Days 1–30
Pre-construction & rough-in
Site walk with GC and architect. Permit application. Materials staging. Rough-in during framing (running conduit, pulling cable, mounting boxes, installing panel hardware). Rough-in inspection before drywall.
Commercial Electrical Services · Pillar Guide
Tenant improvement electrical built around the GC's schedule.
Office, retail, and restaurant buildouts — electrical scope coordinated with the general contractor, landlord, and city building department from rough-in through certificate of occupancy.
11 yrsMarin electrical work
C-10CSLB licensed contractor
1st passInspection rate
48 hrTypical estimate turnaround
Key Takeaways
- TI electrical scope typically runs 8-15% of total buildout budget for office space, 12-20% for restaurants and retail with heavy equipment.
- Coordination with the GC is the dominant success factor — landing on the framing-inspection date for rough-in is the most common preventable delay.
- Landlord approval is required in addition to city permit on essentially every Marin TI — we coordinate documentation for both.
- Restaurant TIs are the most demanding subcategory — kitchen equipment circuits, hood interlocks, walk-in compressors, dedicated outlets per code.
- Certificate of occupancy depends on passing final electrical inspection — getting this right on first attempt is what keeps the opening date on schedule.
01 — OverviewWhat Tenant Improvement Electrical actually covers in Marin.
Tenant improvement electrical work is execution discipline more than technical novelty. The scope is well-understood (panel work, dedicated circuits, lighting, low-voltage rough-in); what varies is the coordination overhead. Landing rough-in on the framing inspector's schedule, finishing trim before the inspector closes drywall, getting final electrical signed off before certificate of occupancy — each is a hard deadline that affects the broader buildout timeline.
The contractor's job in TI work is to be the trade that doesn't cause schedule slippage. We've worked with most of the active Marin commercial GCs over the past decade and have a stable reputation for hitting our dates. Most of our TI work comes from GC referrals because they know we won't be the trade that breaks their schedule.
Definition
Tenant improvement (TI) electrical work covers the electrical scope of a commercial buildout — panel work, dedicated circuits, lighting, low-voltage rough-in, finish work — coordinated with a general contractor, landlord, and AHJ on a buildout timeline.
Common TI scope categories
Office: dedicated circuits for workstations, conference room AV, lighting control, ergonomic outlet placement. Retail: display lighting, POS dedicated circuits, exterior signage. Restaurant: kitchen equipment circuits (each major appliance dedicated), hood interlocks, walk-in compressor circuits, customer-facing electrical.
GC coordination logistics
Three handoffs matter most. Pre-framing meeting (we identify circuit and panel locations before framers commit). Framing-inspection date (rough-in must be complete and inspector signed off before drywall). Trim coordination (after drywall but before paint and finish). Missing any handoff costs days.
For the broader context this guide supports, see our Commercial Electrical Services overview.
Explore the Full Guide
TI electrical work splits by occupancy type and by buildout phase. This pillar links to the specific guides.
Three guides to read first
Browse the Full Library
By occupancy type
Process & coordination
Specific scope
Inspection & closeout
02What TI electrical costs across occupancy types.
TI electrical pricing scales with occupancy complexity and equipment load. Office is the simplest; restaurants are the most complex per square foot.
| Occupancy type | TI electrical (per sq ft) | Drives variance |
|---|---|---|
| Office (open plan) | $14 to $24 | Workstation count, AV scope |
| Office (private offices) | $18 to $32 | Dedicated circuit count |
| Retail | $16 to $28 | Display lighting complexity |
| Restaurant (counter service) | $28 to $48 | Kitchen equipment load |
| Restaurant (full service) | $38 to $68 | Walk-ins, hood, dedicated equipment |
| Medical office | $24 to $42 | Medical equipment circuits |
| Fitness studio | $18 to $30 | Equipment, lighting, AV |
03The TI scheduling sequence.
TI electrical work happens in three phases coordinated with the GC's broader buildout schedule.
Days 31–60
Trim & finish
After drywall and paint. Terminate at devices, install fixtures, mount panels, label circuits. Coordinate with HVAC and plumbing on final equipment connections.
Days 61–90
Final inspection & closeout
Final electrical inspection with the AHJ. Punch list resolution if any. Documentation handoff to the GC for certificate of occupancy submittal.
04Why restaurant TIs are different.
Restaurant TI electrical is the most demanding TI subcategory in our work mix. The scope includes kitchen equipment circuits (each major appliance gets its own dedicated circuit, sized per NEC 220), hood interlock circuits (the hood exhaust fan must interlock with cooking equipment per California Mechanical Code), walk-in cooler and freezer compressor circuits, ice machine dedicated circuits, dishwasher booster heater circuits, and customer-facing electrical (lighting, music, POS).
The complexity isn't the individual circuits — each is straightforward. It's the COUNT of dedicated circuits (often 30-50 in a full-service restaurant kitchen) and the coordination with the kitchen equipment supplier on circuit specs. We work directly with the equipment vendor to confirm voltage, amperage, and connection requirements before pulling permit, which prevents the most common restaurant TI delay: wrong circuit spec discovered at equipment install.
05Choosing a TI electrical contractor.
TI work has the highest schedule-sensitivity in commercial electrical. Two things to verify on every TI bid.
Recent TI references
Ask for 3-4 recent TI projects the contractor has completed in your occupancy type within the past 18 months. Call the GCs on those projects — the relevant question is 'did they hit their dates?' not just 'did they do good work?' Both matter; the first matters more for TI work.
Restaurant equipment vendor familiarity
For restaurant TI specifically, ask which kitchen equipment vendors the contractor has worked with. Familiarity with specific equipment specs (Hobart dishwasher booster heaters, True walk-in compressors, etc.) prevents the spec mismatches that cause restaurant TI delays.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the typical timeline for a Marin office TI?
For a typical 3,000-5,000 sq ft office TI in Marin, electrical work runs about 4-6 weeks of active install time spread across an 8-12 week total buildout timeline. The phases are concentrated: 1-2 weeks of rough-in during framing, 1-2 weeks of trim after drywall, and 2-3 days of final inspection coordination at the end. We share a written schedule at contract sign that aligns with the GC's broader project timeline.
How much does a restaurant TI cost?
Restaurant TI electrical costs run $28-$68 per square foot depending on service model and kitchen complexity. A 2,500 sq ft counter-service restaurant typically lands at $70,000-$120,000 electrical. A 4,000 sq ft full-service restaurant with extensive kitchen, hood, walk-ins, and bar typically runs $150,000-$275,000 electrical. Variance drivers include kitchen equipment count (each dedicated circuit), hood/exhaust scope, walk-in compressor sizes, and customer-facing electrical complexity (lighting, music, POS).
Do you handle the landlord coordination?
Yes, on the electrical scope. Most Marin commercial landlords have a tenant improvement approval process that requires documented contractor credentials, insurance certificates, scope statements, and sometimes coordination with their building engineer or property manager. We provide the documentation package your landlord requires before work starts. The lease-level coordination (what TI work the landlord is contributing, what's tenant-paid, what reverts to landlord at lease end) is your scope with the landlord, but we provide whatever electrical documentation the conversation needs.
Can you do design-build TI electrical?
Yes, on smaller projects. For TI work under about $50,000 in electrical scope, we can do design-build directly with the tenant — we develop the electrical plan, pull permits, execute the work. For larger TIs, the project typically has an architect of record who develops the broader buildout plan, and we work as a sub to that plan. Either model works; we adapt to the project's existing structure.
What happens if the GC's schedule slips?
We adapt. GC schedules slip — that's the reality of commercial construction. When framing finishes 10 days late, our rough-in shifts 10 days. When drywall takes longer than expected, our trim shifts. We maintain enough scheduling flexibility to accommodate normal GC slippage without holding up other trades when work-around sequencing is possible. The cases where this matters most are when slippage stacks across multiple trades — we work directly with the GC to identify which trades can flex and which can't.
How do you handle permit closeout for certificate of occupancy?
Final electrical inspection is the gating item for certificate of occupancy on most commercial TIs. We coordinate the AHJ inspection directly with the inspector, address any punch list items same-day where possible, and provide the closed-permit documentation to the GC for the CO submittal. First-pass inspection rate on our recent Marin TI work is consistently in the high 90s — passing on first inspection is what keeps the CO timeline on schedule.
How We Reviewed This Page
- Reviewed against current California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3) and 2023 NFPA 70 (NEC) provisions applicable to the topic.
- Pricing ranges reflect actual 2026 Towery Electric quote data from Marin County jobs — not third-party industry averages.
- Permit and inspection timing reflects current AHJ practice in Novato, San Rafael, Mill Valley, and unincorporated Marin County as of mid-2026.
- Technical review by Alex Towery, founder and C-10 #989290 holder, with 11+ years of California electrical work.
- All factual claims about code requirements were verified against primary sources (CSLB, CARB, PG&E, AHJ) at time of publication.
References
This guide reflects Towery Electric's professional standards as a California-licensed C-10 electrical contractor and is for general information. Site conditions, panel configurations, code amendments, and permit-authority requirements vary; final scoping, sizing, and code compliance for your specific address are determined on a paid site assessment. We follow California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3) and applicable NFPA 70 (NEC) editions adopted by your AHJ.