What to Expect During a Panel Upgrade in Marin

The process generally runs: your electrician assesses the job and pulls a permit, coordinates with PG&E if a service disconnect/reconnect is needed, shuts off power to safely remove the old panel and install the new one, reconnects and verifies the circuits, and then the work is inspected to confirm it’s code-compliant. During the actual swap, your home is without power temporarily. The whole thing is a well-established procedure that a licensed electrician manages end to end, including the permitting and utility coordination, so from your side it’s mainly a matter of planning around the power being off for a stretch.

Expect your home to be without power for a stretch during the upgrade — often much of the workday — because the electrician must de-energize the system to safely remove the old panel and install the new one. The exact duration depends on the complexity of the job. This shutoff is planned in advance, so you’ll know when to expect it and can prepare: charging devices, planning around refrigeration and any critical needs, and arranging your day. It’s a normal, temporary, and expected part of the process, not a sign anything has gone wrong.

Yes — a panel upgrade is significant electrical work that requires a permit and inspection under California code. Your licensed electrician pulls the permit before starting and arranges the inspection of the completed work. This isn’t bureaucratic hassle to avoid; the permit and inspection confirm the upgrade was done safely and to code, which protects you — both for safety and at resale and with your insurer, who may care that major electrical work was properly permitted. Reputable electricians always permit panel upgrades. If someone offers to do one without a permit, that’s a significant red flag to avoid.

The hands-on work of a straightforward residential panel upgrade is often completed in a day, though larger jobs — a service size increase, a panel relocation, adding a meter-main, or other complications — can take longer. Beyond the work itself, the overall timeline includes scheduling the permit, coordinating with PG&E if needed, and arranging the inspection, which can add calendar time around the actual installation day. Your electrician will give you a realistic timeline up front, covering both the work duration and the surrounding scheduling, so you know what to expect from start to finished, inspected upgrade.

Often, yes. Many panel upgrades require the utility to disconnect and later reconnect your service so the electrician can safely replace the panel, and PG&E’s scheduling for that becomes part of the overall timeline. Your electrician handles this coordination with the utility as part of managing the project, so you don’t have to navigate it yourself. The degree of utility involvement depends on the specifics of your upgrade. An experienced local electrician who regularly works with PG&E knows how to coordinate the disconnect/reconnect efficiently and factors it into the plan and timeline they give you.

Mainly, prepare for the planned power shutoff: charge phones, laptops, and any battery devices beforehand; plan around refrigeration and freezers (keeping them closed helps, or arrange accordingly for a longer outage); make provisions for any medical or critical equipment that needs power; and clear reasonable access to your panel for the electrician. Your electrician will tell you when the shutoff will happen and roughly how long to expect, so you can arrange your day. Beyond that, the electrician handles the permit, utility coordination, and inspection. Your part is mostly preparing for a temporary, planned day without power.