How Much Does an Electrical Panel Upgrade Cost in Los Angeles?
A typical 100-amp to 200-amp panel upgrade in a Los Angeles home costs $2,500 to $6,000, rising to $6,000–$10,000 or more when the service entrance, meter base, or weatherhead has to be relocated or utility coordination requires trenching. Green Design and Build is a licensed general contractor (CSLB #1110975), bonded and insured, based in Van Nuys, and we handle panel upgrades both as standalone projects and as part of larger remodels, ADUs, and electrification work.
Electrical panel upgrade cost by scenario
| Scenario | What’s included | Typical Los Angeles range |
|---|---|---|
| 100-amp to 200-amp panel upgrade | New panel, breakers, grounding/bonding, permit and inspection | $2,500 – $6,000 |
| 200-amp upgrade with service entrance, meter base, or weatherhead relocation | Above, plus moving the point where utility power connects to the house, possibly including trenching for a relocated service | $6,000 – $10,000+ |
| Sub-panel addition | New sub-panel fed from the existing main panel, for added capacity in a specific area (garage, ADU, kitchen) | $1,000 – $2,500 |
These are typical Los Angeles budgeting estimates, not a price list or a quote. Your project can come in lower or higher depending on the house, the scope and the finishes; the only real number is a written proposal after a site visit.
What changes the price
- Current panel amperage and condition. A 60-amp fuse panel from the 1950s needs more work to bring up to 200 amps than an existing 100-amp breaker panel that’s simply undersized for today’s loads.
- Whether the service entrance has to move. If the meter base or weatherhead needs to relocate — common when the existing service location can’t physically accommodate a larger panel — that adds real labor and utility coordination on top of the panel swap itself.
- Utility coordination. Upgrading service amperage requires coordinating with the utility — LADWP within the City of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison in most surrounding cities — for a temporary power shutdown and reconnection, and their scheduling windows generally drive part of the project timeline.
- Sub-panel vs. main panel. A sub-panel is a smaller, faster, cheaper project than a full main panel replacement, and is often the right answer when you just need more circuits in one area rather than more total capacity.
- What’s driving the upgrade. ADUs, EV chargers, induction ranges and double ovens, heat pump HVAC, and solar all add electrical load — a load calculation determines whether your existing service can handle the addition or whether the panel itself needs to grow.
- Panel brand and breaker space. A panel with more available breaker slots costs somewhat more but avoids a second sub-panel down the line if you’re adding more circuits soon.
- Permit and inspection. Panel work always requires a permit and inspection, and coordinating that inspection with the utility shutdown affects scheduling more than it affects cost.
Do you really need 200 amps?
Not automatically. If you’re not adding an EV charger, induction range, heat pump system, ADU, or solar, a 100-amp panel in good condition may have enough headroom for normal household use — a load calculation, not a guess, is what actually answers this. Where a 100-amp panel is genuinely full, a sub-panel dedicated to one new large load (say, an EV charger or a laundry circuit) can sometimes solve the immediate problem for a fraction of a full 200-amp upgrade.
That said, most ADU projects, whole-house electrification (replacing gas appliances and HVAC with electric), and solar-plus-battery installations do require 200 amps, and older 60-amp or fuse-box services almost always need to be replaced regardless of what you’re adding, simply because that equipment is obsolete and increasingly hard to insure or finance against.
Do you need a permit?
Yes — a panel upgrade generally requires a building/electrical permit and a final inspection, and it generally requires utility coordination for the temporary service disconnect: LADWP if you’re in the City of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison in most neighboring cities. Skipping the permit on panel work is a serious liability issue, since an unpermitted panel can complicate insurance claims and future home sales.
How long does it take?
The physical panel swap itself is often done in a single day once the crew is on site and the utility has scheduled the shutdown. The part that takes longer is scheduling: permit approval and utility coordination can add anywhere from several days to a few weeks depending on the city and the utility’s current scheduling backlog, especially if a service relocation is involved. Build the utility coordination step into your timeline expectations from the start, not as an afterthought.
How to compare quotes
A solid proposal specifies: the new panel’s amperage and brand, the number of breaker spaces, whether a service entrance, meter base, or weatherhead relocation is included, whether a load calculation was actually performed (not assumed), whether grounding and bonding upgrades are included, who is responsible for utility coordination and scheduling, permit costs, and the labor warranty.
Red flags: a price that doesn’t specify the panel brand or breaker count, no mention of a load calculation when you’re adding EV charging, solar, or an ADU, and no clear answer about who handles the utility shutdown request.
Where we do this work
We serve Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties, plus western Riverside and western San Bernardino counties, from our Van Nuys office. That covers San Fernando Valley cities like Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, and Encino, along with panel upgrades tied to ADU, kitchen, and garage conversion projects across the broader region. See related work in our project gallery.
Electrical panel upgrade cost FAQs
How do I know if I need a full panel upgrade or just a sub-panel?
It comes down to whether your existing service has enough total capacity for what you’re adding. A load calculation tells you this directly — if the main service is maxed out, a sub-panel won’t fix that; if it has room, a sub-panel can add circuits for less than a full upgrade.
Will I lose power during the upgrade?
Yes, briefly — the utility has to disconnect and reconnect service, which typically means a period without power on installation day, usually planned in advance around the utility’s scheduled shutdown window.
Do I need 200 amps for an ADU?
Most ADU projects either require 200 amps on the main house panel or a dedicated sub-panel sized for the ADU’s loads, depending on what the ADU includes (electric range, heat pump, EV charging) and how much capacity the existing service has left. This gets determined with a load calculation during design.
Is LADWP or Southern California Edison involved in every panel upgrade?
Utility coordination is generally required any time the service amperage changes, since the utility has to disconnect power to your house safely and verify the new service afterward. Which utility applies depends on your city — LADWP inside the City of Los Angeles, Southern California Edison in most surrounding cities.
Can I upgrade my panel without a permit to save money?
You can, but you shouldn’t — unpermitted electrical panel work is a real liability for insurance claims, future home sales, and safety, and it’s exactly the kind of work a home inspector flags. The permit and inspection cost is small relative to the risk of skipping it.
How old does my panel need to be before I should worry about it?
Age alone isn’t the whole story — a 60-amp fuse panel or an older panel with a brand history of breaker failures (some 1960s–1980s brands had documented reliability issues) is worth addressing regardless of your current load needs. A licensed electrician can assess condition, not just age, during a site visit.
Get a written electrical panel upgrade price for your house
Panel pricing depends on your current service, what you’re adding, and whether the utility connection point has to move — all of which we assess on site, not over the phone. Call (800) 348-3050 for a free site visit, or reach out through our electrical page — we’ll send a written proposal within 48 hours.