Let's make sure your ADU and residential real estate projects comply with SDGE rules.
ADU builds are hard enough, even when everything goes right. With the time it takes to get permits and city inspectors being so busy they reschedule inspections, the last thing you need during construction is SDGE delaying or even stopping your project.
Here are the main SDGE issues that can have negative effects on your ADU and residential projects.
Whenever there is an overhead electricity wire, there are required clearances for all structures from the wires. These clearance distances can sometimes be up to 12 feet or more. The city does not review the distances during the plan review process, so you need to make sure your architect is well aware of these rules before you hire them.
Gas lines are not allowed underneath buildings. These gas lines need to be moved or abandoned before construction, and the process to do so with SDGE can take a long time.
Increased electrical and gas requirements necessary for your project can sometimes require off site upgrades to the SDGE infrastructure, like adding a transformer or replacing an electrical pole. These costs can be passed on to property owners in some situations and can put large delays on your project.
If your electrical comes from underground rather than overhead, the cost to upgrade your electrical after requires installing a larger electrical conduit to an off site transformer, which has a large cost.
SDGE will not start working on provided required documentation for your electrical and gas upgrades until the city has assigned addresses to any new residential units. The cities don’t assign addresses without plans to review, which can cause a large and expensive delay if SDGE discovers any conflicts between your design and existing SDGE infrastructure.
All of these delays or issues can have large negative effects for your project, ranging from a small inconvenience to a catastrophic cost increase. The best way to avoid them is to hire a professional with deep experience working with SDGE.
At ADU Pros, we pride ourselves on knowing and avoiding the pitfalls of construction and helping our clients by guiding them at the start of their projects in order to avoid these issues.