for a heat pump and the electrician flagged it immediately. The utility inspector made me tear the whole thing off before they'd sign off, and by then it was stapled and screwed in there good. Cost me a weekend and a bunch of paint I never got back.

The thing that stuck with me is what the inspector actualy said. It's not just about reading the meter or the tech getting hands on it. They want clear working space in front, and in my area that meant about three feet, plus they don't want anything you've built that could pinch, trap, or fall on someone during a swap. My lattice had a gate on it and it still wasn't good enough, so a box with an open front probably isn't either.

The move that actually works is boring: call the utility and ask before you build a single board. Mine told me over the phone exactly what they allow, and some utilities will even mail you their clearance requirements. Mine also said no plants or structures within that front zone, so your neighbor's gravel beds would have gotten a notice from my utility eventually. If you want it hidden, I'd go with somethig that isn't attached to the house at all. A freestanding trellis or a couple of big planters set back from the meter can break up the view from a patio without giving anyone a reason to make you rip it out.

Back in the day when a guy walked the route with a flashlight and a clipboard, anything crowding the glass got flagged same day. My rule for forty years has been nothing within arm's reach of the can, period. I did see a guy screw a hose bracket right into the conduit feeding his meter and the utility made him pull it, so whatever you build, keep it off the pipe and the wire entirely. Fasten to the siding or set posts in the ground.

Brand new here so forgive me if this is a dumb angle, but my setup is a bit diferent. My meter is behind a side gate on a latch, and I asked the utility about access when I moved in last year. The lady said as long as the meter reader can get trough without me unlocking anything they're fine, so I swapped the latch for one that stays open during the day. I don't have any plans to build around mine, but now I'm wondering, does a fence or gate count the same as a cover in most places? Seems like it woud but I honestly don't know.

Agreeing with the hinged screen guy, that swing-all-the-way-open detail is what saved me too. Mine is a two-door setup and I sized it so the doors fold flat against the siding instead of sticking out into the walkway, because the reader was standing basically on the public path. He told me once he doesn't mind covers at all, he minds having to hold something open with one hand while he writes with the other. Also second the call-first advice, mine emailed me a one-page drawing of what clearance they wanted, wich I just built to.

Funny enought I went the plant route instead of building anything. Stuck a couple of ornamental grasses about two feet out from the meter and they soften the view enough that you don't really notice it from the patio anymore. Nothing for the utility to complain about since they can walk right up. Only thing I'd add on the gravel thing is that grade matters more than people think. If your side yard redo changes the dirt level around the can at all, keep it at or below where it is now. Burying even the bottom of the meter a few inches is the kind of thing that turns into a headache later.