How ACO Handles the Permit Process So You Don’t Have To

The permit process for temporary power is one of the main reasons contractors look for someone else to manage it. It involves multiple agencies, city-specific requirements that vary across Southern California, utility applications that each have their own timelines, and inspections that have to be scheduled and passed before the utility will energize anything. Doing it yourself the first time is a lesson in how many phone calls it takes to move a single application forward.

ACO has been handling this process since 1989. The permit pulling service exists because managing permits is a full-time skill, not a side task. Here is exactly what that service covers and why contractors who have used it once rarely go back to doing it themselves.

What a Temporary Power Permit Actually Involves

There is no single permit for a temporary power pole installation in Southern California. The process involves at least two separate agencies, and depending on the city and site, sometimes more.

The standard requirements are:

• City Building and Safety Temporary Power permit: Required in every city before installation can begin. Each city has its own Building and Safety department with its own application process, fee structure, and inspection checklist. What satisfies the inspector in Burbank is not necessarily what the inspector in Pasadena is looking for.
• Utility application through SCE or LADWP: Depending on which utility serves the project address, you need to submit an application to Southern California Edison or the LA Department of Water and Power. These are separate applications with separate requirements. SCE assigns a service planner to the project and requires an on-site meter spot meeting with the general contractor. LADWP has its own intake process.
• Utility connection fees: Both SCE and LADWP charge fees as part of the application process. The amounts vary by service type and project scope.

Beyond the standard requirements, some cities have additional local requirements on top of the city permit. A project in one part of LA County may move through the process differently than a comparable project a few miles away in a different municipality. Knowing those differences in advance is what keeps applications moving instead of getting returned for corrections.

The Part That Slows Everything Down

Most delays in the temporary power permit process come from a handful of predictable problems. ACO has seen all of them enough times to work around them.

Missing building permit.

Most cities require an active building permit on file before their inspectors will release the temporary power pole to the utility. If the customer has not yet pulled their main building permit, the temporary power energization cannot complete regardless of how smoothly everything else goes. ACO flags this at the start of every project. If the building permit is not in place, we make sure the customer knows before we submit the temporary power application, so there are no surprises when the inspection passes but the utility still will not energize.

Unmarked pole location.

On SCE-served projects, a service planner meets with the general contractor on site to agree on the pole placement location. That location needs to be clearly marked before the ACO installation crew arrives. When it is not, the installation is delayed. ACO coordinates this meeting as part of the process and makes sure the contractor knows what is expected before the crew shows up.

Wrong utility district identified.

Submitting a SCE application for a site that LADWP serves, or vice versa, sends the process to the wrong agency. It has to be caught, corrected, and resubmitted. ACO confirms utility jurisdiction before any application is filed.

Incomplete applications.

Both the city and the utility have specific documentation requirements. Missing information or incorrect project details result in applications being returned for correction, adding days or weeks to the timeline. ACO’s permit expeditors know what each agency requires and submit complete applications the first time.

Utility scheduling backlogs.

Once an application is submitted and approved, the utility schedules their crew for the meter spot meeting and, eventually, energization. That scheduling is outside anyone’s control. What ACO can do is follow up consistently to keep the project from falling to the bottom of the queue. Our team stays on the application through energization and tracks status so contractors are not making calls to find out where things stand.

What ACO’s Permit Service Covers

ACO’s permit pulling service handles the complete permit and utility application process from submission through approval and energization.

Specifically, that includes:

• Identifying the correct utility provider for the project address
• Submitting the City Building and Safety Temporary Power permit application with the correct documentation for that specific city
• Filing the SCE or LADWP utility application and paying the connection fees
• Coordinating the SCE service planner meeting for projects in SCE territory
• Scheduling the city inspection once the pole is installed
• Following up with both the city and the utility as needed to keep the process moving
• Tracking the application through to energization and notifying the contractor when power is live

The contractor’s responsibilities in this process are narrow: have the main building permit in place, and make sure the pole location is marked before the installation crew arrives. ACO handles everything else.

Why City-by-City Knowledge Matters

ACO works across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and Ventura counties, covering more than 100 cities. That coverage means the permit expeditors have direct experience with the Building and Safety departments in each jurisdiction.

The differences between cities are not trivial. Some cities process permits faster than others. Some have specific formatting requirements for applications. Some inspectors have particular things they check that are not explicitly stated in the permit requirements but are consistent enough that experienced expeditors know to address them in advance. Some cities require an active building permit before they will even accept a temporary power application. Others have different sequencing.

None of that knowledge shows up in a printed guide. It comes from years of submitted applications, passed inspections, and working relationships with local departments. Contractors who try to manage temporary power permits themselves in an unfamiliar city often find out what they did not know after the fact, when an application is returned or an inspection fails.

The Timeline Contractors Should Plan Around

From the first call to energized power, the typical process in Southern California takes two to three weeks. That timeline assumes the main building permit is already in place, the application is complete and submitted correctly, and the utility does not have a backlog.

In some cities and with some utilities, the process moves faster. In others, it takes longer. Utility scheduling is the variable that is hardest to predict. SCE’s service planner scheduling and energization timelines can stretch depending on the volume of projects in a given area.

The practical implication for contractors is to start the temporary power application as early as the project timeline allows. Waiting until framing begins means the crew is waiting on power instead of power waiting on the crew. ACO can begin the permit process as soon as the project address, utility district, and power requirements are confirmed.

When Contractors Manage the Process Themselves

ACO gives customers the option to manage permits independently. Some experienced contractors with established relationships at their local Building and Safety department and a history with SCE or LADWP prefer to do it themselves and then call ACO for installation only.

That works. The permit service is not mandatory. But for contractors who are working in a new city, dealing with a utility they have not worked with before, or simply do not have the bandwidth to track an application through multiple agencies, using ACO’s permit service removes that work entirely from their plate.

The cost of the service is straightforward and included in the project estimate. The time it saves on a 90-day build is not a small number.

Getting Started

If you have a project coming up in Southern California and want ACO to handle permits along with installation, call (818) 255-3560 or submit a project inquiry online. Our team will confirm the utility district, review the project requirements, and let you know exactly what the process looks like for your specific city and site.

For more on how the full temporary power process works from start to finish, the project design services page covers how ACO reviews plans and determines power requirements before any equipment is ordered or permits are filed.