Getting a permit when meters already exist

[Chidi Dillibe]

Hello all,

I ran into a couple of 4 unit properties where it's listed on the MLS as a 3 unit but has 4 electrical meters. LA code enforcement can be ridiculous so I'm curious about this.

My question is how troublesome and costly is it to get a unit permitted if it already has an electric/gas meter installed to it? Has anyone ever dealt with this scenario when buying and give their experience? I always assumed that a meter would only be installed on a permitted construction.

Thanks