# How to Verify a Vacant Lot Can Get Electric Service Before Buying

Source: https://brictale.com/build/land/verify-vacant-land-electric-service-feasibility-before-buying
Published: 2026-10-07
Audience: Homeowner
Published by Brictale, a consumer home-intelligence publication. https://brictale.com

## Short answer

Treat “electric nearby” as an unverified lead, not proof of serviceability. Before closing, identify the serving utility, submit the future home’s load and site plan, obtain the provider’s proposed connection point, route, estimate or work order, resolve easements and local permits, and put every dependency in a written purchase hold-point. A visible line is not a capacity guarantee or permanent-service commitment.

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# How to Verify a Vacant Lot Can Get Electric Service Before Buying

Treat “electric nearby” as an unverified lead, not proof that a future home can be connected. Before closing, identify the serving utility and actual jurisdiction, give the provider a realistic load and site plan, obtain a proposed point of delivery and route, resolve easements and local permits, price the applicant’s contribution, and preserve a written service condition in the purchase contract. A provider’s estimate or work order is evidence of a planned path—not a universal capacity guarantee.

## The release decision is a documented service path, not a nearby line

You should proceed with a vacant-land purchase only when the parcel has a named serving utility, a provider-accepted connection point and route, a stated service type and load assumption, a resolved right to build and maintain the route, an applicant-cost position, a local permit path, and written conditions for construction and energization. If one of those gates is missing, the electricity question is still open and the purchase contingency should remain open.

The decision is easy to state but easy to weaken in practice. A listing may say “power at road,” a seller may point to a pole, or a neighboring house may have a meter. None of those facts answers all of the following:

- Is the parcel inside that utility’s service territory, or does another electric provider serve the road or the other side of a boundary?
- Is the visible facility a permanent, available distribution facility, a private line, a service line serving someone else, or a temporary construction arrangement?
- Can the provider reach a lawful point of delivery without crossing another parcel, a public road, wetlands, a railroad, or a protected corridor?
- Does the future home’s load require a different transformer, conductor, phase, voltage, or underground arrangement than the nearby customer?
- Who pays for the extension, trench, road opening, easement, meter equipment, transformer-related work, permits, and restoration?
- What must be completed by the buyer, a licensed electrician, a utility, a municipality, a county, or a seller before the provider will energize?

The strongest pre-closing result is not a casual statement that service is “available.” It is a parcel-specific file containing the provider’s project or inquiry number, the parcel identifier and legal description, the proposed point of delivery, the assumed load, a route sketch or design, the utility-versus-applicant scope, the contribution or allowance calculation, easement status, permit conditions, target dates, and an expiration date for the provider’s estimate. The file should say what remains conditional.

### Four service states that should not be confused

Use four states when talking with the seller, agent, lender, title company, utility, and electrician:

1. **Nearby evidence.** A pole, line, transformer, meter, or neighbor exists within a stated distance. This is an observation only.
2. **Preliminary feasibility.** The provider has identified a plausible source and has enough information to discuss a route, service class, or next application step. It may still be subject to design, title, permits, load review, and payment.
3. **Conditional service commitment.** The provider has issued a design, estimate, line-extension agreement, or work order that explicitly documents the provider-accepted source and route, load assumptions, applicant scope, easement status and title conditions, contribution or other cost, permit and inspection conditions, validity date, and the provider’s stated construction or service obligation. A bare project number or preliminary estimate does not meet this state.
4. **Energizable service.** The applicant scope is complete, permits and inspections have passed, the provider’s work is complete, and the provider has authorized or scheduled energization.

Buying land normally requires reaching State 3 before the electrical contingency is released. State 4 happens after ownership, design, permitting, and construction; it is not something a buyer can establish from a pre-closing drive-by. State 2 may be enough to keep negotiating, but it is not enough to treat an electric connection as a settled project input. A project number or preliminary estimate can identify the inquiry; it cannot substitute for the documented conditions required for State 3.

![Decision map from nearby electric evidence to a conditional service commitment](https://brictale.com/images/home/build/land/verify-vacant-land-electric-service-feasibility-before-buying/service-status-release-gates.webp)

### The release matrix

The following is the decision surface to complete for the parcel. “Owner” means the person or organization responsible for obtaining the item, not necessarily the person who performs the work.

| Gate | Owner to lead | Evidence to request | Release interpretation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Serving utility and territory | Buyer with utility | Written confirmation, service-territory result, contact or project number | No release if the provider is assumed from a listing or neighbor |
| Parcel identity | Buyer, title company | Tax parcel number, legal description, survey, site address or 911 process | Resolve mismatched addresses, lots, tracts, and future split status |
| Permanent source | Utility planner or engineer | Named source facility and whether it is permanent and available | A visible line without source classification stays unverified |
| Point of delivery | Utility with buyer/electrician | Meter location, delivery point, transformer or pole arrangement | A route cannot be priced until the endpoint is defined |
| Load | Electrician or design professional | Load schedule, voltage, amps, phase, major appliances, future loads | Listing square footage is not a utility load submission |
| Physical route | Utility and survey/title team | Marked route, crossings, underground/overhead treatment, access | Any off-parcel or public crossing needs separate rights and permits |
| Easement | Seller/title company and utility | Existing recorded easement or utility-approved new easement | A private promise to grant an easement does not give the provider the title and route evidence it may require |
| Contribution | Utility | Tariff or policy calculation, allowance, payment terms, refund terms | Use the provider’s written number and assumptions, not a national rule |
| Applicant scope | Buyer, electrician, civil contractor | Written responsibility list for trench, meter base, service, restoration, permits | Unassigned scope is an unpriced dependency |
| Local approvals | Local permit authority and utility | Permit path, inspection authority, road-opening or crossing requirements | Name the city, county, state, or other actual authority |
| Schedule | Utility, seller, buyer, local authority | Review time, design validity, construction conditions, target date | A generic estimate of weeks is not a commitment |
| Energization | Utility and inspector | Passed inspection, approval/cut-in condition, final provider checklist | Do not equate temporary power or installed equipment with permanent service |

If the matrix has an amber or red cell, convert that cell into a written contingency condition. Your next decision is either to obtain the missing evidence before the contingency deadline, renegotiate the price and time, or decline the parcel. That is the practical meaning of “verify.”

## Identify the serving utility, jurisdiction, and parcel record first

The first action is to confirm the serving electric provider for the exact tax parcel and the authorities that control the route, permits, road crossings, and inspection; do not infer either one from the nearest pole, a listing, or a neighboring account. A service-territory check is a prerequisite to every later answer because an allowance, tariff, application form, and construction responsibility belong to a particular provider.

### Build the parcel identity pack

Before contacting a utility, assemble a small parcel pack. Use the contract’s legal description and tax parcel number as the primary identifiers. Add the recorded plat, survey if available, road name, nearest cross street, existing situs address, assessor map, parcel acreage, frontage, and the proposed house location. If the buyer is considering a subdivision, lot line adjustment, access-road change, or parcel split, show both the current legal parcel and the proposed future parcel. A utility can be looking at the wrong lot if a rural road uses an informal address or if a listing combines several tax parcels.

Record who currently owns the parcel and who has authority to authorize a utility inquiry. A buyer may be able to request general information, but the provider may need the owner or an authorized representative for site access, easement discussions, or a project application. Obtain written authorization early enough that a utility planner can discuss the route with the right person.

### Ask the utility a closed set of territory questions

Ask the candidate provider to answer these questions in writing:

1. Do you serve this tax parcel at the stated legal description, and if not, which provider or regulated territory does?
2. Is the request for a new permanent residential service, temporary construction service, an upgrade, or a future subdivision?
3. Which facility is the nearest permanent and available source for the proposed house—not merely the nearest visible wire?
4. Is the road frontage within your service territory on both sides, and would a crossing or third-party right be required?
5. Which application, new-construction form, or planner handles a vacant parcel with no meter?
6. What minimum site plan, load information, survey, address, foundation, or permit information is needed before a provider review can begin?
7. Does the provider’s response expire, and what changes would require a new review?

PSE&G’s New Jersey application guidance is a useful example of why “the utility is nearby” is not enough: it tells applicants to confirm that the site is within PSE&G’s service area and asks for service location and use information, site-plan or foundation information, and new-meter load data. The provider also says that availability, road-opening permits, and municipal inspections can change the time frame. Those are PSE&G requirements in New Jersey, not a national application standard, but they illustrate the questions every buyer should ask the actual provider. See [PSE&G’s New Jersey new or upgraded service process](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew).

PSE&G also says it reviews an application and provides a response with a project reference number, and its New Jersey process points applicants to easement information when an electric line must cross someone else’s property. That is a PSE&G process in New Jersey, not evidence that another provider will issue the same document or accept the same easement form. Keep the reference number with the parcel file, but ask the actual provider what its written response means and which rights must be recorded. See [PSE&G’s application and easement guidance](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew).

### Name the jurisdiction for every rule

A vacant lot can sit at the intersection of several authorities. The electric provider may be regulated by a state commission, but a county building department may issue the electrical permit, a city may control a road opening, a state inspector may perform the electrical inspection, and a private title holder may control an easement. Record each authority separately:

| Decision | Authority to name | Evidence to keep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Service territory and tariff | Utility and, where applicable, the state utility commission | Provider response and tariff or policy page |
| Electrical permit | City or county building department, or the state system | Permit office response and application link |
| Road, highway, or railroad crossing | Road owner or transportation authority | Crossing or opening requirements |
| Easement | Current owner, title company, utility, and any affected landowner | Recorded instrument or utility-approved form |
| Electrical inspection | State or local inspection authority | Inspection path and energization condition |
| Site or land-use approval | City or county planning authority | Address, zoning, subdivision, access, or site-plan condition |

Tillamook County, Oregon provides a concrete local example: its electrical-service page directs applicants to Tillamook People’s Utility District before construction to select the meter location and route, while separately requiring an electrical permit from the Tillamook County Building Department and inspection by the State Electrical Inspector before energization. That page applies in Tillamook County, Oregon; it is not an Oregon-wide rule. Read the [Tillamook County electrical-service guidance](https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/commdev/page/electrical-service-information) alongside the actual county and provider response for the parcel.

### Do not let a map answer a title question

A county GIS map or utility map can help you orient the inquiry. Do not treat it as the title company’s or utility’s confirmation that the proposed route is covered, usable, or accepted for the planned facility. Ask the title company to search for utility easements, access easements, road rights-of-way, restrictions, vacations, and encumbrances affecting the proposed route. Give the title company the provider’s sketch once you have it; a generic title search that predates the chosen route can miss the important issue.

If the source is on a neighbor’s parcel, ask whether the provider will cross that parcel, whether the neighbor must sign, whether the right must be recorded before construction, and whether the buyer or seller is responsible for obtaining it. If the line would run in a public right-of-way, ask who controls that right-of-way and whether the provider or applicant obtains the crossing permit. “There is already a utility easement somewhere on the tract” is not the same as “the provider accepts this easement for this route and this facility.”

## Turn the future home into utility-ready load and meter inputs

The provider needs a description of the future home’s service and load, not just a bedroom count or a promise that it will be “residential.” Have a qualified electrician or design professional prepare the load information the actual utility requests, including service voltage, amps, phase, major equipment, likely future equipment, and the proposed meter location. PSE&G in New Jersey asks for volts, amps, phase, and air-conditioning load for new meters, while SDG&E in California directs applicants to have an electrician or plumber calculate electric and gas appliance loads. See [PSE&G’s application inputs](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew) and [SDG&E’s new-construction service sequence](https://www.sdge.com/apply-service).

### Start with an equipment schedule, not a guessed service size

List equipment that can change the connection discussion:

- space heating and cooling, including heat pumps, electric resistance backup, and supplemental heat;
- water heating, including heat-pump or resistance equipment;
- cooking, clothes drying, and other household appliances;
- well pump, pressure equipment, wastewater pump, or other site systems;
- electric-vehicle charging, battery storage, photovoltaic equipment, and backup generation;
- workshop, agricultural, pool, lift, refrigeration, or other motor loads;
- detached buildings, future additions, accessory dwelling units, or a possible second meter; and
- temporary construction needs that will differ from the permanent home.

For each item record the nameplate or design value if known, voltage, phase, rated current or power, expected simultaneous use, location, and whether it is a current or future requirement. Do not remove a major future load merely to make the first utility conversation easier. If the home will eventually be all-electric, say so. If the design is not final, list a low and high scenario and label the high scenario as a planning case.

The utility may ask for more than a buyer can safely calculate. The buyer can collect equipment assumptions and plans; the electrician or engineer should establish the service load and equipment details; the utility should determine the facilities it will accept and any network or transformer requirement. A real load review is not a promise that the utility has spare capacity. It is an input to the provider’s design process.

### An illustrative load envelope, with units and sensitivity

The following is a modeled example to make the matrix inspectable. It is not a code calculation, an electrician’s design, or a utility estimate.

Assume a future home has a proposed single-phase service voltage of 240 volts and a planning service rating of 200 amperes. A simple apparent-power envelope is:

`S = V × I`

`S = 240 V × 200 A = 48,000 VA = 48 kVA`

That 48 kVA figure is an input label, not a statement that the provider will install a 48 kVA transformer or that the home’s demand is 48 kVA. Power factor, demand, motor starting, code load calculations, service characteristics, voltage drop, provider design, and the utility’s equipment standards all remain unresolved.

Show the sensitivity instead of hiding it:

| Planning case | Voltage | Current | Simple apparent-power envelope | Decision use |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | --- |
| Lower case | 240 V | 150 A | 36 kVA | Test whether a smaller design changes the service route or equipment discussion |
| Base case | 240 V | 200 A | 48 kVA | Use the current design assumption for the first provider inquiry |
| Higher case | 240 V | 320 A | 76.8 kVA | Test an all-electric home with large future loads; obtain professional review |

The sensitivity matters because a service change can affect the point of delivery, conductor arrangement, meter equipment, transformer, phase, contribution, and undergrounding treatment. California’s Public Utilities Commission explains that Rule 16 addresses service facilities from the distribution-line facilities to a home or business and notes that underground service may be necessary where an applicant’s load requires a separate transformer installation of 75 kVA or greater. That is a California tariff explanation, not a universal threshold and not a finding that the illustrative 76.8 kVA case requires a separate transformer. Use the [CPUC explanation of Rule 16 service extensions](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-description/rule-20/cpuc-rule-20-undergrounding-programs----faqs) as a prompt to ask the actual California utility what the design consequence is.

![Diagram showing how home load scenarios can change electric service design inputs](https://brictale.com/images/home/build/land/verify-vacant-land-electric-service-feasibility-before-buying/load-to-service-design-sensitivity.webp)

### Permanent service and temporary power are different decisions

Ask the provider to label each requested service as permanent, temporary, or both. Temporary construction power may support a build while the permanent route, meter, inspection, or final service is unfinished. It does not prove that the finished home can receive permanent service. It can also create a separate cost and removal obligation.

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative in Texas expressly distinguishes temporary service and says applicants requesting it generally for 24 months or less pay non-refundable line-extension and removal costs for the specific location. That is Bluebonnet’s Texas policy, not a national rule. Read the [Bluebonnet line-extension policy](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions) and ask the actual provider whether temporary service is available, what it requires, and whether it shares any facilities with the permanent design.

Use a two-column record:

| Question | Permanent-service answer | Temporary-service answer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Why is it needed? | Occupancy and long-term home operation | Construction equipment and site work |
| Where is the meter? | Final approved meter or delivery location | Temporary pole, pedestal, or other approved location |
| What load is assumed? | Final home and future planned loads | Construction trailer, tools, pumps, and temporary equipment |
| Who installs and removes it? | Split of utility and applicant scope in final design | Provider and applicant scope, including removal and restoration |
| Does it release the land contingency? | Only with the rest of the permanent evidence | No, unless the contract explicitly treats the permanent question separately |

If the seller offers to “get a temporary pole after closing,” record that as a construction plan, not as proof of a permanent connection. If the buyer’s financing, occupancy, or insurance depends on permanent service, the hold-point must name permanent-service evidence.

### Ask for load assumptions in the provider’s written response

The provider response should repeat the service assumptions in enough detail for the buyer to notice a mismatch. Look for voltage, phase, amps or load, number of meters, meter location, service type, overhead or underground route, transformer assumption, major special loads, future expansion, and whether the design assumes one dwelling. If the provider’s estimate says “residential service” but the buyer’s plan includes a detached workshop, EV charging, a well, and all-electric heating, send the revised information before relying on the estimate.

The next handoff is to the route and title review. A load answer without a point of delivery is incomplete; a route answer without a load assumption may be redesigned later.

## Map the source, point of delivery, route, and easement

The service route must connect a provider-approved source to a provider-approved point of delivery along a lawful, buildable path; measure that route rather than the straight-line distance to the nearest visible pole. California’s CPUC describes the Rule 15 normal route as the distance from the nearest permanent and available distribution facility to the point from which service facilities connect, using the shortest, most practical, available, and acceptable route clear of obstructions. This California explanation shows why “nearest line” is a weak shortcut; the [CPUC Rule 15 and Rule 16 explanation](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-description/rule-20/cpuc-rule-20-undergrounding-programs----faqs) still must be applied through the actual utility tariff and design.

### Define the endpoint before measuring the distance

A route has at least four distinct points:

1. **Source facility:** the provider’s permanent, available distribution facility or other approved source.
2. **Extension boundary:** where existing provider facilities end and new distribution work begins, if an extension is needed.
3. **Point of delivery or service point:** where provider service is delivered under the utility’s design and tariff.
4. **Meter and customer equipment:** where the meter, service equipment, trench, conduit, or customer-owned facilities are installed.

These points may be close together for a lot with a pole at the property line. They may be far apart for a rural lot, a lot behind another parcel, a road with no right-of-way, or a home located deep within a long tract. A provider may place the meter at an approved edge location and require the homeowner to carry customer-owned service equipment beyond it. Do not put a line on a purchase worksheet until the provider tells you which portion is utility distribution, which portion is service, and which portion is customer scope.

Bluebonnet’s Texas policy illustrates one utility’s terminology: it says Bluebonnet can extend existing primary-line facilities at 7,200 volts or more to the overhead transformer that will serve a new location, generally with a contribution-in-aid-of-construction. It also says the cooperative owns and controls its electric equipment and facilities. Those statements help a buyer ask where the primary line ends and who owns the transformer, but they do not describe every Texas provider. See [Bluebonnet’s published line-extension and ownership terms](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions).

### Make a route evidence sketch

The buyer does not need to design the electrical system. The buyer does need to give the utility and title team a common map. On a survey or scaled parcel plan, mark:

- parcel boundaries and adjoining ownership;
- public road edges, named road authority, and any private access road;
- proposed home, driveway, meter location, service equipment, and future buildings;
- visible poles, lines, transformers, meters, utility markers, and the nearest likely source;
- the provider’s proposed route, not merely a buyer-drawn shortcut;
- crossings of roads, drainage, rail, water, walls, driveways, retaining structures, and other parcels;
- steep slopes, rock, wetlands, flood areas, trees, established landscaping, and areas that cannot be excavated;
- existing easements and their recording references; and
- the portion proposed as overhead, underground, utility-owned, or applicant-installed.

Label every distance with units and how it was measured: “approximately 180 ft along proposed route,” not “about 180 ft from pole.” Keep the date, map version, and source of each distance. A field visit may change the route. That change is a new decision input, not a cosmetic revision.

Tillamook County, Oregon specifically tells applicants to contact Tillamook PUD before construction so the utility can help determine the best meter location and route to the metering-delivery point. Its page also says the customer supplies the underground-service trench and backfill under the described guidance. The local lesson is broader than the technical detail: let the local provider choose or accept the route before the buyer prices site work. See [Tillamook County’s route and underground-service guidance](https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/commdev/page/electrical-service-information).

![Route diagram linking the utility source, delivery point, easement, and permit authorities](https://brictale.com/images/home/build/land/verify-vacant-land-electric-service-feasibility-before-buying/source-route-rights-handoff.webp)

### Resolve easements as a title dependency

Do not assume a nationwide legal rule about what an easement creates, who it benefits or binds, or what makes it enforceable. Ask the title company or a real-estate attorney in the parcel’s actual jurisdiction to compare the proposed route with the recorded instruments and state what rights, parties, recording steps, and limitations apply. The utility must separately accept the route and instrument for its facilities. If a new easement is needed, ask for the provider’s form and requirements before the purchase contingency expires, including whether the seller or a neighboring owner must sign, whether notarization or recording is required, and whether the utility must approve the final legal description.

Bluebonnet’s Texas policy defines an easement as a written document signed by the landowner granting rights to construct, maintain, operate, repair, replace, relocate, and remove facilities. It says the easement must be signed by the landowner or authorized representative before a notary public and that members must grant rights for facilities on the property and in or on abutting streets, roads, or highways. Those are Bluebonnet-specific requirements; use them as a checklist for questions, not as the form for another provider. See [Bluebonnet’s easement requirements](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions).

PSE&G’s New Jersey service page likewise recognizes easement work as a separate part of new service and provides different easement information and grant forms for lines crossing someone else’s property. The page’s existence does not mean every New Jersey parcel needs the same instrument; it means the buyer should ask the actual provider whether an off-parcel crossing triggers a provider-approved easement. See [PSE&G’s service and easement guidance](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew).

Use these title questions:

1. Does the recorded easement name electric service or a use broad enough for the proposed facility?
2. Does its corridor reach the provider’s proposed source and the proposed point of delivery?
3. Does it allow construction access, excavation, maintenance, replacement, vegetation management, emergency work, and future relocation if the provider requires those rights?
4. What does the title company or real-estate attorney say, under the parcel’s actual jurisdiction, about which parcels may use, benefit from, or be bound by the instrument?
5. What does the title search and recording-office evidence show about the instrument’s record, location, and status, and is it shown on the title commitment or survey?
6. Does the utility accept the instrument, or is provider approval still outstanding?
7. Does the route cross public land or a road right-of-way that needs a separate permit instead of a private easement?

Do not excavate, clear trees, move a pole, expose a line, or install a meter base to test the route. Electrical distribution, excavation, traffic control, lifting, and work near overhead conductors are qualified-professional work. The buyer’s safe job is to document the parcel, observe without disturbing facilities, provide the plans, and ask the utility and licensed professionals what work is authorized.

### Decide overhead versus underground with the local rule in hand

Overhead and underground are not interchangeable presentation choices. The choice can change the route, trench, conduit, restoration, easement, inspection, provider design, contribution, and schedule. The applicable rule belongs to the utility and jurisdiction.

In California, the CPUC explains that Rule 15 covers distribution line extensions and that the cited tariff language requires underground distribution extensions for listed new residential subdivisions, residential developments, commercial developments, industrial developments, and certain scenic-area locations, subject to exceptions. It separately explains that Rule 16 covers service facilities to homes and businesses and includes conditions for underground service. Read the [CPUC’s California-specific Rule 15 and Rule 16 discussion](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-description/rule-20/cpuc-rule-20-undergrounding-programs----faqs) with the utility’s current tariff and project response.

In New York, NYSEG publishes a different structure: eligible applicants may receive up to 500 feet of single-phase or 300 feet of three-phase overhead distribution line per premises, plus up to 100 feet of overhead service line; the applicant contributes for distance beyond the allowance and for the difference between overhead and underground service. Those numbers belong to NYSEG’s New York policy and its effective tariff. Read [NYSEG’s line-extension allowances and contributions](https://www.nyseg.com/w/line-extensions) before making a New York parcel model.

The safe conclusion is not “underground is always required” or “overhead is always cheaper.” It is “the provider must state the allowed or required configuration for this parcel, and the buyer must price the resulting applicant scope.”

## Compare contribution and applicant exposure without inventing a national price

You cannot responsibly use one national electric-service price or schedule for a vacant lot. Contribution rules, allowances, service classes, construction methods, terrain, public crossings, easements, load, local permits, and the provider’s design all change the result. Compare published jurisdictional examples only within their named service territory, then replace every illustrative value with the parcel’s provider-issued estimate or agreement.

### What the named examples actually show

| Jurisdiction and provider | Published input or rule | What a buyer may use it for | What it does not prove |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| New York — NYSEG | Up to 500 ft single-phase or 300 ft three-phase overhead distribution allowance per premises for applicants meeting permanency requirements, plus up to 100 ft overhead service allowance; contributions beyond and underground-versus-overhead differences | Ask for allowance classification, route length, service type, contribution, payment, and refund terms | It does not apply to every New York utility, parcel, service class, or underground design |
| Texas — Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative | CIAC is generally paid before construction; Bluebonnet publishes a $1,950 threshold for general residential and single-phase commercial service, but new overhead permanent residential service with CIAC above $10,000 has a one-time 30% refund exception if another member builds onto the extension within 3 years and notice is given within 60 days | Ask which service class applies, how allowance is calculated, whether the exception can apply, and whether an easement and payment precede construction | It does not establish a Texas-wide allowance or refund rule, and the exception is not a general refund right |
| New Jersey — PSE&G | Application asks for site, use, meter, and load information; residential requests may take up to six weeks, with availability, road permits, and municipal inspections affecting time | Start early and make permit and territory questions explicit | Six weeks is not a universal or binding completion date |
| California — SDG&E | Application materials include plans, parcel map, load calculation, contacts, dates, site conditions, meter location, and permits; process may assign a planner, field visit, options discussion, work order, and utility scheduling | Require a project number, planner response, design assumptions, scope, and written next condition | SDG&E sequence is not a guarantee for another California utility or parcel |
| California — CPUC Rules 15 and 16 explanation | Rule 15 addresses distribution extensions; Rule 16 addresses service extensions; undergrounding and route conditions have stated California scope and exceptions | Separate main/distribution work from service-to-meter work and ask which tariff applies | It is not a national undergrounding rule or a capacity guarantee |
| Oregon — Tillamook County/Tillamook PUD | Contact PUD before construction for meter location and route; county permit and State Electrical Inspector approval are described; new service generally requires easement, application, line-extension agreement, fees, and sometimes deposit | Make provider route, county permit, state inspection, easement, and agreement separate gates | The page does not establish requirements in other Oregon counties or other PUDs |

The [NYSEG line-extension page](https://www.nyseg.com/w/line-extensions) also says a residential customer may choose a 10-year payment plan when a contribution above $1,000 is required if credit qualified, and that some contributions may be refunded in whole or in part on a prorated basis when additional applicants take service within 10 years. Treat both conditions as part of the New York provider conversation, not as a reason to assume future neighbors will reimburse the buyer. The buyer should understand whether a possible refund is discretionary, conditional, transferable, or irrelevant to the current contract.

Bluebonnet’s published Texas policy gives a service-class warning rather than a universal refund rule. For general residential and single-phase commercial service, it publishes a $1,950 threshold and says the amount above the threshold is a non-refundable CIAC; for pumping, three-phase commercial, and large-power service, the construction allowance is calculated case by case. The same page separately says that new overhead permanent residential customers whose total CIAC exceeds $10,000 may receive a one-time refund equal to 30% of the CIAC if another member builds onto the extension within three years and the member notifies Bluebonnet within 60 days. Temporary service has its own non-refundable extension and removal costs. See [Bluebonnet’s service-class, refund, and temporary-service terms](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions). A buyer who prices a future all-electric home as ordinary residential service without asking about service class and refund eligibility may be modeling the wrong rule.

### Use a bounded exposure formula

Use this as a worksheet, not as a price estimate:

`Applicant exposure = provider contribution + underground differential + easement/title/recording cost + applicant trench and restoration + meter/service equipment + local permits and inspections + temporary-service cost or removal + stated contingency`

For every term, enter one of three values:

- a provider-issued amount or allowance;
- a professional or local-authority estimate with a named scope and date; or
- “unknown,” which keeps the purchase gate open.

Do not enter zero merely because a seller says the line is at the road. Zero is an evidence-based result only when the provider’s written terms say the provider will absorb that scope under the applicable tariff or policy.

### Illustrative contribution sensitivity

Here is a deliberately bounded arithmetic example. It is an illustrative model, not a quote, and uses a published Bluebonnet threshold only to show how the worksheet behaves. Assume a hypothetical general residential/single-phase applicant receives a provider estimate of **$12,000** for the relevant line-extension scope. Assume, solely for this illustrative case, that Bluebonnet’s published **$1,950** threshold applies. The displayed applicant contribution would be:

`max(0, estimated line-extension scope − applicable allowance threshold)`

`max(0, $12,000 − $1,950) = $10,050`

Sensitivity to the estimated scope:

| Illustrative provider scope | Same illustrative threshold | Illustrative amount above threshold | Meaning |
| ---: | ---: | ---: | --- |
| $8,000 | $1,950 | $6,050 | Still a material pre-construction payment if the class applies |
| $12,000 | $1,950 | $10,050 | Base arithmetic case only |
| $20,000 | $1,950 | $18,050 | Route, equipment, crossing, or class uncertainty becomes more consequential |

Because the illustrative CIAC is **$10,050**, it crosses Bluebonnet’s separate **$10,000** refund threshold. If—and only if—the hypothetical service is new overhead permanent residential service in Bluebonnet’s Texas territory, another member builds onto that extension within three years of construction, and the member gives notice within 60 days, the published one-time refund sensitivity would be:

`$10,050 × 30% = $3,015`

That possible refund is conditional future money, not a reduction that the buyer should subtract from the closing budget. Bluebonnet’s policy still makes the CIAC due before construction and describes the general fee as non-refundable, while the separate exception is limited to the stated service class and triggering event. The arithmetic demonstrates sensitivity, not a prediction of what Bluebonnet or another provider will charge. Replace the threshold with the actual rate class, confirm whether the route is overhead and permanent, and replace the estimate with the provider’s written calculation. See [Bluebonnet’s original policy and class-specific terms](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions).

For NYSEG, a different illustrative sensitivity is more appropriate because the published page states distance allowances rather than a universal dollar-per-foot price. Suppose the proposed route is measured at 450, 500, 650, or 900 feet of single-phase overhead distribution, and suppose the parcel qualifies for the published 500-foot allowance. The unpriced distance subject to the provider’s contribution analysis would be:

| Measured route | Published illustrative allowance | Distance beyond allowance to ask NYSEG to price |
| ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 450 ft | 500 ft | 0 ft, subject to all other terms |
| 500 ft | 500 ft | 0 ft, subject to all other terms |
| 650 ft | 500 ft | 150 ft |
| 900 ft | 500 ft | 400 ft |

This table does not say that the first two rows are free overall. It does not include the service-line allowance, underground differential, unusual terrain, permits, customer scope, or any non-distance component. It simply shows why a route measured along the provider’s accepted alignment is more useful than a straight-line guess. The [NYSEG overview](https://www.nyseg.com/w/line-extensions) is the source for the stated allowance and contribution distinction.

### Separate allowance, contribution, advance, and refund

These words are not interchangeable:

- **Allowance** is a provider-defined amount or scope that may offset eligible construction under a tariff or policy.
- **Contribution or CIAC** is an applicant payment toward provider construction or facilities under the applicable rules.
- **Advance** may be money paid before work begins, sometimes subject to particular refund conditions.
- **Refund** is not guaranteed future money; it depends on the provider’s written terms and triggering event.
- **Applicant scope** is work assigned to the buyer or customer and may be payable even when a line-extension allowance exists.

Ask the provider to state which amount is refundable, when it is due, whether the contract or easement changes that result, and whether a future applicant can create a refund. If the provider’s estimate uses a term the buyer does not understand, request the definition from the tariff or project agreement. Do not rely on a real-estate agent’s use of “impact fee,” “tap fee,” “connection fee,” or “free power” as a substitute for the provider’s terminology.

### Treat schedule as a dependency chain

Schedule exposure is more than a utility’s review time. It can include a site address, survey, approved plan, load calculation, field visit, easement negotiation, road-opening permit, local electrical permit, inspection, payment, trench availability, utility construction slot, and final release. PSE&G says residential requests may take up to six weeks and that availability, road-opening permits, and municipal inspections may vary the time frame. SDG&E says to allow two weeks for application review and that the overall timeline depends on complexity, then describes planning, field visits, work orders, and scheduling. See [PSE&G’s New Jersey timing explanation](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew) and [SDG&E’s California application sequence](https://www.sdge.com/apply-service).

Use dates only with their condition attached:

| Date field | Example entry | Why it matters |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inquiry submitted | 2026-09-15 | Starts a provider record, not construction |
| Provider information due | Provider-stated date | May depend on complete load and plans |
| Easement executed | Exact date, recording status | Route may remain unavailable until this happens |
| Contribution due | Provider-stated date | Work may not start before payment |
| Permit application | Authority and date | A utility estimate may assume approval |
| Inspection condition | Authority and required certificate | Energization may depend on passing inspection |
| Estimate expiration | Provider-stated date | A stale number is not a current budget |
| Desired permanent service | Buyer’s target | A target is not a provider commitment |

If the provider will not provide a date before closing, write down what event triggers the date. “Utility will connect after purchase” is not a schedule. “Provider will schedule after signed agreement, payment, easement acceptance, permit, and inspection” is a sequence that can be assigned and checked.

## Run the provider, title, and permit sequence before the contingency expires

The safest sequence is to move from identity to design to rights to permits to construction, with a written handoff at each stage; do not start customer trenching or buy service equipment while the source, route, and meter location are still moving. The buyer coordinates the packet and contract deadline, the provider determines its facilities and conditions, the electrician or engineer supplies professional load information, the title team resolves rights, and the actual local authority decides permit and inspection requirements.

### A ten-step pre-closing sequence

**1. Confirm the actual serving provider.** Send the legal description, tax parcel number, address, and proposed home use. Ask for a written territory response and inquiry or project number. If the provider cannot serve the parcel, ask who can and keep the result in the file.

**2. Confirm the parcel and proposed build location.** Give the utility a survey or marked parcel plan. Show the house, driveway, likely meter, future buildings, access, and any parcel split. Ask whether the proposed address must be established by a municipality before the application. SDG&E, for example, says an ADU address must be established through the municipality before submitting its application in that case; the buyer should ask what address condition applies to the actual project. See [SDG&E’s application details](https://www.sdge.com/apply-service).

**3. Prepare the load packet.** Have a qualified electrician or design professional identify service voltage, amps, phase, major loads, future loads, motors, EV charging, generation, well or wastewater equipment, and detached structures. Include low, base, and high planning cases where the design is open.

**4. Ask for a preliminary provider review.** Request the nearest permanent and available source, likely point of delivery, meter location, overhead or underground treatment, transformer assumption, route, crossings, permits, and what additional studies or field visits are required. Do not call this a commitment unless the provider does.

**5. Have the provider or its planner establish the route.** Obtain a sketch, design narrative, or written route description with units. SDG&E’s published process shows why a planner and possible field visit matter: after the application is complete, it may assign a planner, schedule a field visit, discuss options, issue a service work order, and schedule its portion of the work. See [SDG&E’s planner and work-order sequence](https://www.sdge.com/apply-service).

**6. Request the complete money and scope statement.** Ask for allowance, contribution, deposit, payment deadline, refund or non-refund terms, validity date, applicant construction scope, utility construction scope, trench and restoration responsibilities, meter equipment, service equipment, and any road or crossing cost. Require assumptions to be listed.

**7. Send the route to the title company.** Ask title to identify existing utility easements and compare them with the proposed route. If a new instrument is needed, obtain the provider’s form and the legal description required for acceptance and recording. If a neighbor or public authority is involved, identify that party before closing.

**8. Confirm the local permit and inspection path.** Name the jurisdiction. Ask which authority issues the electrical permit, who handles road openings, who inspects, what must be complete before energization, and whether the provider requires permit evidence. Tillamook County’s Oregon guidance, for example, separates county permitting from State Electrical Inspector approval before energization and separately identifies easement, application, line-extension agreement, fees, and possible deposit requirements. See [Tillamook County’s local requirements](https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/commdev/page/electrical-service-information).

**9. Put the hold-point in the purchase contract.** Have the buyer’s real-estate attorney adapt the contract. A practical condition should identify the evidence required, the provider and project number, the maximum acceptable contribution and applicant scope, the required easements, the acceptable route and meter location, the permit status, the date by which the evidence must arrive, and the buyer’s right to extend, renegotiate, or terminate if it does not.

**10. Reconcile the final response before removing the contingency.** Compare the provider document with the current house concept, title commitment, survey, access plan, and budget. If the house grew, became all-electric, added an EV charger, moved the driveway, or gained a detached building, send the change to the provider before relying on the earlier design. Save the final response with its date and expiration.

![Pre-closing sequence from parcel identity through provider approval and contingency release](https://brictale.com/images/home/build/land/verify-vacant-land-electric-service-feasibility-before-buying/preclosing-service-handoff-sequence.webp)

### Assign responsibility by evidence, not by job title

| Participant | Responsible for | Must not be assumed to decide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buyer | Parcel packet, future-use assumptions, contract deadline, evidence log, decision | Utility design, code compliance, title opinion, capacity guarantee |
| Seller | Access, existing records, authority to grant rights before closing if agreed | The provider’s route or future service cost |
| Listing agent | Introducing contacts and documents | Verification of territory, capacity, easement, permit, or tariff |
| Utility | Territory answer, facilities, design conditions, route acceptance, estimate, work order, energization conditions | Buyer’s title rights or local land-use approval unless the utility expressly handles it |
| Electrician or engineer | Professional load information, equipment and service design inputs | Utility allowance, provider scope, title validity, final utility commitment |
| Title company and attorney | Easement and encumbrance review, recording and contract advice | Electrical capacity, route feasibility, utility tariff interpretation without the provider |
| City or county | Local address, planning, permit, road, and inspection requirements within its authority | Utility design or private easement acceptance |
| State inspector or other authority | Inspection or approval within the named jurisdiction | Provider construction schedule |

This division prevents a common handoff failure: a buyer asks an electrician whether power is available, the electrician sees a line, the agent repeats “available,” and nobody has asked the utility to accept the route or the title team to verify the right. Each participant should sign or issue the record for the part they control.

### The written provider record to request

Ask for a response with these fields, even if the provider uses a different form. The project number is an identifier, not the commitment: if the provider supplies only a number or a preliminary estimate without the conditions below, keep the parcel in State 2, preliminary feasibility.

| Field | Required detail |
| --- | --- |
| Parcel | Legal description, tax parcel, service address, project number |
| Service | Permanent or temporary, residential use, number of meters, voltage, phase, amps or load assumption |
| Source | Facility type, nearest permanent and available source, whether an extension or upgrade is needed |
| Route | Starting facility, route length and units, overhead/underground, crossings, access, meter and delivery point |
| Equipment | Meter, transformer, pole, switch, service line, and any special equipment assumptions |
| Utility scope | Design, materials, construction, inspection, ownership, maintenance |
| Applicant scope | Easement, trench, conduit, meter base, service equipment, road work, restoration, permits, payment |
| Money | Allowance, contribution, deposit, non-refundable items, refund conditions, due dates, estimate expiration |
| Conditions | Load approval, site plan, foundation, address, permit, easement, inspection, payment, construction access |
| Dates | Review, field visit, design, work order, construction, and energization conditions—not just a desired date |

If the provider will only give information by phone, send a same-day email summarizing what was said and ask the provider to correct it. A buyer can use a phone call to start a process, but should not release a purchase contingency based on an unconfirmed paraphrase.

## Apply the matrix to failure cases and the next decision

The matrix is useful because every failure becomes a next action: correct the parcel, obtain a load review, move the meter, negotiate a right, price the applicant scope, obtain a permit answer, or keep the contingency in place. A “no” from one gate does not always kill a parcel, but an unexplained “maybe” should never be treated as a “yes.”

### Common failure branches

| What the buyer hears or observes | What it may actually mean | Safest next action |
| --- | --- | --- |
| “Power is at the road.” | A line is visible, but source, ownership, voltage, service point, and route are unknown | Ask the provider to identify the permanent source and proposed point of delivery in writing |
| “The neighbor has power.” | The neighbor may be on another route, provider, phase, transformer, easement, or service class | Obtain a parcel-specific inquiry; do not use the neighbor’s service as a capacity proxy |
| “It is only 200 feet away.” | Straight-line distance may ignore road, title, terrain, or provider route | Measure the provider-accepted path with units and crossings |
| “The county will approve it.” | Planning, electrical permitting, road opening, and inspection may be separate authorities | Ask the named authority for the actual permit and inspection path |
| “The seller has an easement.” | The easement may not reach the route, benefit the parcel, or be accepted by the provider | Send the proposed route and instrument to title and the utility |
| “The provider said service is available.” | Preliminary feasibility may still depend on load, payment, permits, or design | Request the provider’s written conditions, estimate or work order, and validity date |
| “Temporary power is easy.” | Temporary service may have its own extension and removal costs and does not establish permanent service | Keep permanent service as a separate release gate |
| “The line is overhead, so we can use overhead.” | California or local rules, provider policy, scenic conditions, or load may require underground facilities | Ask the actual provider and jurisdiction which configuration applies |
| “The home will be standard.” | Electric heating, EV charging, a well, shop, or second building may change load and equipment | Submit a load schedule with future scenarios before the provider prices the work |
| “We can solve the easement after closing.” | A neighbor or seller may refuse, and the route may be impossible without it | Make signed and provider-accepted rights a contract hold-point |
| “The estimate is good enough.” | The estimate may expire or assume different plans, route, class, or equipment | Check date, assumptions, scope, and change triggers before using it in the budget |

### A worked illustrative parcel review

Consider an illustrative two-acre vacant parcel. The listing says “electric at the road.” A pole and conductor are visible approximately 180 feet away, measured from the front of the parcel rather than from the proposed house. The proposed home is all-electric, with a heat pump, induction cooking, heat-pump water heating, one future EV charger, a well pump, and a detached workshop. The current concept uses a 240-volt, 200-amp planning envelope, or 48 kVA under the simple `S = V × I` illustration above. No meter exists. The access road may be public, but the shortest apparent route crosses a narrow strip owned by someone else.

The listing evidence is only **Nearby evidence**. The buyer should not release the contingency. The review proceeds like this:

1. **Territory:** The buyer sends the tax parcel and legal description to the likely utility. If the provider confirms the parcel is outside its territory, the buyer gets the correct provider before doing any cost comparison.
2. **Load:** The electrician prepares 150-amp, 200-amp, and higher-load planning cases, identifies the EV and workshop as future items, and tells the utility that the buyer wants permanent service for an all-electric home.
3. **Route:** The utility identifies the actual permanent source and says whether the visible line is distribution, a service line, or another facility. It places the proposed meter and delivery point on a plan and measures the accepted route, including the road and third-party crossing.
4. **Title:** The title company checks whether an existing easement covers the crossing. If not, the seller and neighbor must address the provider’s required form and recording. If the neighbor will not grant it, the provider must evaluate another route before the buyer relies on the parcel.
5. **Cost:** The buyer asks for allowance, contribution, payment, meter, transformer, trench, road, restoration, and undergrounding assumptions. The buyer does not enter “$0” for the visible line.
6. **Permits:** The buyer names the local permit authority and road owner and asks what must be issued before construction and inspection. The provider states the evidence needed before energization.
7. **Written hold-point:** The buyer’s attorney ties contingency release to an accepted route, acceptable cost ceiling, required easement, load scenario, permit path, and provider document with a date.

Suppose the utility responds that the visible facility is permanent and available, but the proposed 200-amp service needs a different transformer and the route must be underground across a road. A conversation or preliminary estimate leaves the parcel at **Preliminary feasibility**. It moves to **Conditional service commitment** only when the provider-issued design or estimate, agreement, or work order explicitly states the provider-accepted route, load, applicant scope, easement status and title conditions, cost, permit conditions, validity, and provider obligation. The buyer should not call it a pass until those written service conditions and road/easement obligations are clear.

Now test load sensitivity. If the buyer removes the workshop and delays the EV charger, the electrician’s professional load result may change. That could change the service design, but the buyer cannot assume it eliminates a utility requirement. If the higher planning case approaches or exceeds a provider’s special-equipment threshold, ask the utility to review both cases. In California, the CPUC’s Rule 16 discussion specifically identifies separate-transformer conditions at 75 kVA or greater as a reason underground service may be necessary in the described tariff context. That does not decide the illustrative parcel; it identifies a question for the California utility. See [the CPUC’s service-extension explanation](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-description/rule-20/cpuc-rule-20-undergrounding-programs----faqs).

Finally, suppose the provider issues a written route, estimate, accepted easement form, permit sequence, and conditions that fit the buyer’s contract and budget. The matrix can move to **Conditional service commitment**. The buyer still should not represent that power is energized or guaranteed. The next decision is whether the total land-and-service risk is acceptable and whether the purchase contract protects the buyer until the provider’s conditions are met.

### Release checklist for the buyer’s file

Before removing a purchase contingency for electric feasibility, check each item and attach the evidence:

- [ ] The serving utility is identified for the exact tax parcel and legal description.
- [ ] The provider inquiry or project number is saved with the date and contact.
- [ ] The service is labeled permanent, temporary, or both.
- [ ] The proposed home location and future buildings are shown on a plan.
- [ ] A qualified professional supplied the provider-requested load information.
- [ ] The provider identified the source as a permanent and available facility or clearly stated the unresolved condition.
- [ ] The point of delivery, meter location, transformer assumption, and route are written down.
- [ ] Route length is measured along the accepted path with units and crossings identified.
- [ ] Overhead or underground treatment is tied to the actual provider and jurisdiction.
- [ ] Existing easements were reviewed against the proposed route by the title team.
- [ ] Any new easement is acceptable to the provider, capable of being signed and recorded, and assigned to the correct party.
- [ ] The provider separated utility work from applicant work.
- [ ] Allowance, contribution, deposits, refunds, non-refundable amounts, and payment dates are stated.
- [ ] The estimate identifies assumptions, expiration, change triggers, and whether it is an estimate, agreement, or work order.
- [ ] The release document is more than a project number or preliminary estimate: it states the provider-accepted route, load, applicant scope, easement status, cost, permit conditions, validity, and provider obligation.
- [ ] Local permit, road-opening, inspection, and energization requirements are named by jurisdiction.
- [ ] The contract’s electrical hold-point matches the written evidence and the buyer’s maximum exposure.

If any box is blank, write the next action and responsible person beside it. “To be confirmed” is useful only when it has an owner and deadline.

### When to walk away, renegotiate, or keep researching

Decline or renegotiate when the provider cannot identify a feasible source or route, an essential easement is unavailable, the applicant exposure exceeds the buyer’s approved budget, the proposed service cannot support the actual home concept, or the timeline conflicts with financing or construction commitments. Do not let a low land price hide a missing right-of-way or an unpriced extension.

Keep researching when the provider has a plausible route but needs a complete load packet, field visit, permit answer, or title exhibit. In that case, extend the contingency in writing rather than replacing evidence with optimism.

Proceed to closing only when the evidence shows a conditional service path whose assumptions the buyer accepts. After closing, the work still requires provider coordination, qualified electrical and civil work, title and permit compliance, inspections, and final provider approval. The pre-closing matrix reduces uncertainty; it does not transfer the utility’s design authority to the buyer.

## Originality brief, limits, and the next decision

The useful answer is a release decision: a vacant lot passes the electric-service check only when utility, route, title, cost, permit, sequence, and written-condition evidence agree for the actual parcel. This article’s original artifact is a checkable synthesis of those dependencies, not a claim that any utility has tested a parcel or guaranteed capacity.

### Current answers

Utility websites generally explain how to start a new-service application. Individual providers may publish an allowance, a contribution policy, application inputs, or a permit reminder. Property listings often compress all of that into “electric nearby.” Those answers are useful starting points, but they leave the buyer to connect the parcel, load, route, easement, provider scope, local authority, and purchase deadline.

### Internal route check

Brictale’s current published homeowner collection contains no relevant `/build/...` guide, so there is no verified internal route to link from this package. The manifest therefore keeps `related` empty, and this article does not add a guessed internal URL. That is a collection-level availability condition, not a missing recommendation: when a relevant build guide is actually published, validate its route and add it only if it advances this land-service decision.

### Missing decision

The missing decision is whether the future home has a documented electric path and who owns each dependency: service territory, provider design review, load and meter information, source and route, easement, transformer or undergrounding requirement, line-extension contribution, applicant scope, local permit, construction sequence, and final energization condition. “Can get electric” is not one fact; it is the status of that chain.

### Original contribution

**Electric-service feasibility release matrix**

The matrix records the parcel and service territory, nearest permanent facility, point of delivery, overhead or underground route, meter and transformer needs, load inputs, easement status, line-extension allowance, contribution or refund terms, applicant-versus-utility scope, permits, dates, and the exact written evidence needed before removing a purchase contingency.

### Method

**Map each dependency from the assigned research brief to a responsible party, a required input, a verification record, and a release status. Compare the published New York, Texas, New Jersey, California, and Oregon examples only within their named utility or jurisdiction, then use an illustrative load and route model to show sensitivity without presenting a utility quote.**

The method has three checks. First, each evidence row is tied to a primary utility, regulator, or local-government page and retains its jurisdictional scope. Second, the matrix distinguishes observation, preliminary feasibility, conditional service commitment, and energizable service. Third, the illustrative examples show formulas, units, assumptions, and sensitivity so a reader can replace them with provider-issued values. The result is designed to be inspected: a reviewer can open the cited source, compare its scope with the evidence row, and verify whether the article has widened a local rule into a national claim.

### How to check it

Use the matrix against the provider’s current response, the current title commitment, the current survey, the actual local permit authority, and the current home load assumptions. Confirm that every evidence row has a document or an assigned next action. Ask the provider to correct any mismatch in parcel, service type, route, load, meter, or ownership. Ask the title company to check the proposed route, not merely the general parcel. Ask the buyer’s attorney to align the hold-point with the evidence and the deadline.

### Limitations

**This is a planning synthesis, not a utility commitment, engineering design, legal opinion, title search, permit determination, load calculation, capacity guarantee, universal cost estimate, or schedule promise. Tariffs, service territories, local authorities, site conditions, and provider requirements control the parcel-specific result.**

The sources illustrate distinct decisions rather than a national rulebook. NYSEG’s allowances and contribution terms belong to NYSEG in New York. Bluebonnet’s CIAC and easement language belongs to that Texas cooperative. PSE&G’s application inputs and timing belong to PSE&G in New Jersey. SDG&E’s planner and work-order sequence belongs to SDG&E in California. CPUC Rules 15 and 16 are described in a California regulatory context. Tillamook County’s permit and inspection information belongs to Tillamook County, Oregon and its local utility context. Each provider may revise its pages, tariffs, forms, and requirements after this review date.

The next decision is therefore local and written: give the actual serving utility the actual parcel, actual route concept, and actual future-home load, then decide whether its documented conditions fit the buyer’s title, permit, budget, and closing timeline. Until that record exists, treat the lot as electrically unverified.

## Evidence

- In New York, NYSEG says applicants meeting permanency requirements may receive up to 500 feet of single-phase or 300 feet of three-phase overhead electric distribution line per premises, plus up to 100 feet of overhead electric service line per premises; the applicant contributes for distance beyond the allowance and for the difference between overhead and underground service. [Line Extensions - NYSEG](https://www.nyseg.com/w/line-extensions). Scope: NYSEG service territory in New York; published overview of NYSEG policy and tariff-linked line-extension allowances and contributions. Not a national rule and not a parcel-specific estimate.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- NYSEG states that residential customers may have a 10-year payment plan when a contribution over $1,000 is required if credit qualified, and that certain distribution-line contributions may be refunded in whole or in part on a prorated basis when additional applicants take service within 10 years. [Line Extensions - NYSEG](https://www.nyseg.com/w/line-extensions). Scope: NYSEG service territory in New York; applies only to the conditions described by NYSEG and its effective tariff. Do not treat it as a general refund or financing rule.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative says it can extend existing primary-line facilities at 7,200 volts or more to an overhead transformer for a new location, typically with a contribution-in-aid-of-construction that must be paid before construction. Its page separately says that new overhead permanent residential customers whose total CIAC exceeds $10,000 may receive a one-time refund equal to 30% of the CIAC if another member builds onto the extension within three years of construction and the member gives notice within 60 days. Bluebonnet also requires written easement rights for construction, operation, maintenance, repair, replacement, relocation, and removal. [Line extensions | Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions). Scope: Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative service territory in Texas; cooperative policy for its facilities and applicants. Not a Texas-wide rule.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- Bluebonnet publishes different CIAC treatment by service class, including a $1,950 threshold for general residential and single-phase commercial service, case-by-case construction allowance for pumping, three-phase commercial and large-power service, and non-refundable extension and removal costs for temporary service generally requested for 24 months or less. Its separate refund exception is limited to new overhead permanent residential service with total CIAC above $10,000, a later member extension within three years, and notice within 60 days. [Line extensions | Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative](https://www.bluebonnet.coop/line-extensions). Scope: Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative published policy in Texas; thresholds and classes are provider-specific and can change.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- PSE&G's New Jersey new-service guidance asks applicants for approved site plans or foundation status, contact and billing information, service location and use information, and new-meter load details including volts, amps, phase, and air-conditioning load; it also says residential requests may take up to six weeks and that availability, road-opening permits, and municipal inspections can vary the time frame. [Apply for New or Upgraded Electric or Gas Service - PSE&G](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew). Scope: PSE&G service area in New Jersey; PSE&G application guidance, not a statewide New Jersey schedule or service guarantee.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- PSE&G says that after an application it reviews the request and provides a response with a project reference number; its New Jersey service page also directs applicants who need an easement because electric lines cross another property to easement information and forms. [Apply for New or Upgraded Electric or Gas Service - PSE&G](https://nj.pseg.com/BusinessAndContractorServices/constructionandrenovationservices/upgradesandnewinstallationsnew). Scope: PSE&G service area in New Jersey; the reference-number and easement workflow is provider-specific and does not establish another utility's process or easement requirements.. Accessed: 2026-09-14.
- SDG&E's California new-construction process asks for civil, architectural, electrical or plumbing plans and an assessor's parcel map, directs applicants to have an electrician or plumber calculate appliance loads, then describes assignment to a planner, possible field visit, project-option discussion, service-work-order issuance, and scheduling of SDG&E work. [Apply for Service | San Diego Gas & Electric](https://www.sdge.com/apply-service). Scope: SDG&E service territory in California; published new-construction application sequence. It does not guarantee capacity, cost, or a completion date for another California utility or parcel.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- SDG&E says applicants should allow two weeks for application review and that the service-request timeline depends on project complexity; it also identifies key contacts, project dates, site conditions, desired meter location, and permit requirements as application details. [Apply for Service | San Diego Gas & Electric](https://www.sdge.com/apply-service). Scope: SDG&E service territory in California; planning guidance only, not a guaranteed review or construction schedule.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- Tillamook County, Oregon's electrical-service information says applicants should contact Tillamook People's Utility District before construction to determine the best meter location and route to the metering-delivery point; it also states that underground service trench and backfill are supplied by the customer under the described guidance. [Electrical Service Information - Tillamook County, Oregon](https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/commdev/page/electrical-service-information). Scope: Tillamook County, Oregon, and Tillamook People's Utility District guidance; local and provider-specific, not an Oregon-wide rule.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- Tillamook County's page states that installations need an electrical permit from the Tillamook County Building Department, must pass inspection by the State Electrical Inspector before energization, and that new services generally require an easement, an application for service, a signed line-extension agreement with fees paid, and sometimes a billing deposit. [Electrical Service Information - Tillamook County, Oregon](https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/commdev/page/electrical-service-information). Scope: Tillamook County, Oregon, and Tillamook People's Utility District guidance; the page does not establish permit or easement requirements in other Oregon counties.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- The California Public Utilities Commission explains that Rule 15 governs distribution line extensions and that, under the cited tariff language, underground distribution line extensions are required for listed new residential subdivisions, residential developments, commercial developments, industrial developments, and certain scenic-area locations, subject to stated exceptions; it also describes the normal route from the nearest permanent and available distribution facility to the service-connection point. [CPUC Rule 20 Undergrounding Programs - FAQs](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-description/rule-20/cpuc-rule-20-undergrounding-programs----faqs). Scope: California CPUC explanation of investor-owned utility tariff Rules 15 and 16; exceptions and utility tariffs control, and the explanation is not a national undergrounding rule.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.
- The California Public Utilities Commission explains that Rule 16 addresses service facilities extending from distribution-line facilities to homes or businesses, and that underground service extensions may be required by tariff, law, ordinance, or authority having jurisdiction, or may be necessary when the applicant's load requires a separate transformer installation of 75 kVA or greater. [CPUC Rule 20 Undergrounding Programs - FAQs](https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-description/rule-20/cpuc-rule-20-undergrounding-programs----faqs). Scope: California CPUC explanation of Rule 16; the 75 kVA condition is not a universal residential-service threshold or a capacity determination for an individual parcel.. Accessed: 2026-09-08.