Texas TDSP Meter Base Relocation Process

Why this matters

In Texas, the Transmission and Distribution Service Provider (TDSP, also called TDU) owns the service drop, the meter, and the meter socket up to the load-side lugs. Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and Texas-New Mexico Power each maintain their own service requirements document, and a meter base relocation requires coordination with both the TDSP and the building department. Customer-side mistakes (wrong meter base, wrong wire to the line side, no TDSP inspection) result in the meter not being set, the customer being without power for days, and the electrician absorbing the rework. This SOP covers the Oncor and CenterPoint process; AEP and TNMP follow similar rules with slightly different forms.

Who owns what

The point of demarcation in Texas:

• TDSP owns: overhead service drop or underground service lateral up to the line-side lugs of the meter socket, the meter itself, and the seal
• Customer owns: meter base socket enclosure, mast or weatherhead, service entrance conductors above the line-side lugs are TDSP, conductors from load-side lugs to the main service disconnect, and everything downstream

This means the meter base is customer-owned hardware but must conform to the TDSP's approved equipment list and approved installation specs.

When relocation is required

Typical triggers:

• Service upgrade from 100 A or 150 A to 200 A or 320 A (large remodels, EV charging, ADU)
• Demolition or addition that puts the existing meter location within prohibited clearances per the TDSP service standards
• Restoration after vehicle impact or storm damage
• Customer request to move from front of house to side or rear for aesthetics
• Conversion from overhead to underground (or vice versa)

Pre-application checklist (Oncor and CenterPoint share most items)

Before submitting:

1. Confirm the existing service is fed by the target TDSP. Texas has 4 regulated TDSPs plus several cooperatives; the bill identifies which.
2. Pull the local building department electrical permit. Service work requires permit in every Texas jurisdiction with electrical inspection authority.
3. Select the new meter base from the TDSP's approved equipment list. Oncor lists Milbank, Eaton, Square D, and Siemens approved socket numbers in the Oncor Service Standards Manual. Substitutions are rejected.
4. Verify clearances at the proposed location:
   • 36 inches working space in front of the meter (NEC 110.26 applies even though it is TDSP equipment)
   • 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet 6 inches from finished grade to the center of the meter (Oncor spec; CenterPoint allows 4 to 6 feet)
   • Not under a roof overhang less than 8 feet above grade unless service drop attachment requires it
   • Not over a deck, porch, or balcony
   • 3 feet horizontal clearance from gas meters, gas regulators, gas vents
   • 10 feet from operable windows for outdoor service

Application submittal

Oncor and CenterPoint both require an online Service Request through the construction services portal:

• Customer name, address, ESI ID (the unique meter identifier)
• Existing service type and capacity, proposed service type and capacity
• Site plan showing proposed meter location, existing pole or pad-mount transformer, proposed routing of the service drop or lateral
• Proposed meter base manufacturer and model
• Estimated date of cut-over

The TDSP returns a Service Plan and a Customer Estimate. The Service Plan describes any TDSP-side work (new transformer tap, line extension, conduit from the transformer to the lateral) and the cost responsibility.

Inspection sequence

Three inspections are typical:

1. Building department rough inspection: meter base mounted, weatherhead or lateral conduit installed, grounding electrode conductor (GEC) installed, intersystem bonding terminal installed per NEC 250.94. Conductors not yet installed in conduit.
2. Building department final electrical: conductors installed, main disconnect installed, panel labeled, grounding and bonding verified.
3. TDSP meter set inspection: TDSP technician verifies the meter base, the seal hasp, the clearances, then installs the meter and seals the cover.

The TDSP will not set the meter without a passed building inspection report uploaded or faxed to their dispatch.

Grounding and bonding for the new service

Per NEC Article 250 and Texas adoptions:

• Driven ground rod electrodes: two 8 foot copper-clad ground rods minimum, 6 feet apart, bonded with #6 AWG bare copper minimum
• Concrete-encased electrode (Ufer) if accessible: #4 AWG bare copper minimum, 20 feet length in foundation footing
• Water service bonding: #4 AWG to the metallic water service within 5 feet of building entry per NEC 250.52(A)(1)
• Intersystem bonding terminal (IBT) per NEC 250.94 at the meter base or within sight; this is the connection point for cable, telephone, and gas bonding
• Main bonding jumper at the service disconnect (NEC 250.24(B))

Common rejection causes from TDSP inspectors

• Meter base manufacturer not on approved list (Oncor and CenterPoint do not interchange)
• Lugs torqued visibly over-spec, deforming the bus
• Grounding electrode conductor connected to load-side neutral bus instead of the line-side neutral lug
• Service entrance conductors not the correct size for the rating (200 A requires 2/0 AWG copper or 4/0 aluminum per NEC Table 310.12 for residential)
• No bonding bushing on metallic conduit at the meter base
• Mast height less than 18 feet to attachment point for residential overhead, where required by the TDSP service standards
• Meter location does not meet the 36 inch working space requirement; common when meter is installed too close to an outside corner

References

• Oncor Service Standards Manual (current revision, available at Oncor Construction Services portal)
• CenterPoint Energy Service Standards (current revision)
• NEC 2023 Article 230 Services and Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
• Texas Administrative Code Title 16, Chapter 25 Substantive Rules Applicable to Electric Service Providers
• NEC 2023 Section 110.26 Spaces About Electrical Equipment