Electrician in Tacoma, WA — commercial and residential
HB Power Electric is a licensed Washington electrical contractor (# HBPOWPE758PO) that takes commercial and larger residential work in Tacoma, about an hour south of Bothell. Tacoma is unusual: Tacoma Power is both the electric utility and the electrical permitting and inspection authority, so one organisation handles both sides of the job.
- Permitted & inspected
- Owner-run · WA Journey Level (01) + Electrical Administrator
- Licensed and bonded — verify # HBPOWPE758PO ↗ (opens in a new tab)
| Electric utility | Tacoma Power (Tacoma Power) |
|---|---|
| Electrical permits | Tacoma Power |
| From our Bothell base | About 60 minutes |
| Licence | WA Electrical Contractor # HBPOWPE758PO (General (01)) |
| Completed work here | None yet — see the note below |
Tacoma is the south end of the corridor and the one place on our route where the utility and the permit office are the same organisation. Tacoma Power issues the electrical permit, sends the inspector and runs the rebate programmes, which simplifies scheduling once you know how the office works. We take Tacoma work that justifies the hour's drive: commercial tenant improvements, multi-port EV charging, panel and service upgrades, and battery or transfer-switch installations — not a single-receptacle service call. Our nearest completed jobs are a restaurant and bar tenant improvement in Federal Way, about twenty minutes north, and a whole-home battery backup in the Puyallup area, inside Pierce County. We say that plainly rather than imply a Tacoma project we have not yet done.
Who permits electrical work in Tacoma
Tacoma Power both permits and inspects electrical work in its service area, covering Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, Fife and parts of Lakewood and Steilacoom. Outside that footprint — Puyallup, Graham, unincorporated Pierce County — the authority is Washington L&I, and Milton runs its own programme.
Tacoma Power — permit information ↗
Whichever office it is, the contractor buys the permit before work starts, which is what WAC 296-46B-901 requires. We pull it and we schedule the inspection.
What Tacoma Power pays for in Tacoma
Tacoma Power serves Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, Fife and parts of Lakewood and Steilacoom. Puyallup, Graham and most of the rest of Pierce County are Puget Sound Energy.
| Programme | What it pays | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| Community EV charging Apply before you buy the equipment. | $5,000 per networked port (up to $50,000); $10,000 per port in priority zones (up to $70,000); $2,000 per non-networked port | Commercial and multifamily sites in Tacoma Power territory. Workplace-only sites are excluded from the priority tier. Status: Funding was temporarily paused in 2026; applications were still being accepted as of 2026-09-05. Confirm before relying on it. Verified 5 September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Bright Rebates lighting Apply before you buy the equipment. | Small business $0.19/kWh up to 100% of installed cost; general commercial $0.17/kWh up to 60% | Tacoma Power business customers; DLC or ENERGY STAR products; pre-approval required Verified 5 September 2026 · source ↗ |
Utility incentives are set by Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish County PUD and Tacoma Power and change without notice. Figures were last verified on 5 September 2026. Most programs require pre-approval before equipment is purchased; HB Power Electric helps prepare applications but cannot guarantee approval or amounts.
What we do most in Tacoma
Tenant improvements
The work that justifies the drive: restaurant, retail and office build-outs bid from plans and an equipment schedule.
Backup power
Battery, smart panel and transfer-switch installations, proven on a Pierce County job.
EV charging
Tacoma Power's community charging programme pays per port — check its funding status before you count on it.
Panels
Panel and service work bundled with a charger, a heat pump or a battery so one trip covers it.
Our nearest completed work
We have not yet completed a project inside the Tacoma city limits. The nearest finished work is a restaurant and bar tenant improvement in Federal Way, roughly twenty minutes north on I-5, and a whole-home battery backup near Puyallup, inside Pierce County. Both are shown in full on our projects page.
- Federal Way, about 20 minutes north — a restaurant and bar tenant improvement: exposed EMT across a dark ceiling to track and downlights, MC cable rough-in through framing to labelled boxes, and a new kitchen panel with a circuit schedule covering two 30 A coffee circuits, dishwasher, hood and refrigeration, convection and 40 A combi ovens, cooktop, microwave, a 30 A water heater, a 20 A pump and 30 A plus 40 A air conditioning.
- Puyallup area, inside Pierce County — an EcoFlow Delta Pro Ultra inverter on four battery modules with a Smart Home Panel 2 beside the existing load centre.
Neighbourhoods and nearby cities
We cover Downtown Tacoma, Stadium District, Proctor, North End, Hilltop, South Tacoma, Fife, University Place and Fircrest , about 60 minutes from our Bothell base.
Nearby: Seattle Bellevue Bothell every city we cover
Tacoma questions
Who permits and inspects electrical work in Tacoma?
Tacoma Power — the same organisation that sells you the electricity. That is unusual in Washington. Seattle uses SDCI, cities such as Bellevue and Everett run their own programmes, and most of the rest of our route goes through L&I. Inside the Tacoma Power service area, which also covers Fircrest, University Place, Fife and parts of Lakewood and Steilacoom, both the permit and the inspection come from the utility.
Is the Tacoma Power EV charger rebate still funded?
Check before you count on it. As of 5 September 2026 Tacoma Power's community EV charging programme listed $5,000 per networked port up to $50,000, $10,000 per port in priority zones up to $70,000, and $2,000 per non-networked port — but funding was described as temporarily paused, with applications still accepted. We will confirm the current status with the utility as part of the proposal rather than quoting a rebate that may not pay out.
What does Tacoma Power's lighting programme pay a small business?
Tacoma Power's Bright Rebates pay small businesses $0.19 per kWh saved, up to 100% of the installed cost — the most generous lighting programme on our route. General commercial customers get $0.17 per kWh up to 60%. Products must be DLC or ENERGY STAR listed and the project needs pre-approval, so do not buy the fixtures first. Verified 5 September 2026.
Do you really drive to Tacoma from Bothell?
For the right job, yes — it is about an hour each way. That makes sense for a tenant improvement, a multi-port charging installation, a service upgrade or a battery system, where we are on site for days. It does not make sense for a single outlet, and we would rather tell you that than pad a quote to cover the drive. Federal Way and Kent are much closer to routine for us.
Working on something in Tacoma?
Call or text and you will reach the owner, not a call centre. For anything with a drawing, an equipment list or a deadline, send it through the quote form and you will get a written scope back.
We reply as soon as we are off the job — usually the same day.