Federal Pacific panel replacement in Medford

The letter names Federal Pacific on a West Medford house that still has a 100-amp panel from before heat pumps were common. Building Safety still wants the electrical permit. Pacific Power still owns the disconnect on most Medford bills.

The city inspector will not pull a Pacific Power meter. Pacific Power will not print the Ivy Street electrical permit. Those two systems do not match. A helper with a van cannot stand in for either one.

What the utilities actually wrote

The Rogue Valley is not one utility. Confirm the logo on the bill before anyone prices the job.

If the bill says Pacific Power, start with the Electric Service Requirements. All physical disconnects shall be done by Power Company personnel.

Customers or their agents shall not physically disconnect their service.

Oregon Rule 6 is just as blunt on the seal. The Consumer shall not break the Company’s seal or seals.

If the bill says Ashland Electric, that is a different company. Consumers Power covers parts of Josephine County. Murphy Electric names those three on the same panel-upgrade page. Those utilities do not match as one company.

None of those utilities publish a guaranteed power-off hour count. Murphy Electric writes that a standard residential upgrade is typically a one-day job once the permit and utility coordination are scheduled. That is a contractor field note.

Permits in Medford and in the Rogue Valley

Inside Medford, start at Building Safety, Lausmann Annex, 200 S. Ivy Street, 2nd Floor. The phone is 541-774-2350. Files go through the city’s permit applications.

Who pulls the permit matters. The city’s required-permit list wants a permit for electrical upgrades, alterations, and extensions. Changing out a light fixture is on the not-required list. An Owner Release form is required when the property owner will be doing the electrical work. Owning the home does not mean you should pull the permit and then hire someone under your name.

A Request to Energize Electrical Installation form exists for emergencies inside Medford city limits only. Only a supervising electrician may send that request through the utility.

Central Point, Phoenix, Talent, Ashland, and Grants Pass 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

One Rogue Valley contractor page publishes a straightforward replacement band and does not hide the caveat.

Murphy Electric’s June 2026 200-amp blog prints a straightforward replacement at $1,500 to $4,000, including the panel, labor, and permit. The same page says a 100-amp to 200-amp service upgrade is more involved because the utility may have to upgrade the service entrance. They do not print a second dollar band for that larger scope. We will not invent one. We are not inventing a Bear Creek midpoint from the straightforward band.

Oregon CCB lookup is public. Ask for the CCB number and check it before you sign. One shop advertises this work on their own site and prints a license number. Murphy Electric’s panel-upgrade page names Federal Pacific and Zinsco and prints Oregon CCB #213761. They write daily work across Medford, Central Point, Ashland, and Grants Pass. They are listed for the panel letter, not as a Rogue Valley directory.

Directory-only shops are omitted. A page that names these brands and does not print an Oregon CCB 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 Medford or other Rogue Valley 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.