Process · 2 min read · May 13, 2026 · 432 words
LADWP, SoCalGas and your ADU: the utility connection map
Power, water, and gas hookups add meaningful cost and schedule to an ADU project. A walkthrough of the actual approval paths in 2026 — and the factors that determine your specific utility scope.
Key takeaways
- Day 0: Submit ADU plans to LADBS.
- Day 0: Submit panel upgrade application to LADWP if required.
- Day 14: Order long-lead electrical equipment (200A panel, transformer if applicable).
On this page
Utility connections are the part of an ADU schedule least under your contractor's control. Each agency — LADWP for power and water, SoCalGas for gas — operates on its own queue, and submitting paperwork in the wrong order routinely adds six weeks to a project. See the week-by-week permit timeline for where these queues land in the calendar.
Power: the panel question
Most pre-1985 LA homes have a 100A or 125A service panel. A new ADU with a heat pump, heat pump water heater, induction range, and EV charger draws enough load to require a 200A upgrade on the primary service. LADWP runs the panel upgrade as a separate workflow from the ADU permit; submit it the day plans go to LADBS, not at framing.
Separate vs shared meter
A separate meter for the ADU is optional. Pros: clean tenant billing, no RUBS allocation hassle. Cons: additional cost for the meter pedestal, trenching, and a separate LADWP service application — get an exact figure from LADWP's service planning group for your address. Most LA homeowners share the primary meter and use a sub-meter for tenant billing.
Water and sewer capacity
The water main into your property is typically 3/4" or 1". Adding an ADU with one full bath usually fits within existing capacity. Two-bath ADUs or properties with a swimming pool may need a 1.5" upgrade. Sewer lateral capacity is verified via a LADWP sewer capacity letter, which the plumbing engineer requests before plan check.
Gas: opt out or run it
All-electric ADUs (heat pump everything) skip SoCalGas entirely — avoiding SoCalGas's line-extension queue and the trenching costs that come with it. Per CPUC Decision 20-08-018, gas line extensions are no longer subsidized at the customer-class allowance rate, which has shifted the math heavily toward all-electric. The Title 24 guide covers the code side of going all-electric.
Sequencing that actually works
- Day 0: Submit ADU plans to LADBS.
- Day 0: Submit panel upgrade application to LADWP if required.
- Day 14: Order long-lead electrical equipment (200A panel, transformer if applicable).
- At rough-in: schedule LADWP meter set; lead time is typically 4–8 weeks.
- At final: sewer lateral inspection, panel meter swap, certificate of occupancy.
Sources
- LADWP Customer Services · Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
- SoCalGas Builder Services · Southern California Gas Company
- CPUC Resolution G-3598 (implements D.22-09-026, gas line extension subsidies eliminated) · California Public Utilities Commission
- California Public Utilities Commission · CPUC
Next chapter · 01 of 03
Design · 3 min read
Title 24 for ADUs: what actually triggers compliance
All-electric eliminates SoCalGas entirely. Here is what Title 24 demands to make that work in LA.
What California's Title 24 Part 6 energy code means for a new ADU: compliance paths, heat pumps, fenestration, envelope and the CF1R documentation.
Continue your read · the editorial path
We chained these chapters in the order LA homeowners actually need them. Each one picks up where the last one left a question open.
02 / 03
Permitting · 4 min
The LA ADU permit path, phase by phase
Find the responsible jurisdiction, assemble a complete application, track written corrections and clear property-specific referrals without treating the statutory clock as a permit guarantee.
Read chapter →03 / 03
Cost · 4 min
The anatomy of an LA ADU build, line by line
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