ADU Electrical Service with City of Palo Alto Utilities
How to get a service upgrade, a new or separate meter, or a relocated service from City of Palo Alto Utilities when you add an ADU, and what our electrical plans give you for that application.
Who City of Palo Alto Utilities serves
Municipal utility of the City of Palo Alto providing electric, gas, water and wastewater service. Of the California places we cover, 1 is served mainly by City of Palo Alto Utilities, and together they issued 723 ADU building permits from 2021 through 2025.
How City of Palo Alto Utilities handles new and upgraded service
City of Palo Alto Utilities handles new service, service upgrades and meter changes through its Utility Service Application. This is separate from the building permit, so start it as soon as the electrical load calculation shows what the ADU needs. The steps City of Palo Alto Utilities describes:
- Submit the completed Utility Service Application with service demands plus site and elevation plans showing the panel and proposed service location to the Building Department (if a permit is required) or directly to Utilities (if not); the Building Department forwards it to Utilities Electric Engineering (UEE).
- UEE reviews; incomplete applications are returned. UEE invoices either Advance Engineering Fees (for a project estimate) or standard connection fees for simpler projects.
- After plan approval, UEE prepares utility connection charges; charges must be paid before any City work is scheduled.
- Inspections: overhead - Building Department panel inspection; underground - CPAU pre-construction, trench/conduit (green tag) and panel inspections.
- After the panel passes inspection, the Building Department 'yellow tags' the meter and sends a meter set release tag to Utilities Customer Service, which sets up the account and confirms fees are paid before releasing to Electric Operations Dispatch.
- Electric meters are installed only with final inspection tags in place.
What City of Palo Alto Utilities asks for
- Completed and signed Utility Service Application with utility demands (a separate application and load information for each meter requested)
- Final and legal address for the service/meter location (ADUs must have an address to establish service)
- Site plan showing existing and proposed utility services and meter locations
- Architectural plans to review meter locations (elevations, floor plans, window schedules); elevations showing gas/electric meters relative to windows, vents, equipment or ignition sources
- Electrical plans showing underground/overhead utilities and service points of connection with meters
- Location of main panel and subpanels if relocating the electric service more than 10 feet
- Electric load information verifying NEC Article 220; single line diagram, load calcs and EUSERC / NEC 230.71 compliant main panel cut sheets for 400 A and up
- Front-view photos of existing gas and electric meters (service upgrades)
Our ADU electrical plans include the NEC Article 220 load calculation, panel schedule and single-line diagram, which cover the load and equipment information on this list. Site-plan and service-location details come from your architectural set.
A separate meter for the ADU
CPAU Rule 20.C.2: only one Point-of-Service per lot and one Metered Service per address; additional points of service only at CPAU's discretion with Director approval. Rule 20.C.3: CPAU may require a separate electric service line and easements for an ADU when the ADU is sold or conveyed separately from the primary residence. The application packet lists 'ADU / Conversion' as a project type and requires an address for ADUs to establish service.
Whether a separate meter makes sense depends on the load calculation, the existing service size and the cost of the utility work. See when a separate service is required instead of a subpanel.
Service requirements
Meter location, clearances and service equipment must follow CPAU Electric Service Requirements (2026 PDF) and Standard Drawings. We show the meter and service equipment on the electrical plan so the location can be confirmed with City of Palo Alto Utilities early.
Places City of Palo Alto Utilities serves that we cover
| Place | County | Climate zone | ADU permits 2021–25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto | Santa Clara | CZ 4 | 723 |
Sources
- paloalto.gov/Departments/Utilities/Utilities-Services-Safety/New-Connection-or-Upgrades-to-Utilities
- paloalto.gov/Departments/Utilities/Utilities-Services-Safety/Engineering-and-Operations/Electric-Service-Requirements
- paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/8/utilities/utilities-engineering/general-service-application-forms/single-family-residential-project-application-packet-2026.pdf
- paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/2/utilities/rules-and-regulations/rule-20-special-electric-utility-regulations-april-2023.pdf
- paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/2/utilities/rules-and-regulations/rule-15-metering-april-2023.pdf
- paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/planning-amp-development-services/file-migration/bc/development-services/inspection-guidelines/electrical/electric-meter-release-residential_2018-07-27.pdf
Summarized from City of Palo Alto Utilities's published pages. Utility processes, forms and rules change, so confirm the current requirements with City of Palo Alto Utilities (contact) before you apply.
Need ADU electrical plans for a City of Palo Alto Utilities service request?
We prepare the load calculation, panel schedule and single-line diagram the utility and the building department both review.
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