How To Tell If Your Home Is Ready for SDG&E Undergrounding
When SDG&E undergrounds your neighborhood, most of the work happens in the street — but some homes still need electrical updates before they can be reconnected to the new underground system.
This guide shows you how to quickly check whether your home is ready, using simple clues you can spot yourself.
⚡ 1. Check Your Panel Brand (The Fastest Indicator)
Some older panels are known safety issues. If you have any of these brands, your home is not ready:
Zinsco / Sylvania-Zinsco
Federal Pacific (FPE / Stab-Lok)
Pushmatic / Bulldog
SDG&E almost never reconnects these during undergrounding.
A panel upgrade is typically required.
Look at the inside of the panel door for the brand label.
🔍 2. Check How Old Your Panel Is
Panels older than 30–40 years often fail undergrounding requirements because they have:
weak or outdated breakers
deteriorated connections
insufficient capacity
old meter sockets that can’t accept new conductors
If your panel is from the 1970s–1990s, you should get it evaluated early.
📏 3. Check Your Panel’s Amperage Size
The main breaker tells you the size. Common sizes:
60A or 70A → too small for modern loads
100A → may pass or may fail
125A → usually okay
200A → almost always fine
If you’re at 60A or 100A and undergrounding is coming, it’s smart to get the panel checked.
🧱 4. Check Your Panel’s Condition
SDG&E may refuse to reconnect panels that show:
rust or corrosion
heat marks or melted breakers
loose breakers
missing labels
signs of water intrusion
old cloth wiring entering the panel
Take a photo of the inside — damage is usually obvious.
🧲 5. Check Your Grounding and Bonding
Homes built before the 1980s often lack proper grounding.
SDG&E requires:
bonded metal water piping
correct grounding electrode (ground rod)
proper neutral/ground separation
If your home has only a single ground wire or none at all, grounding upgrades are normal during panel upgrades.
🪜 6. Check If Your Panel Has Clearance Issues
SDG&E won’t reconnect panels that don’t meet clearance and location rules.
Common violations:
panel behind bushes
panel too close to a window
panel too close to a gas meter
recessed “flush-mounted” panels from the 1960s–1970s
panels with blocked working space
If your panel looks cramped or “boxed in,” that’s a red flag.
🔌 7. Check Whether Your Home Has Overhead Service
If your power currently comes from overhead lines, the undergrounding conversion may require:
new service conduits
a new meter socket
panel modernization
relocation to meet today’s rules
Overhead → underground conversions are the most common upgrade trigger.
🚧 8. Look for Signs That Undergrounding Is Active in Your Area
Your home might soon be inspected if you see:
trenching on your street
SDG&E markings on sidewalks/asphalt
contractor trucks (Motiv, Henkels & McCoy, etc.)
cones and steel plates
door hangers from SDG&E
Once the crews reach your block, you want to know your panel is ready.
📸 9. The Fastest Way to Know: Send Photos
Most of the time, you can get a clear yes/no answer with just a few photos:
inside the panel
outside the panel
meter socket
overhead lines
any corrosion or damage
A licensed electrician can tell very quickly if SDG&E will likely require upgrades.
✅ Final Thoughts
You don’t need a new panel just because your neighborhood is being undergrounded — but older, outdated, or incompatible panels commonly get flagged.
If you want peace of mind, you can send photos of your panel and meter, and get a quick evaluation before SDG&E reaches your street.
