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Phase 3 · Permits · Step 3.2

Submit Seattle City Light service application

Have the electrician file the SCL service application alongside the SDCI permit. Processing plus crew scheduling sets the energization date at the end of the build, so file early.

Who
Electrician, Seattle City Light
How long
4-6 weeks processing + crew scheduling backlog
Cost
Connection fee varies by site
You end up with
SCL service confirmation + scheduled energization window

If you skip this: SCL processing runs 4-6 weeks plus a multi-week crew-scheduling backlog. Filing in parallel with the SDCI permit lets energization land near substantial completion instead of weeks behind it.

Why this is a separate timeline

The SDCI construction permit is a building permit. The SCL service application is a utility permit. Two different processes, different teams, different timelines. Builders who do a lot of DADUs file both at the same time.

What gets submitted

Your licensed electrical contractor files the application. They submit:

  • Load calculation — total demand for existing house plus new cottage. Drives the service-size decision (almost always 100A → 200A on existing 100A houses).
  • Site plan showing where the new service equipment goes and how the feeder reaches the cottage.
  • Service-point details — overhead vs. underground, mast/meter location, panel location.

The two outcomes

  1. Service can be delivered with existing infrastructure. SCL schedules a connection crew. Allow 4–6 weeks for processing, plus crew scheduling on top — multi-month backlogs are documented.
  2. Pole / transformer / vault upgrade required. Costs jump from the typical $5K–$15K to $20K–$40K (sometimes much more). Pole-relocation cases involving Joint Use attachers can reach $200K+ and 2+ years (Hoodline 2026 documented a $270K, 2-year case for a 4-home project).

The single biggest electrical surprise

If you've got a 100A panel today and you're planning a DADU with any modern electrification — heat pump, induction range, future EV — assume the load calc will require a 200A service upgrade. Get the load calc done before you finalize your budget, not after. A clean 100A → 200A panel swap in Seattle runs $3,500 – $6,000; with a new meter base and mast it can hit $9,000; with undergrounding, $20K+.

The one-meter rule

SCL's default is one electrical service per parcel. The DADU is normally fed off the main panel, not its own meter. A separate metered service for a DADU on the same parcel is rare and expensive. Most owners use a private submeter inside the cottage.

Sequencing

File this the same week as the SDCI permit (step 3.1). The SCL track runs on its own clock, and filing in week one is what lets energization (step 6.1) land near substantial completion.

Where this information came from

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