Fremont Temp Pole Installation

We set metered construction services from 100A single-phase up to 400A three-phase, and we work the permit and the PG&E queue so the pole is hot when your trades show up.

What goes into a construction service on an East Bay site

A temp pole is the first electrical service a lot of jobs ever get. It is a treated post or a steel stand with a meter base, main breaker, a short run of breakers and GFCI outlets, bonded to driven ground rods. Your trailer, saws, compressors and lights all run off it until the permanent gear is energized.

Around Fremont the size swings a lot from job to job. An infill house in Niles or Centerville usually runs fine on 100A. A tilt-up warehouse near the bay, a lab shell or a data center pad can need 400A three-phase from the first week, because welders, scissor lifts and a batch of rooftop units all come early.

We handle the whole chain: load sizing, the electrical permit, the service request to PG&E, the build, inspection, meter release and the pull at the end. If the utility date slips past your start, we cover those weeks with a towable diesel unit and put a solar camera trailer on the panel area while the site is still open.

Request Equipment Pricing

Jobs that need a pole before anything else

If the site has no usable service, or the existing one is coming out, you need a temporary one. These are the jobs we see most often in the south and east end of Alameda County.

Tilt-up and warehouse shells

Panel casting, crane days and the steel crew all want three-phase power on a pad with no building yet. A 400A service set at the edge of the slab keeps cords short and stays out of the crane swing.

Data center and lab builds

These sites stack trades early and run long shifts. We size the temp service for the electrical and mechanical crews who arrive months before the permanent switchgear does.

Tract and infill housing

New subdivisions in Fremont, Newark and Dublin often need one pole per phase of lots. We can stage several 100A or 200A services and move them as the streets fill in.

Tear-downs and full remodels

Once the house panel is pulled, the crew still needs saws and lights. A small pole near the driveway carries the job until the new service passes final.

Tenant improvements in older buildings

Some industrial buildings off the freeway have a service that is too small or too old to trust. A temp service lets the TI crew work while the new gear is ordered and installed.

Our sequence on a temp pole job

Step 1

Walk the site and list the loads

We look at the plans, the trailer location, the crane pad and the gate. Then we total the running and starting loads and pick 100A, 200A or 400A, single or three-phase.

Step 2

File the permit and the PG&E request

The electrical permit goes to Fremont Building and Safety, or to Hayward, Milpitas, Pleasanton or whichever building division has the address. We send PG&E the service application in that same week.

Step 3

Build and set the assembly

We set the post or stand, mount the meter base and panel, drive the ground rods and run conduit to the point PG&E calls for. A typical residential pole goes up in a few hours.

Step 4

Inspection and energizing

We meet the inspector, fix any punch items on the spot and release the job to PG&E for the meter set. You get a call the day it goes live.

Step 5

Pull it when the permanent service is up

When the building is on its own meter, we cut the temp service, pull the pole and rods and close out the permit.

Why GCs on 880 corridor jobs call us first

The install itself takes a day. What eats schedules is the paperwork and the wait, so that is where we put our hours. We file early, track the PG&E application every week and tell you plainly when a date is at risk.

Service sizes and hardware options

Most of the cost and most of the schedule risk come from the size of the service. Here is how we usually match them to the work.

100A single-phase

Enough for a remodel or a single new house: a trailer, a few saws, a compressor and lighting. It is the quickest build and the lowest monthly rate.

200A single-phase

Common on custom homes, small multifamily and light commercial jobs that run a heated trailer, a welder and more than one trade at once.

400A three-phase

The usual pick for warehouse, tilt-up, lab and data center shells. It feeds lifts, welders, pumps and temporary HVAC, and it goes on a steel stand or skid with heavier conductors.

Wood post or steel stand

A pressure-treated post is fine for most 100A and 200A work. Steel stands suit larger services and paved lots where you cannot dig a deep hole.

Distribution off the pole

We can add spider boxes, cord sets and sub-panels so power reaches the far side of a large pad, and feed electric light towers for night pours from the same service.

Overhead or underground feed

PG&E decides whether the drop comes from a nearby pole or a pad mount. We build to their layout and trench where the feed has to run underground.

Temp pole pricing in the Fremont area

Single-phase poles at 100A or 200A typically cost something in the $1,800 to $4,500 range. Expect $6,000 to $14,000+ for a three-phase 400A build on a commercial pad. While it stays up, the monthly charge on our side sits near $150 to $400. PG&E invoices its own fees to you directly.

Amperage and phase of the service
How far the pole sits from the utility source
Overhead drop or underground trenching
Permit fees in the city that has jurisdiction
Months the service stays energized
Extra distribution, spider boxes and cord runs

We price after a site walk or a plan review and put it in writing, with removal included. Nothing here is a promise until we have seen your site and load list.

Temp pole questions from Fremont contractors

How long does it take to get a temp pole energized?

The build is quick. The wait is the permit and the PG&E meter set, and PG&E lead times change with workload and with the size of the service. Call us as soon as you have an address and we will file right away.

Do I need 400A for a warehouse job?

Not always. Some shells run on 200A three-phase until the MEP trades ramp up. Email over the list of tools and machines, and we will size the service to those loads instead of guessing high.

Who issues the permit for my site?

Inside Fremont it is Community Development, Building and Safety. Newark, Union City, Hayward, Milpitas, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Leandro and Livermore each run their own building division, and Alameda County handles Castro Valley. We check the address and file with the right one.

Can you move the pole partway through the job?

Yes, though a move means a new inspection and often a new PG&E visit, so it costs time. We try to pick a spot on day one that clears the footings, the crane pad and the paving plan.

Can the pole also power internet and cameras?

Yes. Most of our poles feed the office trailer, a bonded cellular router for the trailer and any wired cameras on site. We plan those circuits when we size the panel.

More rentals from our Fremont yard

Get Temp Pole Installation pricing

Ring 510-961-6012 with the site address and dates, or use the form. Quotes go out in writing.