A standard single-family electrical panel replacement in Los Angeles starts around $3,500. The starting price fits a same-capacity swap with ordinary access and limited service changes. Older wiring, a panel relocation, grounding corrections, or meter work raise the price from there. The starting price is not a quote for a 100-to-200-amp utility service upgrade.
A full 200-amp service upgrade starts around $9,000. That larger job may include work with the utility, a new meter, grounding, thicker service wires, mast changes, permits, and power restore. A subpanel is a smaller project, with a planning range of $1,200 to $3,500. Multi-meter work needs its own per-meter scope rather than a single-home panel price.
Published Los Angeles panel costs
| Scope | Published price | What the number may cover |
|---|---|---|
| Standard home panel swap | From about $3,500 | Varies with panel size, wiring, access, service work, and permit fees |
| Full 200-amp service upgrade | From about $9,000 | Broader service work that can include utility, meter, grounding, or service-equipment changes |
| Add a subpanel | $1,200 to $3,500 | More circuit space where the main service has enough power |
| New meter bank and related work | $3,500 to $7,500 or more per meter | Power and meter work for two or more units |
These are starting figures for planning, not fixed prices or price caps. Many Los Angeles homes price above them once an electrician inspects the panel, wiring, and service. Your written quote sets the price for your property. A useful estimate should say exactly what will remain, what will be replaced, and which utility or city charges are included.
Same-capacity swap versus a service upgrade
A same-size panel swap replaces an old or damaged panel without raising the home’s service size. The work may include the metal box, breakers, labels, grounding fixes, permit, inspection, and power restore. If the meter, service wires, mast, and amp rating stay the same, the job stays closer to the standard swap starting price.
A 100-to-200-amp upgrade changes available service capacity. It can involve a new meter-main, larger service conductors, grounding and bonding work, utility approval, and changes to the overhead or underground service. The panel location may also have to meet present clearance rules. Those additions explain why a full service upgrade can cost far more than replacing the panel box.
Get the amp rating and service scope in writing. A proposal marked “200-amp panel” may describe a 200-amp-rated box without confirming that the utility service will rise to 200 amps. That gap affects both price and the power the property can use. PowerRoute’s electrical panel service and replacement page shows how each scope is handled.
Where a subpanel fits
A subpanel adds breaker space and routes circuits to an addition, garage, accessory dwelling unit, or other part of a property. Plan on about $1,200 to $3,500. Distance, feeder size, access, permits, and the state of the wiring can change that price.
A subpanel does not increase utility service capacity. If the main service is already carrying its calculated load, more breaker spaces do not solve that problem. The electrician should review the service rating, panel bus, connected loads, and planned additions before recommending a subpanel instead of an upgrade.
Why multi-meter and switchgear work costs more
Duplexes and apartment buildings have a different cost structure. PowerRoute lists $1,200 to $3,500 per meter for a basic meter addition with existing capacity, $2,500 to $5,500 per meter where panel modifications are needed, and $3,500 to $7,500 or more per meter for a new meter bank with full system integration. A separate Los Angeles panel page gives $6,000 to $15,000 for multi-meter or specialty projects.
Those jobs may involve meter banks, tenant feeds, shared loads, large service gear, utility review, and a longer shutoff plan. The number of units alone does not set the budget. The site’s current power and wiring plan do. For a closer look at this type of job, read the Los Angeles multi-meter cost guide.
Utility shutdown, meter work, and reconnection
Service equipment cannot be treated like an ordinary indoor circuit. When the work reaches the utility connection or meter, the serving utility may need to approve the plan, disconnect power, and return for reconnection. Some properties also need meter relocation, service mast work, or changes to underground service equipment.
That step can control the schedule. Once the utility turns off power, a crew may finish a simple panel swap in one workday. The full job takes longer. Permit review, utility approval, inspection, and power restore can stretch the process across several weeks. Ask who sends the utility forms, who books the shutoff, and whether the bid includes temporary power.
When SCE serves the property
Most of the City of Los Angeles gets power from LADWP. Pasadena gets power from Pasadena Water and Power. Southern California Edison (SCE) serves many neighboring communities, including Altadena and much of unincorporated Los Angeles County. Check the utility name on your electric bill. Where SCE serves the home, the service work runs in this order:
- Open the request with SCE. SCE lists panel upgrades and meter spots for an existing service connection on its building and renovation project request page. For lockring removal or reinstall on a panel upgrade, SCE asks an authorized account holder to call 1-800-655-4555.
- Confirm the meter location. The new panel and meter socket have to meet SCE’s Electric Service Requirements. SCE’s electrician FAQ states SCE has the right to require a noncompliant panel to be moved, even after inspection.
- SCE disconnects the service. On a same-size swap, local procedures in SCE territory follow one pattern: SCE cuts power in the morning, the crew replaces the panel, and the building inspector checks the work the same day. Working on a live service panel or removing SCE’s tag and meter ring breaks the law.
- The building department releases the meter. Under SCE Rule 16, SCE restores service after the city or county notifies SCE the installed work passed inspection and is safe to energize. A passed inspection with no release on file means no power.
- SCE handles the service drop. Rule 16 assigns the overhead or underground service conductors from SCE’s line to the service point to SCE. You own the service entrance conductors, mast, and meter socket. When a larger service needs new drop conductors, SCE designs and schedules the drop work, and SCE’s calendar sets the reconnect date.
SCE also lists a Common Facility Cost Treatment program for homes with a panel under 100 amps upgrading to no more than 200 amps. Ask SCE or your electrician whether your home qualifies before you price the utility side.
LADBS and Pasadena permits and inspection
Panel and service upgrades require permits. In Los Angeles, LADBS handles the permit and inspection. Pasadena uses its Building and Safety Division. A basic home panel swap may qualify for an online express permit when the work is simple. A large service or multi-meter job may need plan review and more work with the utility. Pasadena homeowners can see that process on the Pasadena electrical panel upgrade page.
The inspection closes the permit and checks the installed work against the approved scope and applicable code. Do not assume the utility reconnection is the same as city approval. A good proposal assigns responsibility for the permit, inspection appointment, corrections if needed, and final closeout.
What LADBS charges for a panel permit
LADBS prices electrical permits by line item. Its posted Electrical Permit Fee Schedule (Rev. 12/2016) lists these residential service items:
- Service, 0 to 200 amps: $16 each
- Panelboard or switchboard, 0 to 200 amps: $16 each
- Service, 201 to 600 amps: $34 each
- Panelboard or switchboard, 201 to 600 amps: $38 each
- Minimum permit fee: $90 for two or more items
- Permit issuing fee: $23 once the subtotal passes $90
- Surcharges: 3% plan review (D.S.C.S.) and 6% systems, each on the permit subtotal
- Special inspections, including existing buildings and reconnections: $104 per hour
A same-size 200-amp service and panel replacement lists two $16 items. The $90 minimum applies, the issuing fee stays at $0, and the two surcharges add $8.10. The LADBS fee lands near $98. A 400-amp service lists $34 plus $38, which still falls under the $90 minimum. City fees stay small next to labor and equipment. The larger permit cost is the contractor’s time to file, meet the inspector, and handle corrections. Run your scope through the LADBS Permit Fee Calculator for the exact city figure, and ask the bid to list the city fee and any permit handling charge as separate lines.
Older-home conditions that change the scope
Los Angeles has many properties built for lighter electrical demand. Renovations may have added air conditioning, kitchen equipment, an electric dryer, a pool, solar, an accessory dwelling unit, or EV charging. Older branch wiring, grounding and bonding conditions, corrosion, crowded conductors, and unapproved alterations may appear only after the panel is opened.
Location can create added work too. The existing panel may sit in a closet, over steps, or in another area that does not fit current access or clearance rules. Stucco repair, wall access, conduit routing, service mast changes, or trenching can raise cost. Ask the electrician to separate required code corrections from optional future-ready work so the choice is clear.
Asbestos near the panel
Plaster, stucco, joint compound, and panel backboards in some older homes contain asbestos. Los Angeles County sits mostly inside the South Coast AQMD, and its Rule 1403 requires a survey signed by an asbestos consultant before renovation. A house is exempt from the survey when the work removes less than 100 square feet of intact material. A panel swap in the same spot usually stays under that line. Relocating the panel, opening walls for new conduit, or disturbing damaged material pushes the job toward a survey, lab testing, and licensed abatement before electrical work starts. The under-100-square-foot exception covers houses only. Condos, townhouses, and apartments need the survey.
Knob-and-tube wiring
Knob-and-tube wiring runs single conductors on porcelain knobs and tubes with no ground wire. Have a licensed electrician assess existing knob-and-tube wiring, insulation, and planned circuit changes before deciding what can remain and what needs rewiring. When the new panel goes in, the electrician tests each old circuit. Branch circuits modified, replaced, or extended during the job fall under the arc-fault protection rule in CEC 210.12(D). Expect the quote to list each knob-and-tube circuit as one of three options: reconnect as-is, add AFCI protection, or rewire. Rewiring is a separate line item from the panel.
Undersized service
Some older homes still run on a 60-amp or smaller service. CEC 230.79(C) sets 100 amps as the minimum service disconnect rating for a one-family dwelling, so a replacement lands at 100 amps or more. The electrician runs a load calculation for the existing home (CEC 220.83) against the loads you have and plan: air conditioning, a heat pump, an electric range or dryer, an EV charger, or an ADU. When the result exceeds what the current service drop, meter, and mast support, the job becomes a full service upgrade with utility work. That shift explains the gap between a swap starting around $3,500 and a service upgrade starting around $9,000 in the table above.
Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and insurance questions
Federal Pacific Electric and Zinsco panels have documented safety concerns. Federal Pacific breakers have been associated with failure to trip under overload conditions, while some Zinsco components have been linked to overheating and bus-bar damage. This does not mean every panel has already failed. It does mean the brand, condition, breaker operation, and signs of heat damage deserve a professional assessment. Our Federal Pacific panel replacement guide covers identification, insurance and replacement steps. If breakers trip often, run hot, or will not reset, the circuit breaker repair page explains when a repair fits and when the panel should go.
Some insurers require replacement of certain older panel types before issuing or renewing coverage. That is not a universal rule, and the electrical contractor does not make the coverage decision. Ask your carrier what documentation it needs, then use the electrician’s inspection findings and written scope to respond.
Rebates and financing can change net cost
Some utility programs may help pay for panel work tied to an EV charger or other new electric load. The rules may depend on the utility, address, income, area, property type, old gear, and planned work. Amounts and terms change. Check the live program page before you count a rebate in the budget.
Timing is important. Utility approval may be needed before physical work begins, and permits, a load calculation, final inspection, contractor documents, and equipment records may be part of the process. Reviews can take several weeks to a few months, and rebates are not guaranteed. Start with PowerRoute’s Edison EBD program overview or the Edison EV panel rebate guide for panel work tied to an EV charger, then confirm current terms with the utility.
PowerRoute also states that financing options may be available for electrical upgrades. Financing changes payment timing, not the installed scope. Compare the total financed cost, terms, and approved project price before signing.
Signs your panel may be due for review
- Breakers trip often or will not reset normally.
- Lights flicker or dim when large equipment starts.
- The panel feels warm or makes buzzing or crackling sounds.
- There is a burning odor, scorching, rust, water damage, or corrosion.
- The panel has no practical breaker space for planned circuits.
- The home still has an older fuse box or a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel.
- You are adding EV charging, an accessory dwelling unit, solar, battery storage, HVAC, or another large load.
Some of these signs call for prompt evaluation. Do not remove the cover or touch service equipment. If there is smoke, active arcing, or a strong burning smell, keep clear and seek emergency help.
Questions about electrical panel upgrade cost
How much is a same-capacity panel swap?
Plan on a starting price around $3,500 for a standard panel replacement. Final cost rises with panel size, wiring condition, access, grounding work, service changes, and permit fees.
How much is a 100-to-200-amp upgrade?
A full 200-amp service upgrade starts around $9,000. Ask whether the estimate includes utility coordination, meter-main equipment, service conductors, grounding, mast work, permits, inspection, and reconnection. Scope explains more than the label.
Can I add a subpanel instead?
Possibly. A subpanel can add circuit space and improve distribution when the existing main service has enough capacity. It cannot raise the utility service rating. A load calculation should come before that decision.
How long does a panel upgrade take?
A crew may finish a simple on-site panel swap in one workday after the utility shuts off power. The full job can take several weeks because the permit, utility review, shutoff, inspection, and power restore happen around that work.
Does an old panel always need replacement?
There is no blanket age rule for every panel. Condition, capacity, panel type, breaker performance, code issues, visible damage, and planned loads all matter. Federal Pacific or Zinsco equipment deserves careful review, but the recommendation should be based on the actual panel and project.
Request a clear panel upgrade scope
PowerRoute Electric & Plumbing can inspect the panel, check the home’s load, map the permit and utility steps, and tell a basic panel swap from a full service upgrade. Review the Los Angeles electrical panel upgrade service, then ask for a written bid that names the amp rating, meter work, permit, inspection, power restore, and exclusions.
