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San Carlos officials negotiate tiered compromise with PG&E to clear backlog of hookups
Summary
After months of permit delays tied to PG&E’s shift to digital notices, San Carlos staff negotiated a tiered notification compromise requiring more detailed permit impact information, mailed notices for major projects and reporting requirements that must be met before permits proceed.
San Carlos — City staff announced a negotiated compromise with PG&E on April 13 aimed at resolving a backlog of utility encroachment permits and addressing equity concerns about digital-only notifications.
Assistant Public Works Director Tracy Scrimmalia told the City Council that the city’s utility-notification policy — adopted after problems in 2025 — requires mailed or door-hanger notices to properties within a 300-foot radius of most projects. She said PG&E has repeatedly pushed to move to digital-only notification, leaving some residents and projects waiting. “We have about 86 unissued PG&E permits. Of the 86, 60 are waiting on the notification,” Scrimmalia said, summarizing the operational impact.
The compromise staff described creates a tiered notification system. For minor impacts that do not require traffic control, the city will allow a limited 72-hour posted notice in lieu of mailed notices. Moderate impacts (projects with lane closures, traffic control plans or pedestrian detours) may use digital notices if PG&E can demonstrate contact information; for addresses PG&E lacks, mailed notices or door hangers must be used. Major impacts — such as pole replacements or large capital projects — will still require mailed notices and door hangers and additional measures deemed necessary by the city engineer.
Staff also added accountability measures: permits will include conditions requiring PG&E to report, before work begins, how many notifications were sent digitally and how many were mailed, and failure to provide that documentation would risk revocation of the encroachment permit. Scrimmalia said staff will continue coordinating with PG&E and, if necessary, will seek administrative review from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Council members pressed staff on enforcement options. Scrimmalia said the city can condition encroachment permits and regulate time, place and manner in the public right-of-way: “We can permit time, place and manner. We can’t stop PG&E from coming in but we can control when they do it, where they do it, and how they do it,” she told the council.
Council members and residents said the backlog has caused prolonged delays and financial strain for property owners. Resident Daniel Mcian described one household’s seven-month wait for a solar hookup that left a $30,000 system idle and the homeowner continuing to pay the utility for power that the panels could have supplied.
City staff said they would begin issuing a subset of permits that are approved and paid while continuing to follow up with PG&E on outstanding applications. Staff reported roughly 39 permits are approved and paid and will be issued with the new conditions, while about 20–21 remain unpaid in PG&E’s queue. Councilmembers asked staff to press PG&E for a timeline and to return to council if compliance problems persist.
What’s next: City staff will implement the revised notification policy, monitor PG&E’s reporting and follow up with the CPUC if necessary. Councilmembers also asked staff to report back within 30–60 days with progress on clearing the permit queue and any further enforcement steps.
