The honest answer, up front
Connecting a portable generator to your house through an inlet box and a panel interlock is a modification to your electrical service panel. In South Carolina, that kind of work is permitted and inspected, the same as adding a circuit or upgrading a panel. It is not a gray area. The good news: with Backup Power Pro you do none of the paperwork. We pull the permit under our SC electrical contractor license, do the install, and stand for the inspection. It is all in the flat price.
Why the permit matters (it is not just a rule)
A permit and inspection are the part most cheap quotes quietly skip, because skipping them saves the installer time and money. Here is what they actually protect:
- Safety. An inspector verifies the interlock is correct so your generator can never back-feed the utility line, which protects you and the lineman working to restore power.
- Your insurance. An unpermitted electrical change can give a homeowner's insurer a reason to deny a claim if anything related ever goes wrong.
- Your home sale. Unpermitted work routinely gets flagged during a buyer's home inspection, and then it has to be fixed or permitted retroactively, usually at the worst possible time.
- It is the law. Panel modifications require a permit in the jurisdictions we serve. Doing it on a permit is simply the correct way.
Who is allowed to pull the permit
In South Carolina, electrical permits for this kind of work are pulled by a licensed electrical contractor. Backup Power Pro holds SC Electrical Contractor License #2942, so we pull it for you and our license stands behind the inspection.
Some jurisdictions do allow a homeowner to pull a permit on their own primary residence. You can ask your local building department about that. But the work still has to pass an electrical inspection, and a panel interlock has to be done right to pass. Most homeowners would rather the permit, the responsibility, and the sign-off sit with a licensed electrician than with themselves, which is exactly what we do.
The counties and cities we permit in
We pull the correct permit for your specific address. Each of these runs its own building department and sets its own permit fee, and we handle whichever one applies to you:
Towns we cover inside those counties include Simpsonville, Mauldin, Greer, Taylors, Fountain Inn, Duncan, Boiling Springs, and Inman. If you are in Greenville, Spartanburg, or Pickens County, we know which office to file with. See your city's page for local detail.
How the permit and inspection actually go
- We pull the permit. Once you confirm your job, we file with the correct county or city building department under License #2942. You sign nothing.
- We install. The inlet box, the interlock, the generator breaker, and all the wiring, done to code in one day.
- The inspector verifies it. A local electrical inspector checks the interlock and the install. Because it was done right, it passes.
- You are signed off. The permit closes out. Your install is now on the record as permitted and inspected, which is exactly what your insurer and a future buyer want to see.
What the permit costs you
- The permit and permit fee
- The county or city inspection
- Weatherproof inlet box (30A or 50A)
- Interlock kit for your panel
- Generator breaker + all wiring
- One-day labor, no return trips
There is no separate "permit charge" that lands on the bill afterward. The fee is built in.
What this connects (so the scope is clear)
This permitted inlet and interlock connects the portable generator you already own to power your selected essential circuits through your panel, the fridge, the furnace blower, the well pump, some lights, the internet. It is not a whole-home standby system and it is not a Generac. If a standby unit is the better fit for your home, we will tell you.
Want your exact, permit-included number for your address? It takes about 30 seconds. Read the full inlet and interlock guide, or get your price below.