John R.
“Carlos and Aiden were prompt, polite, and an awesome duo. They knocked out a tough day replacing an ancient panel.”
John R.
Subpanel replacement
Underground service trench and conduit in Santa Cruz County
When PG&E can't use your existing service conduit, we trench and set a new one from their splice point to your meter main. PG&E pulls the new cable.
4.9 stars, 162 reviews on Google — See the reviews behind this rating (opens in a new tab)BBB Accredited · A+ (opens in a new tab)CSLB #C10-109723720-year workmanship guaranteePG&E application + coordinationPermit + inspection handled
What this is
Underground service has no mast and no weatherhead — there is nothing overhead to corrode, lean, or get taken out by a falling limb. What you have instead is a conduit in the ground, usually running from a PG&E splice box near the street or a riser on a nearby pole to the combination meter main on the side of your house, with PG&E's service cable inside it. This page is about that conduit and the trench it lives in, and what happens when PG&E can't use the one you have.
Conduit fails quietly, which is why it usually gets found during other work. Roots and driveway settling crush or offset it. Water sits in a run that was never properly sealed and shows up as rust inside the meter enclosure. A panel relocation moves where the run has to land. Some services have no approved conduit at all: the cable is buried directly in the ground or came as cable-in-conduit, and PG&E requires new cable in approved conduit when that panel is upgraded past 125 amps. And the one to plan for: the existing conduit is too small for the larger cable an upsize needs, which turns a cable pull into a trench.
Who owns what. Under PG&E's Electric Rule 16, PG&E furnishes, installs and owns the underground service cable, from its distribution line to the connection in your meter main. We don't pull that cable or land it. The trench, the backfill and the conduit on your property are the homeowner's side, and that is the part we build. Before PG&E pulls larger cable through an existing conduit, the conduit has to be proved clear and big enough to take it. Whether it can be reused or a new one gets trenched is the single biggest cost variable on the job. Plan and budget for the trench. An existing conduit can be reused only if it is at least 2 inches (PG&E's minimum for an upgrade to 200 amps; larger services need more) and in usable condition. PG&E confirms that after a signed contract, because signing is what lets us file the application, and when it can be reused, you save the cost of the trench. If it is smaller or not usable, the trench goes ahead and the job continues.
As with overhead service, if the panel is being replaced then this is not a separate purchase. A main panel job in our area is a full service rebuild, quoted as one scope, with the trench included when it needs one, and the 200A panel upgrade page covers it. This page is the other case: the panel is sound and staying, and the conduit feeding it is what needs replacing. Same amperage or an upsize, the paragraph above applies: plan for the trench.
When you need this
- PG&E has told you the existing conduit can't take its new cable because it is too small, crushed, or blocked
- You're upsizing the service and the existing conduit is too small for the larger cable PG&E has to pull
- Your cable is direct-buried or cable-in-conduit, and upgrading the panel past 125 amps means PG&E needs it in approved conduit
- Roots or driveway settling have crushed or offset the conduit between the street and the house
- Water is standing in the conduit and showing up as rust or staining inside the meter enclosure
- The panel is being relocated to a different wall and the underground run has to land somewhere new
- You're on an underground service in Rio del Mar, Pasatiempo, or a newer Scotts Valley tract and a home inspection has flagged the service conduit
04What's included
Exactly what we handle — and the two things you handle.
Sunrise provides
- The trench, dug to PG&E's depth requirements along the route PG&E approves
- A new conduit system from PG&E's splice box or pole riser to the combination meter main: conduit, sweeps and riser, sized to PG&E's standard (3 inches for a 200-amp service)
- PG&E's clear-conduit proof with its inspector on site, with pull tape left in for PG&E's cable crew
- Conduit sealed at both ends where water could run down to the panel, and a drain box near the riser when PG&E calls for one
- Grounding and bonding checked and brought to current California code
- The PG&E service application, plus scheduling PG&E's inspection, cable pull and connection
- Building permit pulled with the city or County building department and inspection coordinated — built into the quote
- Trench backfill and compaction along our route
Warranty: 20-year workmanship warranty, transferable to the next owner — see warranty terms · Permits: pulled + inspection coordinated by us, built into the quote · Cleanup: Trench backfilled and compacted, spoil hauled out, old conduit removed where it is accessible. PG&E decides whether its old cable comes out. We put the ground back level along our route. We do not relay pavers, repour concrete, or replant — that is a separate trade, and it is named at quote rather than discovered afterward.
You provide
- Access along the trench route, and a heads-up about anything buried you already know about — irrigation, low-voltage lighting, a gas line, a septic lateral
- A plan for the no-power window while PG&E moves the service to its new cable
- Decisions about finish surfaces over the trench, since hardscape and planting restoration is a separate trade
05How it works
Start to finish, with real times.
1Scheduled with you
Free on-site inspection
A tech checks the meter main, measures the visible conduit, and walks the likely trench route with you. The sealed compartment where PG&E's cable lands stays closed unless PG&E is on site. You get a written report and a quote planned around the full trenched job.
2Set by PG&E and the building department — we pass on the date as soon as we have it
Permit and PG&E application
We pull the building permit and file the service application with PG&E. This is the step where PG&E verifies whether your existing conduit can take its cable and approves the design for a new one — which happens after contract rather than before, because the application is what triggers their review.
3Scheduled once PG&E has approved the design and the route is known
Trench and conduit
We open the route and set the conduit and sweeps. PG&E's inspector has to see the conduit in the open trench before it is covered. Then we backfill, compact, and prove the conduit clear with a mandrel with the inspector on site.
4On PG&E's schedule — we pass on the date as soon as we have it
PG&E's cable and reconnect
Once the building department has signed off, PG&E pulls its new cable through the conduit, connects it in your meter main, and restores power. We walk the finished work with you, hand over the permit number and the inspection sign-off, and register the 20-year warranty.
06Pricing transparency
Every quote is free. The range depends too much on your home to fake it.
Plan and budget for the full trenched run. Replacing an underground run means a new conduit from PG&E's splice point to your combination meter main, and whether PG&E can reuse your existing one is not known until after you sign, because PG&E confirms it once a signed contract lets us file the application. So the quote assumes a new conduit in a new trench. An existing conduit can be reused only if it is at least 2 inches and in usable condition, and when it can, the trench drops out and you save its cost. If it is smaller or not usable, the trench goes ahead and the job continues. After that, the number moves on trench length, what sits on top of the route, and how far the splice point is from the panel. PG&E pulls its own cable and may bill for it on an upgrade; that cost comes from PG&E's estimate.
What it costs
Quotes are free. The variance on this work is too wide for an honest range — book a free inspection and we’ll give you a real number for your specific home, in writing.
What moves the number
Whether the existing conduit is reusable at 2 inches or larger, or whether a new one has to be trenched — the single biggest variable on the job · Trench length from the PG&E splice point to the panel location · What sits on top of the trench route — lawn, mature roots, pavers, a concrete driveway, or hillside rock · Depth and obstacles: irrigation, gas, septic laterals, and other buried services that have to be located and worked around · Service amperage, which sets the size of PG&E's cable and therefore the minimum conduit that will carry it · Meter or panel relocation, which changes where the run lands and adds PG&E coordination · Permit fees, which differ between the County and the four incorporated cities · Conduit sealing and a drain box where water could run down the conduit to the panel · PG&E's own charges for the new cable, where it bills for themNo hidden fees. Every quote is free and detailed.
What customers say · panels
162 reviews on Google
Read all reviews Carrie
“Thank you to the Sunrise Electrical Contracting team for updating the new main electrical system on my mom's home after the storm damaged the power lines and home equipment this winter… They replaced Main Service Upgrade Overhead, and added a Sub-Panel Install/Replacement Outdoors… the team of Branden, Jimmy, Ian, and Tylor worked long hours during the storm for a few days to get us up and running again before the next storm arrived.”
Carrie
Storm-damage main service upgrade
Kit B.
“I can't begin to describe how much Branden and Sunrise helped us out of a pinch. We had a serious electrical issue in our panel, and his team were on it. Worked quickly with the city and with PG&E to address the issue, and came in thousands of dollars under competitors' quotes. Hands-down, the best electrical company in Santa Cruz County!”
Kit B.
Emergency panel repair
09Frequently asked questions
8 questions. Real answers.
Pulled from what we actually hear on quotes and on-site. If yours isn't here, ask us — we'll answer in plain English.
Why does PG&E have to be involved if the work is on my side?
Because the cable in that conduit is PG&E's. Under its Electric Rule 16, PG&E furnishes, installs and owns the underground service cable all the way to your meter main, and makes the connection there. Your side is the trench, the conduit and the meter main. PG&E also has to approve the design and inspect the trench and conduit before it will pull cable through them.
Do you replace the cable too?
No. PG&E pulls and connects its own cable. It can still be a cost on your side: PG&E's Greenbook says that when you upgrade an existing underground service, the costs can include trenching, conduit and conductors. That part comes from PG&E's estimate.
Why can't you tell me before I sign whether the conduit will work?
Because PG&E's verification is triggered by our service application, and we cannot file that application without a signed contract. So we ask you to plan and budget for the full trenched job. An existing conduit is reused only if it is at least 2 inches and in usable condition, and if PG&E confirms it is, you save the cost of the trench. We would much rather you understand the mechanism up front than be blindsided by it later.
Do I need a trench across my whole yard?
Plan for one along the route from PG&E's splice point to your meter main, however far that is. It is skipped only if PG&E confirms the existing conduit is at least 2 inches and in usable condition. PG&E's standard calls for at least 24 inches of cover over the conduit on private property, so the trench itself runs about 30 inches deep.
Who puts my driveway or lawn back?
We backfill, compact, and leave the ground level along our route. Repouring concrete, relaying pavers, and replanting are a separate trade. We identify that at quote rather than after the fact, so it is in your budget from the start instead of arriving as a second bill.
Is underground service better than overhead?
It is different rather than automatically better. Underground has nothing exposed to wind, salt spray, or falling limbs, which is a real advantage in this county. It is also harder and more expensive to change once it is in, because the work is under the ground instead of on a wall. Neither one changes the fact that replacing the panel means a full service rebuild.
Can I convert from overhead to underground?
It is a real project rather than a swap — a new trench, new conduit, PG&E involved at both ends, and often a new panel location. We will scope it honestly, including the cases where the cost is not worth the result. Bring it up at the inspection and we will give you a straight read.
How long is the warranty?
20-year workmanship warranty on the trench and conduit work we install, transferable to the next homeowner. PG&E's cable is PG&E's to maintain. See warranty terms for what the coverage includes.
10Even if Sunrise isn't the answer
Here’s the honest path — wherever it leads.
We'd rather you get the right outcome than the Sunrise outcome. Some of this points away from us on purpose.
Outside Santa Cruz County?
Look for a CSLB-licensed C-10 contractor near you and verify the licence at cslb.ca.gov. On underground work specifically, ask how they handle the utility application and what happens to your price if the existing conduit is rejected — a contractor who has not thought about that has not done many of these. Ask for liability and workers-comp proof.
Browse our field guidesWant to understand the utility side first?
The PG&E boundary and the conduit question are what trip up most underground quotes, including quotes from other shops. Our panel and service guides cover both, free to read, no email wall.
Read the panel guidesNot sure what's failing?
A free on-site inspection looks at the meter main and the conduit we can see, walks the route, and gives you a written report. You keep the report either way, whether or not you hire us.
Schedule a free inspection12Service areas
We do this work everywhere in Santa Cruz County.
From Davenport to Pajaro Dunes, San Lorenzo Valley to Pleasure Point. Same crew, same warranty, same pricing.
13One more thing
Ready for a real number on your underground service?
Free on-site inspection, a written quote that names the conduit assumption out loud, and a 20-year guarantee on the work.