Utility meters (natural gas, electric, water, etc.) should be located in an area accessible to the meter reader person without needing to actually enter or seek permission to enter through any gates or other barrier on the property.

A better alternative would be to enable all these meters to be read remotely. This way the meter reader person could just check the information from the sidewalk or car. Better yet, the information could be sent directly to the utility company through some sort of yet to be implemented technology.