Before an electrician removes a New Orleans meter seal, Entergy New Orleans wants to give approval, or to hear about it afterward in an emergency. The city asks for something different, a permit that only a City Class A electrical contractor can obtain. Those two systems do not match.
TK Electric's panel page names both steps for a panel replacement. The permit goes through the city's Department of Safety and Permits, and Entergy has to pull the meter.
What the utilities actually wrote
Look at which Entergy company is printed on your bill. The seal rules quoted here come from Entergy New Orleans' Customer Installation Standards.
Start with section 9.2. The Company shall install the meters, seal all meters, and seal all instrument transformer enclosures.
Except as noted below, only the Company and its authorized agents are permitted to break or replace a seal, or to remove or change a meter.
A licensed electrical contractor shall obtain approval prior to removing any meter seal, or notify the Company after doing so under emergency circumstances. Any infringement or violation shall be dealt with in accordance with the Company procedure for dealing with meter tampering.
The same book repeats the disconnect rule. Under no circumstances shall any service drop wire, meter or metering equipment belonging to the Company be disconnected, removed, or relocated unless authorized by the Company. This authorization requires advance notification. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.
Entergy New Orleans does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count. TK Electric’s panel page writes that the working portion of the day is without power because the service has to be disconnected at the meter. That is a contractor field note.
TK Electric’s own advice page writes that Orleans Parish bills are Entergy New Orleans and Jefferson Parish bills are Entergy Louisiana. Those are different operating companies. Ask the quote which company it will call.
Permits in New Orleans
Inside the city, start at Safety and Permits, 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 800. The department phone is (504) 658-7200.
Who pulls the permit matters. An electrical permit is required to install, repair, replace, or alter any electrical apparatus or equipment, except light bulbs and fuses. That permit can only be obtained by an electrical contractor with a Class A Electrical License from the City of New Orleans. Apply through the One Stop App. Permit Intake is (504) 658-7299. Electrical Inspections is (504) 658-7145.
That Class A rule is a City of New Orleans requirement for work inside the city. A quote that only says “we handle the permit” should name the city on the address.
Price, without inventing one
TK Electric's panel page carries no dollar figure. CR Electric wrote the first band below for the New Orleans area. The second comes from a Palm Coast, Florida page written for Flagler County homes.
CR Electric’s New Orleans-area FAQ prints residential panel upgrades at roughly $1,800 to $3,500, moving with amperage, meter-base work, and permit and utility coordination. Stevenson's Electric lists $2,200 to $3,000 for replacing an FPE, Zinsco, or Challenger panel. For the carrier, ask a City Class A shop to put a price for your house on paper. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a Poydras midpoint from either system.
OneStop, where the city keeps license records, will show whether any bidder's Class A number is Active. TK Electric’s panel page names Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco. The shop’s own site prints License #03LEL16537. On OneStop, 03LEL-16537 is an Active Class A Electrical Contractor record under T.K. Electric. That record is the reason TK is named, and it does not rank TK against other Class A shops.
Directory-only shops are omitted. CR Electric is a cost source on this page. Its fetched page shows no license number, so CR gets no listing. The listed shop is not affiliated with Panel Letter.
What to hand the carrier
The useful packet is the closed City of New Orleans 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
A New Orleans-area shop and a Florida shop publish panel bands that do not match. The Florida number is not an Orleans Parish price. We are not inventing a Poydras midpoint from them
$1,800 to $3,500
New Orleans-area residential panel upgrade printed by CR Electric, a local cost source that does not print a license number
Their New Orleans-area panel-upgrade FAQ. They print roughly $1,800 to $3,500 depending on amperage, whether the meter base and service entrance need replacing, and permit and utility coordination. Stevenson's, a Florida shop, lists $2,200 to $3,000 for FPE, Zinsco, or Challenger replacement in Palm Coast. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a Poydras midpoint from either system.
Source: CR Electric$2,200 to $3,000
FPE, Zinsco, or Challenger replacement from Stevenson's Palm Coast page, a Florida price from outside Louisiana
Stevenson's page for Palm Coast and Flagler County, Florida. This is not CR Electric’s $1,800 to $3,500 New Orleans-area system. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them.
Source: Stevenson's Electric Service Co.
Permit
City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits
Who pulls it: Safety and Permits sits at 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 800, New Orleans, LA 70112. The published department phone is (504) 658-7200. Hours on that page are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Permit Intake for electrical-process questions is (504) 658-7299. Electrical Inspections is (504) 658-7145. An electrical permit is required to install, repair, replace, or alter any electrical apparatus or equipment, except light bulbs and fuses. That permit can only be obtained by an electrical contractor with a Class A Electrical License from the City of New Orleans. Apply through the One Stop App.
Who pulls the permit matters. Class A is the restriction on the permit itself. A quote that only says we handle the permit should name New Orleans or Orleans Parish on the address. City electrical-contractor advertising for this counter is the Class A number. Ask for the number they will put on the Poydras file.
Utility coordination
Entergy New Orleans meter-seal rules
Who disconnects: Entergy New Orleans Customer Installation Standards section 9.2 is blunt. The Company shall install the meters, seal all meters, and seal all instrument transformer enclosures. Except as noted below, only the Company and its authorized agents are permitted to break or replace a seal, or to remove or change a meter. A licensed electrical contractor shall obtain approval prior to removing any meter seal, or notify the Company after doing so under emergency circumstances. Any infringement or violation shall be dealt with in accordance with the Company procedure for dealing with meter tampering. The same book repeats the disconnect rule. Under no circumstances shall any service drop wire, meter or metering equipment belonging to the Company be disconnected, removed, or relocated unless authorized by the Company. This authorization requires advance notification. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.
Outage window: Entergy New Orleans does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count for a residential panel swap. TK Electric’s panel page writes that the working portion of the day is without power because the service has to be disconnected at the meter. That is a contractor field note.
Confirm the name on the bill before anyone prices the job. This page quotes Entergy New Orleans Customer Installation Standards. TK Electric’s own advice page writes that Orleans Parish bills are Entergy New Orleans and Jefferson Parish bills are Entergy Louisiana. Those are different operating companies. A like-for-like panel swap still needs the city inspection and that Company authorization. A service-size change is still the company’s disconnect and reconnect, not a helper cutting the seal.
What to hand the insurer
- Closed City of New Orleans electrical permit
- Passed electrical inspection
- Entergy reconnect record if the job needed one
- Invoice showing the City Class A license 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.
TK Electric
New Orleans, LA
Published license: 03LEL16537 (City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits)
Own panel-upgrades page that names Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco/Sylvania-Zinsco replacement, City of New Orleans permits, Entergy coordination, and insurer trouble after unpermitted work, backed by License #03LEL16537 printed on the shop’s own site.
How this page was built
Compiled by Panel Letter on 2026-10-17 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.
- TK Electric, Panel upgrades
Names Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco/Sylvania-Zinsco. Writes a panel replacement requires a permit through the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits. Writes unpermitted panel work causes problems at resale and with insurance claims. Writes Entergy has to pull the meter. FAQ answers yes, for the working portion of the day, because the service has to be disconnected at the meter. Prints License #03LEL16537. Phone (504) 514-8224. Does not print a dollar band on the fetched page.
- TK Electric, Home
Prints LA License #03LEL16537. Public mailbox is on this page. Same phone.
- TK Electric, Terms
Prints License #03LEL16537 again for TK Electric, LLC.
- TK Electric, Entergy New Orleans vs Entergy Louisiana
Writes that Orleans Parish is served by Entergy New Orleans and Jefferson Parish is served by Entergy Louisiana. Writes a panel-upgrade disconnect is scheduled with whichever entity serves the address.
- City of New Orleans OneStop, License 411446
Official city record. 03LEL-16537, Electrical A Contractor, CLASS A ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR. License Status Active. Owner T.K. Electric, 11030 Hayne Blvd, New Orleans, LA 70127. Issued 9/2/2026.
- CR Electric, Electrical panel upgrades
Prints most residential panel upgrades in the New Orleans area at roughly $1,800 to $3,500 depending on amperage, meter base and service entrance work, and permit/utility coordination. Names Federal Pacific or Zinsco. No license number on the fetched page. 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, Florida page. Cost source only here.
- City of New Orleans, Electrical permit
Permits must be obtained by licensed electricians. An electrical permit is required to install, repair, replace, or alter any electrical apparatus or equipment, except light bulbs and fuses. Can only be obtained by an electrical contractor with a Class A Electrical License from the City of New Orleans. Department of Safety and Permits, (504) 658-7200, 1340 Poydras Street Suite 800, New Orleans, LA 70112, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Permit Intake (504) 658-7299. Electrical Inspections (504) 658-7145.
- Entergy New Orleans, Customer Installation Standards
Section 9.2. The Company shall install the meters, seal all meters, and seal all instrument transformer enclosures. Except as noted, only the Company and its authorized agents are permitted to break or replace a seal, or to remove or change a meter. A licensed electrical contractor shall obtain approval prior to removing any meter seal, or notify the Company after doing so under emergency circumstances. Violation is treated as meter tampering. Also, under no circumstances shall any service drop wire, meter or metering equipment belonging to the Company be disconnected, removed, or relocated unless authorized by the Company. That authorization requires advance notification.
- City of New Orleans, Class A electrical license
Electricians performing work in the City of New Orleans are required to obtain a city Electrical License. Class A is the contractor class that pulls the electrical permit.