Why won't PG&E turn our power back on after the Gilroy panel swap?
In Gilroy, PG&E restores power to a new or upgraded service panel only once the city inspector has verified the connections with a torque wrench and affixed a label of compliance. The city's checklist adds that it is not responsible when PG&E fails to reconnect because a contractor did not pass inspection, so a failed rough electrical inspection can keep the house without power until the correction is approved.
Does a Level 1 charger in a Gilroy garage need a permit?
The city's guidelines say a Level 1 charger plugs into a standard 120-volt receptacle, and that installing a new receptacle for it takes a permit and a single-line diagram. A Level 2 charger needs an electrical permit, inspections and a load calculation that includes the charger, and the application asks for photographs of the main panel and any subpanels.
Our roofer says he'll take the solar panels off and put them back. Is that allowed in Gilroy?
No. Under the city's re-roofing with solar policy, a C-39 roofing contractor cannot remove and reinstall a solar system. That work belongs to a C-46 solar contractor, a C-10 electrical contractor, an A general engineering contractor or a B general building contractor, with its own permit if the system is modified, while the roofer holds the re-roof permit.
Can a new house in Gilroy run entirely on solar, batteries and a generator?
Possibly. The city's off-grid guidelines, revised in December 2025, consider standalone systems case by case for new dwellings and accessory structures, with approval from the Building Official or the Community Development Director. The system must be sized for the worst-case winter day, carry at least three days of battery autonomy and have an exterior disconnect, and the applicant must show it can supply the total calculated load.
Does Gilroy make us remove the old furnace when a heat pump goes in?
Yes. The city's amended property maintenance code says that when new mechanical equipment is installed and the old equipment is no longer in use, the old equipment must be removed, openings in walls, floors or ceilings repaired and painted, and its electrical circuits and gas lines properly abandoned and inspected. Ask the installer whether the abandoned circuit work is in the quote.
How far ahead should we book a Gilroy electrical inspection?
Gilroy’s Building Division books inspections 72 hours out and may charge a reinspection fee when one is cancelled on the day or missed. On a panel upgrade that lead time decides how long the house sits without power, because PG&E reconnects only after the inspector has checked the lugs with a torque wrench and attached the compliance label. Book the rough electrical and service inspections before the shutdown date is fixed.
