Electrician Los Angeles: $95 to $185 an Hour + LADBS Permits

Two local facts stand out in Los Angeles: old service panels and fire-season power cuts. Angi's Los Angeles guide says many pre-1970s homes in the city still have 60 or 100 amp panels, while 200 amp service is often needed for central AC, EV chargers and modern appliances. And in January 2025, during the windstorm that came with the Palisades and Eaton fires, about 314,000 SCE customers and 92,000 LADWP customers were out at one point, Renewable Energy World reported.

How much does an electrician cost in Los Angeles

Los Angeles has published local electrician prices. Two guides publish them, and they do not agree, so both are shown. Angi's national range for comparison is $50 to $130 an hour; the electrical repair guide has the national table.

Los Angeles prices as each guide publishes them. Your panel size, wall access and permit change the quote.

Do this now: sparks, smoke, a downed line or a dead circuit

Work down this list in order; the first two are not jobs for an electrician.

1. Sparks, smoke or a burning smell: get everyone out and call 911 from outside. Do not stay to open the panel or look for the source.
2. A downed power line: call 911 first, then SCE's emergency line at 1-800-611-1911 if you are in SCE territory, as SCE advises. Inside the city, LADWP takes reports around the clock at 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397).
3. Water near outlets or the panel: shut off the breaker only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot. If you cannot, stay out of the room.
4. One circuit dead: unplug everything on it and reset the breaker one time. If it trips again, stop; breaker keeps tripping explains why.
5. Then call an electrician and ask for the service call fee before anyone is sent.

Is it an emergency? Signs you need an electrician today

Call today if you notice any of these warning signs from ESFI: an outlet or switch that is warm or discolored, sizzling or buzzing, a mild shock or tingle, flickering or dimming lights, or a breaker that trips again and again. Smoke or a burning smell is a 911 call first.

Whole block dark? Call LADWP at 1-800-DIAL-DWP inside the city, or report it at the SCE Outage Center in SCE territory. Call an electrician when the outage is only in your house.

What can usually wait for a daytime visit: one dead outlet after you have pressed RESET on the nearest GFCI and checked the breaker, or a fixture that stopped working with no heat, smell or sound. That keeps you off night and weekend rates, which HomeGuide puts at $150 to $200 an hour. The emergency electrician guide covers after-hours calls.

LADBS electrical permits: what the express permit covers

Most home electrical work in the City of Los Angeles fits an LADBS Express permit, which skips plan check. LADBS lists non-engineered wiring under it, including rewiring or adding devices to existing circuits, installations up to 400 amps in existing homes, EV charging in single-family homes, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. A panel upgrade to 200 amps falls inside that 400 amp limit.

Homeowners can pull an owner-builder permit for electrical work, but LADBS sets three conditions: you do the work before any sale, you have lived in the home for at least 12 months before the work is completed, and you hold owner-builder permits on no more than two structures in any three-year period. Anyone you hire must be licensed and bonded in California.

Local rules and contacts for Los Angeles, from official city, state and utility pages unless the source says otherwise.

We did not find a City of Los Angeles electrician registration on top of the CSLB license. The electrician license guide by state compares California with five other states.

Wind, fire and shutoffs: LADWP or SCE

Inside the city, LADWP runs the grid; much of the surrounding county is SCE. During the January 2025 fires, SCE's Public Safety Power Shutoffs cut power to 166,737 customers, with another 436,933 under consideration. A shutoff is not something an electrician can fix. If you are thinking about backup power, see generator installation for that.

• LADWP area out: call 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397) or check ladwp.com/outages.
• SCE area out: report it at the SCE Outage Center online.
• Line down in SCE territory: SCE says call 911 first, then its emergency line at 1-800-611-1911. In LADWP territory, call 911 and report it to LADWP at 1-800-DIAL-DWP.
• Smoke, sparks or a burning smell inside: leave and call 911.
• Power is back on the street but part of the house is dead: call an electrician.

Older LA homes: panels, AC and EV chargers

Angi's LA guide points to 60 and 100 amp panels in pre-1970s homes. Its LA average for a panel replacement is $1,990, and ConsumerAffairs puts a 200 amp upgrade at $2,400 to $5,800. If you are adding a car charger, ConsumerAffairs lists $1,200 to $3,500 installed in LA. The electrical panel upgrade guide covers Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels, and EV charger installation covers chargers and circuits.

Hiring an LA electrician and filing a complaint

1. Ask for the CSLB license number and confirm it is a C-10.
2. Ask who pulls the LADBS permit and whether it is in the price.
3. Ask for the service call fee and the hourly rate.
4. For a panel job, ask what amperage the new service will be.
5. Get the price in writing first.

CSLB takes complaints against licensed and unlicensed contractors for up to four years from the date of the act. Calls to the electrician line go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; how calls work.

Solar homes on LADWP or SCE have their own rules; the Los Angeles solar service guide covers them.