PG&E Service Upgrade Trenching for Bay Area Homes
Upgrading to a 200-amp panel, adding EV chargers or heat pumps, or powering a new ADU often means a new underground electrical service. Under PG&E’s Rule 16, the trench and conduit on your property are generally the customer’s responsibility. PG&E installs the service cable and makes the connection once that work passes inspection. Harris Excavation digs the trench, gets it ready for inspection and backfills it, for homeowners and electricians across San Mateo and Santa Clara County.
We’re a licensed general engineering contractor (CSLB #1117960) and PG&E Operator Qualified.
What’s Included
- Utility locates. We call USA North 811 and mark the route before any digging.
- Trenching to PG&E’s design. Depth, width and separation per your job’s PG&E design and Greenbook standards.
- Hand and hydrovac digging near live gas, water and telecom lines and protected tree roots. How our hydrovac works
- Conduit. Set to spec, or the trench left ready for your electrician to set it.
- Open trench for inspection, kept safe and protected until the PG&E inspector signs off.
- Bedding, backfill and compaction after inspection, with the surface restored.
How a PG&E Service Upgrade Works
- Application. Your electrician applies to PG&E, usually through PG&E’s Your Projects portal, and PG&E designs the new service.
- Locate and mark. We call 811 and existing utilities are marked before we dig.
- Trench and conduit. We dig to PG&E’s design and the electrician installs the conduit.
- Inspection. PG&E inspects the open trench and conduit.
- Backfill. We backfill, compact and clean up.
- Energize. PG&E pulls the new cable and connects the service, and your electrician finishes the panel.
The trench itself is usually the quickest part. Most of the overall timeline is PG&E’s design and scheduling, so we set our dig date around your inspection.
A Trenching Partner for Electricians
We work as the trenching subcontractor for electrical contractors as well as directly for homeowners. We dig to your PG&E design, line our schedule up with your inspection and keep you posted, so your crew isn’t waiting on the trench. If you need a reliable trench sub for panel upgrades, EV chargers and ADU services, send us your next job.
Silicon Valley Power and Palo Alto Utilities
Not every home is on PG&E. In the City of Santa Clara, electric service comes from Silicon Valley Power, and in Palo Alto from the City of Palo Alto Utilities. Their specs and inspections differ from PG&E’s, and we trench to whichever utility serves your home.
Recent Service Upgrade Projects
- Hillsborough electrical trenching: hand excavation around live utilities for a service relocation, inspected and backfilled the same day
- Cupertino hydroexcavation: hydrovac trenching for a new electrical service through a route crowded with live gas, electric and telecom lines
PG&E Service Upgrade FAQ
Who digs the trench for a PG&E service upgrade?
Under PG&E’s Rule 16, the trench and conduit on private property are generally the customer’s responsibility. Your electrician handles the panel and the PG&E application, and we handle the trench and backfill.
How deep does the trench need to be?
PG&E sets the depth, conduit size and separation from gas and other lines in your job’s design, based on its Greenbook standards. We dig to that design so it passes inspection the first time.
How long does it take?
Most residential service trenches are dug in a day or two. The overall upgrade timeline depends mostly on PG&E’s design and inspection schedule.
Can you trench near trees or under hardscape?
Often, yes. We hand dig or hydrovac inside tree root zones and around existing lines, and we’ll go over the options for crossing driveways and patios when we walk the site.
Do you work for homeowners or only electricians?
Both. We work directly for homeowners and as the trenching subcontractor for electricians and builders. See our residential trenching page for water, sewer and drain lines.
Get a Service Upgrade Trenching Estimate
Send us the address and, if you have them, the PG&E project number or design. We’ll review the route and send a clear written estimate. We follow up on every request within one business day.