Customers or contractors are not authorized to break a DTE seal without DTE’s permission. Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County still want their own electrical files. One Ann Arbor shop names Federal Pacific and Zinsco on its own site and prints a Michigan license number.
Building Services takes electrical trade permits through STREAM. It cannot authorize a DTE seal cut. A STREAM upload does not count as DTE’s permission to open the meter cabinet. Those two systems do not match.
What the utilities actually wrote
Most Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County bills are DTE. Confirm the logo on the bill before anyone prices the job.
Start with the Green Book. Customers or contractors are not authorized to break seals to open or move meter connection cabinets without obtaining permission from an authorized representative of the Company.
Covers of enclosures that carry unmetered current shall be equipped with DTE-approved sealing devices.
The customer’s service equipment must be installed and maintained according to the rules of the inspection authority. Company rules sit on top of those rules.
The licensed electrician installs the DTE-approved meter box and service entrance cable. Those installations may require an electrical permit before work can begin.
Call 800-477-4747 at least one day before renovations or service-upgrade work that could interrupt electric metering. DTE owns the meter. Tampering with it is a felony under Michigan law. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.
DTE does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count. The listed shop writes that most straight replacements finish in a single day. That is a contractor field note.
Permits in Ann Arbor and in Washtenaw County
Inside the city, start at Building Services, Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron Street. Construction questions go to 734-794-6269.
Who pulls the permit matters. Ann Arbor’s construction page says permits that require state licensing need contractor licensing registered in STREAM.
Washtenaw County files at 705 N. Zeeb Road. The county application’s owner-occupant box says the work shall be installed by myself in my home I occupy or am about to occupy. That box covers your own hands on your own house, not a hired crew working under your signature. Ypsilanti is not the Huron Street file. A quote that only says “we handle the permit” should name the city on the address.
Price, without inventing one
No Michigan shop we found prints a panel price, so both numbers below come from other states.
Three Crowns’ Northern Colorado page prints typical residential panel upgrades at $1,500 to $4,500. Stevenson’s Palm Coast page prints FPE, Zinsco, or Challenger replacement at $2,200 to $3,000. Those are Colorado and Florida prices, and neither shop works in Washtenaw County. Current’s replacement page lists no price at all, so a written quote from them is the only Ann Arbor number you will have. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a Huron Street midpoint from either system.
Michigan contractor licenses are searchable through LARA. Put the number on the quote next to the one on the STREAM permit and make sure they agree. Current’s replacement page names Federal Pacific and Zinsco swaps. The shop’s own site prints Michigan License #6113925. The page lists Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Saline as their service area. They are listed for the panel letter, not as a Washtenaw County directory.
Directory-only shops are omitted. A page that names these brands and does not print a Michigan license number is not a listing. The listed shop is not affiliated with Panel Letter.
What to hand the carrier
The useful packet is the closed City of Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County electrical permit, the passed electrical inspection, an invoice with the license number that was on the permit, and photos if the letter asks. If your electrician produces a load calculation or panel schedule, send that too. We did not find a carrier page that publishes a single statewide sticker form. Ask the agent what they will actually open.
Typical replacement cost
One Northern Colorado shop and one Palm Coast shop publish panel bands that do not match. We are not inventing a Huron Street midpoint from them
$1,500 to $4,500
Typical residential panel upgrade printed by a Northern Colorado shop
Their Northern Colorado electrical-panels page. A Palm Coast shop prints FPE, Zinsco, or Challenger replacement at $2,200 to $3,000. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a Huron Street midpoint from either system.
Source: Three Crowns Electric$2,200 to $3,000
FPE, Zinsco, or Challenger replacement printed by a Palm Coast shop
Their Palm Coast panel-upgrade page. This is not Three Crowns’ $1,500 to $4,500 Northern Colorado system. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them.
Source: Stevenson's Electric Service Co.
Permit
City of Ann Arbor Planning and Development, Building Services
Who pulls it: Building Services sits at Larcom City Hall, 301 E. Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Construction and building questions go to 734-794-6269. Permit questions go to building@a2gov.org. Hours on the applications page are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Electrical trade permits go through STREAM at stream.a2gov.org. Trade-permit review is typically 2 to 3 business days. The permit must be posted on the job site. Washtenaw County Building Inspection sits at 705 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48107. That phone is 734-222-3900. County permit questions go to zeebcss@washtenaw.org.
Ann Arbor’s construction page is blunt. Permits that require state licensing need contractor licensing registered in STREAM before the city will take the file. Trade permits associated with a building project will not be released until the building permit is approved. Washtenaw’s electrical application adds a second path for work outside the city. The owner-occupant box says the work shall be installed by myself in my home I occupy or am about to occupy. That box covers your own hands on your own house, not a hired crew working under your signature. A quote that only says we handle the permit should name Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, or Washtenaw County on the address. Michigan electrical contractors are licensed through LARA. Ask for the number they will put on the Huron Street or Zeeb Road file.
Utility coordination
DTE Energy on most Ann Arbor bills
Who disconnects: DTE’s Green Book service-equipment rules are blunt. Customers or contractors are not authorized to break seals to open or move meter connection cabinets without obtaining permission from an authorized representative of the Company. Covers of enclosures that carry unmetered current shall be equipped with DTE-approved sealing devices. The customer’s service equipment must be installed and maintained according to the rules of the inspection authority. The licensed electrician installs the DTE-approved meter box and service entrance cable. Those installations may require an electrical permit before work can begin. DTE’s smart-meter page adds a second rule. Call 800-477-4747 at least one day before renovations or service-upgrade work that could interrupt electric metering. DTE owns the meter. Tampering with it is a felony under Michigan law. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.
Outage window: DTE does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count for a residential panel swap.
Confirm the logo on the bill before anyone prices the job. Most Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County addresses are DTE. A like-for-like panel swap still needs the city or county inspection and that DTE permission. A service-size change is still the company’s disconnect and reconnect, not a helper cutting the seal. The listed shop writes that most straight replacements finish in a single day. That is a contractor field note.
What to hand the insurer
- Closed City of Ann Arbor or Washtenaw County electrical permit
- Passed electrical inspection
- DTE reconnect record if the job needed one
- Invoice showing the Michigan license number used on the permit
- Photos of the old and new panel if the carrier’s letter asks for them
- Load calculation or panel schedule if the electrician produced one
Ask your agent for the exact list. Carriers do not publish a single national checklist.
Electricians who advertise this job
A shop is listed only if it advertises Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or insurance-driven panel replacement on its own site and prints a license number there. Trade-association locators already exist. We will not pad this list. Verify the license before you hire.
To get introduced, use the quote form on this page. We do not send you to the shop from here.
Current Electrical Systems
Ann Arbor, MI
Published license: 6113925 (Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes)
Own Federal Pacific and Zinsco replacement page that names Stab-Lok, Zinsco, Sylvania, and fuse-box upgrades and insurance paperwork, backed by Michigan License #6113925 printed on the shop’s own site.
How this page was built
Compiled by Panel Letter on 2026-10-13 from the public pages below. If a fact was not on a cited page, it is marked as unverified in the copy. This is a research guide, not a bid.
- Current Electrical Systems, Federal Pacific and Zinsco panel replacement in Ann Arbor
Names Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco, Sylvania, and fuse-box upgrades. Names insurance paperwork after the permit is inspected and closed. Prints Michigan License #6113925. Shop at 3700 Plaza Drive, Suite 1, Ann Arbor. Phone 734-210-7667. Writes Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and Saline. Writes most straight replacements are completed in a single day. Writes they pull the electrical permit and coordinate with DTE if the power needs to be shut off at the meter. Does not print a dollar band on the fetched page.
- Three Crowns Electric, Electrical panels in Northern Colorado
Prints typical Northern Colorado panel upgrades at $1,500 to $4,500. Names recalled Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or Challenger panels. Writes Fort Collins, Loveland, and Windsor work. Cost source only here.
- Stevenson's Electric, Electrical panel upgrades in Palm Coast
Prints FPE / Zinsco / Challenger replacement at $2,200 to $3,000. Palm Coast / Flagler County page, Stevenson’s Electric Service Co. own site on trustedelectricpros.com (prints FL License EC0001685). Cost source only here.
- City of Ann Arbor, Permit applications
Electrical trade permits go through STREAM. Review is typically 2 to 3 business days. The permit must be posted on the job site. Trade permits tied to a building project are not released until the building permit is approved. 301 E. Huron Street. Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. building@a2gov.org.
- City of Ann Arbor, Construction and building
All permits must be applied for through STREAM. Contractor licensing must be registered in STREAM before applying for permits that require state licensing. Construction and building phone 734-794-6269. 301 E. Huron Street.
- City of Ann Arbor, Contact us
Larcom City Hall, first floor, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Planning and Development hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. building@a2gov.org. Construction/Building 734-794-6269.
- Washtenaw County, Electrical permit application
Washtenaw County Building Inspection, 705 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48107. Phone 734-222-3900. zeebcss@washtenaw.org. Owner-occupant certification says the work shall be installed by myself in my home I occupy or am about to occupy. Work shall not start until the application is filed. Work shall not be enclosed or put into operation until inspected and approved.
- Washtenaw County, Electrical permit inspections
Washtenaw County Building Inspection handles electrical permit inspections for county files.
- DTE Energy, Green Book service equipment
Customers or contractors are not authorized to break seals to open or move meter connection cabinets without permission from an authorized Company representative. Unmetered-current enclosures shall use DTE-approved sealing devices. Customer service equipment must follow the inspection authority. Company rules are in addition to those rules.
- DTE Energy, Electric service and service modifications
The licensed electrician or electrical contractor installs the DTE-approved meter box and service entrance cable. Those installations may require an electrical permit before work can begin.
- DTE Energy, Smart meters
DTE owns the meter. Do not tamper with it or try to remove it. Call 800-477-4747 at least one day before renovations or service-upgrade work that could interrupt electric metering. Tampering is a felony under Michigan law.
- Michigan LARA
Official Michigan contractor-license lookup.