Federal Pacific panel replacement in Memphis

The letter named Federal Pacific. The work still starts at Construction Code Enforcement on Main Street. MLGW still owns the meter.

The city inspector will not own the MLGW meter. MLGW will not print the Main 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

Most Memphis and Shelby County bills are MLGW. Confirm the logo on the bill before anyone prices the job.

Start with the 2025 Service Policy. At no time will the customer permit any person, other than an MLGW agent or a person otherwise lawfully authorized, to tamper with, inspect or remove any equipment.

Service must not be resumed by the customer after any interruption until permission is obtained from MLGW.

The Service and Meter Demolition form is blunt on disconnect. Prior to completing that form, the customer of record must request the services to be disconnected by calling (901) 544-6549 for residential requests. Builder Services is (901) 729-8630, option 1. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.

MLGW does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count. Square One writes that they send a load calculation to MLGW on charger work. That is a contractor field note for a different job.

Permits in Memphis and in Shelby County

Inside the joint map, start at Construction Code Enforcement, 160 N Main Street. The main line is (901) 222-8300. Electrical is (901) 222-8395.

Who pulls the permit matters. Electrical permits are required for any electrical work including low-voltage. An electrical permit can be pulled by a licensed electrical company. The Joint Electrical Code still has a homeowner path. That path needs a 70 percent exam score. The work has to be performed solely by the homeowner or immediate family. Owning the home does not mean you should pull the permit and then hire someone under your name.

Bartlett and Collierville are not on the published Construction Enforcement city list. A quote that only says “we handle the permit” should name the city on the address.

Price, without inventing one

Two Tennessee contractor pages publish panel bands and do not hide the split.

Square One’s homepage prints fuse boxes and flagged Federal Pacific or Sylvania Zinsco replacements at $1,800 to $2,600. Bates’s Nashville page prints a full 200-amp upgrade at $2,500 to $4,500. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a Main Street midpoint from either system.

Tennessee license lookup is public. Ask for the number and check it before you sign. One shop advertises this work on their own site and prints a license number. Square One’s homepage names fuse boxes and flagged Federal Pacific and Sylvania Zinsco panels. The shop’s own site prints TN Lic 80656. They write daily work from Bartlett. They are listed for the panel letter, not as a Shelby County directory.

Directory-only shops are omitted. A page that names these brands and does not print a Tennessee contractor 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 Memphis and Shelby County or suburban 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.