Hiring an Electrician for a Panel Upgrade or EV Charger: License, Certification and Permits
A main panel upgrade or a Level 2 EV charger is electrical work on the most dangerous part of your house, and California checks it at two levels. The company needs a C-10 Electrical license from the Contractors State License Board — active, bonded, with workers' comp in order. The people doing the wiring for a C-10 contractor generally must be state-certified electricians (or registered trainees working under one), a program run by the Department of Industrial Relations. The job needs an electrical permit and an inspection, and a panel or service upgrade also involves your utility. Before you sign, check all three — and look at the company's record of permitted panel upgrades and EV chargers, which says more than its ads. Cali-Graf, the free directory built by Cali Energy, a Los Angeles solar and roofing contractor, puts the license and the permitted jobs on one page.
Check the company
| Check | What you want to see |
|---|---|
| License class | C-10 Electrical (some general contractors with a B license also do electrical work as part of a larger project) |
| Status | Active |
| Bond | A contractor bond in force |
| Workers' comp | Insured, or exempt only if the owner works alone — ask who will be in your garage |
Look the license number up on cslb.ca.gov, or in Cali-Graf's license check for Southern California solar, roofing and electrical contractors. What "bonded" and "exempt" mean for you is in bonds and workers' comp exemptions.
Check the people
Under California's electrician certification program, people who do electrical work for a C-10 contractor generally must hold a state electrician certificate, or be a registered trainee working under the direct supervision of a certified electrician. A licensed C-10 contractor working under their own license doesn't need the certificate; their employees do. It's reasonable to ask: "Who will do the work, and are they state-certified?" — and to ask to see the card.
Check the job
- The permit. A panel upgrade or a new EV charger circuit needs an electrical permit and an inspection. Ask who pulls it — the answer should be the contractor — and get the permit number before work starts.
- The utility. A service or panel upgrade means a disconnect and reconnect, and sometimes a larger service, coordinated with LADWP or SCE. Ask who handles that and how long it usually takes.
- The bigger plan. If solar, a battery or an electric car is coming, say so now: the panel you install today should have room for them. See do I need a main panel upgrade for solar. Many electricians now sell and install solar themselves under the same C-10 license — see electricians selling solar.
Check their record
Permits show what an electrician actually does. On a Cali-Graf contractor profile, the tiles show panel upgrades and battery installs, and Work history breaks permits down by kind of work — including Main panel / service upgrade, EV charger, Electrical, Solar and Battery storage — with the most recent permits and their ZIP codes. In Los Angeles County, as of October 2026, the directory lists 8,470 active licensed electricians, 4,817 of them with permits on the loaded portals (the City of Los Angeles and the City of Palmdale), covering 125,208 electrical jobs. An electrician with many recent panel upgrades near you is a different hire from one whose permits are mostly something else. How to read a permit record is in what a contractor's permit history tells you.
Red flags
- No license number on the quote, or a license that isn't C-10 (or B for a larger project).
- "We don't need a permit for a panel swap."
- A crew no one will confirm is state-certified.
- An exempt-from-workers'-comp company sending several workers.
- A panel sized only for today, when you've said an EV or solar is coming.
Have the electrician's license number? Check it and their recent panel upgrades now.
Frequently asked
What license does an electrician need for a panel upgrade in California?
Do electricians need to be certified in California?
Does an EV charger installation need a permit?
How do I see an electrician's past panel upgrades?
Should my panel upgrade plan for solar?
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Product facts on this page come from Cali-Graf's own help center and the pages linked below; figures in examples come from the stated inputs. Features, limits and supported utilities change; each was verified October 16, 2026.
- Contractors State License Board — C-10 Electrical Contractor
- Contractors State License Board — Check a contractor license
- California Department of Industrial Relations — Electrician certification FAQ
- California Department of Industrial Relations — Electrician certification program
- Cali-Graf — Electricians in Los Angeles County
- Cali-Graf — Check a contractor license
Check the electrician before the panel upgrade
Look up the C-10 license, workers' comp and recent panel-upgrade and EV-charger permits on one page, then confirm on cslb.ca.gov before signing. Adding solar too? Cali Energy (CSLB #1032379, B, C-10 and C-39), which develops Cali-Graf, can plan the panel and the solar together. General information, not legal advice.
Prepared by Cali Energy, October 16, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Unit E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)