Electrician in Burbank

Burbank runs its own electric utility, and that sets the order of a panel upgrade here. Burbank Water and Power has to give you a meter spot before the city will take the electrical permit, and BWP's crews connect the new service only after the city's final inspection. Miss the first step and everything after it waits.

The housing is old: more than 62 percent of Burbank's housing was built before 1970, Magnolia Park filled with homes built for returning veterans in the 1940s, and the Rancho district is zoned for horses. Add the studios and offices of the Media District and the work ranges widely; all of it starts with an on-site visit and a written price.

What we do in Burbank

Everything we do in Burbank, with what each job usually involves here. The photos are from our own jobs.

Panel upgrades in Burbank

Service upgrades with the BWP meter spot booked first, so the Burbank permit application is not waiting on the utility's confirmation.

More on panel upgradesCall (844) 430-7681

EV charger installation in Burbank

Level 2 chargers installed and permitted the way BWP's rebate requires: a licensed contractor and a finaled Burbank permit, with the paperwork ready inside the six-month window.

More on EV charger installationCall (844) 430-7681

Electrical repair & troubleshooting in Burbank

Tripping breakers, dead circuits and flickering in pre-1970 houses, and faults on barn and outbuilding feeders in the Rancho.

More on electrical repair & troubleshootingCall (844) 430-7681

Rewiring in Burbank

Whole-house and room-by-room rewiring of 1940s Magnolia Park homes, including knob-and-tube and ungrounded circuits, planned so the house stays livable.

More on rewiringCall (844) 430-7681

Lighting & ceiling fans in Burbank

Recessed and period lighting for remodeled 1940s homes, and barn and arena lighting rated for the conditions.

More on lighting & ceiling fansCall (844) 430-7681

Outlets, GFCI & new circuits in Burbank

Grounded and GFCI-protected outlets in place of two-prong originals, dedicated kitchen and laundry circuits, and 240-volt circuits for outbuildings.

More on outlets, GFCI & new circuitsCall (844) 430-7681

Commercial electrical in Burbank

Tenant improvements, lighting retrofits and equipment circuits for Media District offices and production support businesses; commercial service changes go through BWP's commercial service planning, and BWP runs a separate commercial EV charger rebate.

More on commercial electricalCall (844) 430-7681

Also: subpanels, dedicated circuits, 240-volt outlets for dryers and ranges, exterior and security lighting, hard-wired smoke alarms, and small repairs of every kind.

What's common in Burbank homes

Most Burbank houses predate 1970, and many have been remodeled more than once, each time adding circuits to the original service.

• Magnolia Park and the flats. Mostly 1940s houses built for veterans: small original services, early cable or knob-and-tube in the oldest, ungrounded outlets and decades of additions. A rewire is often the honest recommendation, and it can be planned together with the service upgrade.
• The Rancho Equestrian District. The zoning lets owners keep horses, so barns, tack rooms and arena lights sit on their own feeders and need damp- and dust-rated equipment.
• Foothill homes. Houses climbing toward the Verdugo Mountains, with long service runs and sub-panels added for later additions.

Permits and power in Burbank

Burbank (ZIP codes 91501 to 91506) is an independent city with its own Building & Safety Division and its own electric utility, so LADBS, LADWP and SCE have no role here.

Permits come from the City of Burbank Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division. Residential projects that do not need plan check can be permitted online as Simple Permits, and inspections are booked through the city's online permit system. For a new or upgraded service, the application needs BWP's confirmation of the service first.

Power comes from Burbank Water and Power, which publishes the order for a new or upgraded service: book a meter spot with a residential Electrical Service Planner (allow up to five business days after the visit to receive it); apply for the city permit with BWP's confirmation; pay any BWP charges listed on the meter spot and request the meter unlock with the permit number; pass the city's final inspection, after which the city notifies BWP; then allow up to ten business days for BWP's crews to connect. Any aid-in-construction charge is separate from the permit fee, and BWP says a 200-amp single-meter home is currently exempt from its capacity charge.

An underground service adds steps: BWP inspects the conduit before it is covered, separately from the city's inspection, and digging in the parkway or street needs a Public Works excavation permit. Repairs, new circuits, lighting and chargers that do not change the service involve the city only.

The permits and utilities guide explains the whole picture for the three counties we serve.

Around Burbank

Glendale is also an independent city with its own utility, Glendale Water and Power, and its own building department, so its service-upgrade steps differ from BWP's. North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Sun Valley, Studio City and Valley Village are City of Los Angeles neighborhoods: LADBS permits and LADWP power.

• Glendale
• North Hollywood
• Toluca Lake
• Sun Valley
• Studio City
• Valley Village

See the full list of areas we cover across Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.