Usualy the POCO's don't care what electricians do, they just like a heads up that you're cutting a seal. I wasn't aware that most NY meters are locked with barrel locks.
Around here they are locked after someone has been suspected of stealing. So I was assuming that it was locked for a reason and you wouldn't be tricking anyone by putting the lock back on after. You may actually get your customer in more trouble if they notice the meter has been removed after they locked them for possible tampering.
They can't tell that smart meters have been removed and put back in unless the POCO takes the meter out and anylizes it. Some of the new meters work on remote so they can actually tell in real time if they're removed, but almost all meters are just regular type.
I would still say that having a barrel lock key is a bad idea even if you are using it for the right reasons. You might end up running into some meter reader that wants to bust your balls for using it. You're better off cutting the lock and letting them know that you had to do it. Nobody would care if you did it that way in the company's area that I'm in.
It's kind of like carrying a lock pick set around.. not really illegal, but also something that people who aren't breaking the law other than a lock smith would carry around. Best example I could think of
