Homeowners Blame PG&E for Delays in ADU Permits

Homeowners in California say the utility company PG&E is delaying the building of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) through long and onerous permitting and inspection processes, making property owners wait as long as a year to approve new electrical panels or wiring.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle article by Jessica Roy, homeowners and developers are citing “pervasive” problems with the utility, including “weather-related delays, communication issues, inconsistent enforcement of rules from PG&E’s ‘Green Book,’ and poor management of the contractors PG&E outsources some of its work to.”

For its part, PG&E says it is working to improve its processes and that it reduced its application backlog from six months in 2023 to less than one month at the end of 2024. To ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible, the utility recommends “having a licensed electrician or general contractor advise them on the feasibility of the planned ADU location and panel upgrades; submitting a Residential Load Request Form to ensure the existing neighborhood power grid can handle the additional demand from an ADU; and having a site plan produced by an architect or civil engineer that lays out where the new structure and utilities will go.”