The carrier refused the Zinsco. Charleston still wants the electrical permit at 2 George Street. Dominion Energy still wants authorization before anyone breaks a meter seal.
The Permit Center at 2 George Street issues the electrical permit. Dominion disconnects only after that file is real. Those two systems do not match. A helper with a van cannot print that permit or cut Dominion's seal.
What Dominion Energy actually wrote
Start with the South Carolina Electric Service and Meter Installations Manual. The Company will make all final connections between the Company’s mains and the customer’s wiring and it will not permit unauthorized connections.
Tampering with meters or with conductors carrying unmetered current and unauthorized breaking of the utility’s seals is prohibited by law and will not be tolerated by the Company.
The Company may discontinue service if the meter, conductors, or seals have been tampered with.
South Carolina state law provides for fines of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 10 years for metering tampering or fraudulent use of electricity.
Where law requires inspection, the customer must have the wiring inspected and approved by an authorized electrical inspector. The installation has to be released for connection before Dominion can reconnect.
The Permit Center issues the electrical permit. Dominion will not treat a cut seal as ordinary maintenance. Those two systems do not match.
Confirm the logo on the bill. Most Charleston, West Ashley, and Daniel Island addresses are Dominion Energy. Some James Island and county addresses are Berkeley Electric Co-op.
Dominion does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count. EmergenServe describes most residential Charleston panel upgrades as a single business day when the scope allows. That is a contractor field note.
Permits inside Charleston and in the nearby towns
Inside the city, start at the Permit Center, 2 George Street. Electrical files run as a residential standalone, a commercial standalone, a sub-permit, or a temporary pole. Questions go to 843-577-5550.
Who pulls the permit matters. The electrical application asks for a City of Charleston business license and an SC State License number. South Carolina Code 40-59-260 lets an owner act as builder on a one-family residence for their own use and occupancy. The city’s Non-Licensed Owner’s Intent to Build disclosure is how that path is written down. You must supervise the construction yourself. You may not hire an unlicensed person as your builder. Owning the home does not mean you should pull the permit and then hire someone under your name.
The city’s electrical notes add the reconnect clock. Work that requires the utility to disconnect power needs a Disconnect/Reconnect inspection. For same-day reactivation, work must be ready for inspection before 3:00 pm.
North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and unincorporated Charleston County file at their own counters. A quote that only says “we handle the permit” should name the city on the address.
Price, without inventing one
EmergenServe’s Charleston panel page publishes two 200-amp bands and does not hide the spread. A permitted 200-amp upgrade including meter base, utility coordination, surge protection, and inspection is printed at $1,900 to $3,800. A later sentence on the same page prints most Charleston 200-amp upgrades at $2,200 to $3,800.
Those two lines do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a Charleston midpoint from either line.
South Carolina license lookup is public. Ask for the LLR number and check it before you sign. One shop advertises this work on their own site and prints a license number. EmergenServe’s Charleston panel page names Federal Pacific and Zinsco and prints SC Commercial Contractor License #M118613. They write daily work across the peninsula, West Ashley, and Daniel Island. They are listed for the panel letter, not as a Lowcountry directory.
Directory-only shops are omitted. A page that names these brands and does not print a South Carolina 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 or county electrical permit, the passed Disconnect/Reconnect or final 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 Charleston shop publishes two 200-amp bands that do not match. We do not invent a Lowcountry midpoint
$1,900 to $3,800
Permitted 200-amp electrical panel upgrade including meter base, utility coordination, whole-home surge protection, and inspection
Their Charleston panel-upgrade page. We are not inventing a Charleston midpoint from this band.
Source: EmergenServe$2,200 to $3,800
Most Charleston 200-amp panel upgrades including permit, meter base, Dominion Energy coordination, and whole-home surge protection
A later sentence on the same page. Those two 200-amp lines do not match.
Source: EmergenServe
Permit
City of Charleston Permit Center, Department of Public Service
Who pulls it: The City of Charleston Permit Center is 2 George Street. Electrical applications run as residential standalone, commercial standalone, sub-permit, or temporary-pole files. Questions go to permits@charleston-sc.gov or 843-577-5550. The electrical permit application asks for a City of Charleston business license number and an SC State License number. It also asks whether the utility is Dominion Energy or Berkeley Electric Co-op. The city’s electrical application notes are blunt about reconnect. Work that requires the utility company to disconnect power will require a Disconnect/Reconnect inspection to reactivate power. For same-day reactivation, work must be ready for inspection before 3:00 pm. South Carolina Code 40-59-260 lets an owner act as builder on a one-family residence for their own use and occupancy. The city’s Non-Licensed Owner’s Intent to Build disclosure is how that path is written down. You must supervise the construction yourself. You may not hire an unlicensed person as your builder or contractor. If you sell or rent the building within two years after the work is complete, the law will presume you built it for sale or rent. Unincorporated Charleston County, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant are different counters.
North Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and Charleston County each have their own building department. A quote that only says we handle the permit should name the city on the address. South Carolina licensing for this work is LLR. Ask for the number they will put on the city or county file.
Utility coordination
Dominion Energy South Carolina on most Charleston bills
Who disconnects: Dominion Energy South Carolina’s Electric Service and Meter Installations Manual is blunt. The Company will make all final connections between the Company’s mains and the customer’s wiring and it will not permit unauthorized connections. Tampering with meters or with conductors carrying unmetered current and unauthorized breaking of the utility’s seals is prohibited by law and will not be tolerated by the Company. The Company may discontinue service if the meter, conductors, or seals have been tampered with. South Carolina state law provides for fines of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 10 years for metering tampering or fraudulent use of electricity. Where law requires inspection, the customer must have the wiring inspected and approved by an authorized electrical inspector and have the installation released for connection before the Company can make connection to its system. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.
Outage window: Dominion Energy South Carolina 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 Charleston, West Ashley, and Daniel Island addresses are Dominion Energy. James Island and some county addresses may be Berkeley Electric Co-op. A like-for-like panel swap still needs the utility disconnect and the city Disconnect/Reconnect inspection. A service-size change is still the utility’s disconnect and reconnect, not a helper cutting the seal.
What to hand the insurer
- Closed City of Charleston, Charleston County, or other municipal electrical permit
- Passed Disconnect/Reconnect or final electrical inspection
- Invoice showing the South Carolina 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.
EmergenServe
Charleston, SC
Published license: M118613 (South Carolina Labor, Licensing and Regulation)
Own Charleston panel-upgrade page that names Federal Pacific and Zinsco recalled-panel replacement, insurance non-renewal, and prints SC Commercial Contractor License #M118613.
How this page was built
Compiled by Panel Letter on 2026-09-20 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.
- EmergenServe, Electrical panel upgrade in Charleston
Names Federal Pacific and Zinsco. Prints $1,900 to $3,800 and $2,200 to $3,800 for 200-amp upgrades. Prints SC Commercial Contractor License #M118613 and a public shop email.
- City of Charleston, Applications and guidelines
Electrical trade permits as residential standalone, commercial standalone, sub-permit, or temporary pole. Email permits@charleston-sc.gov.
- City of Charleston, Electrical permit application
Permit Center at 2 George Street. Phone 843-577-5550. Asks for City of CHS business license and SC State License. Utility is Dominion Energy or Berkeley Electric Co-op.
- City of Charleston, Electrical permit notes
Work that requires the utility to disconnect power needs a Disconnect/Reconnect inspection. For same-day reactivation, work must be ready before 3:00 pm.
- City of Charleston, Non-Licensed Owner’s Intent to Build
Owner-builder disclosure under SC 40-59-260. Owner must supervise the work. May not hire an unlicensed builder. Sale or rent within two years is presumed a violation.
- Dominion Energy South Carolina, Electric Service and Meter Installations Manual
Company makes all final connections. Unauthorized breaking of utility seals is prohibited by law. Inspection release is required before reconnection where law requires it.
- South Carolina LLR, Contractor license lookup
Official South Carolina contractor-license lookup.