Electrician in Chatsworth

Chatsworth is the rural corner of the City of Los Angeles. The city's own plan calls it one of the more rural parts of the city, with a substantial equestrian population: horse-keeping lots are concentrated in the north and west, and streets in the western section still have bridle paths. Behind them, Stoney Point and the Santa Susana Pass climb into the mountains, and the foothill edge is inside the fire zone.

The other half of Chatsworth is industry, mostly along Nordhoff Street between De Soto Avenue and Topanga Canyon Boulevard and on the south side of Lassen Street. Between the two sit post-war tracts around Devonshire Street. We cover all of it from the Reseda area: barns and long rural feeders, equipment circuits for shops, and panel and charger work in the tracts, with a site visit and a written price every time.

What we do in Chatsworth

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

Panel upgrades in Chatsworth

Service upgrades for horse properties and foothill homes with long overhead drops, with LADWP asked up front whether line or transformer work will be charged for.

More on panel upgradesCall (844) 430-7681

EV charger installation in Chatsworth

Level 2 chargers on ranch-style lots where the garage is a long way from the panel, with the run sized for the distance.

More on EV charger installationCall (844) 430-7681

Electrical repair & troubleshooting in Chatsworth

Faults in barn and arena feeders, voltage drop on long rural runs, and outdoor circuits that fail after rain or rodents.

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

Rewiring in Chatsworth

Rewiring post-war tract houses near Devonshire Street, and replacing older or improvised outbuilding wiring with proper feeders and disconnects.

More on rewiringCall (844) 430-7681

Lighting & ceiling fans in Chatsworth

Arena, barn and paddock lighting, and landscape and security lighting on hillside and large lots.

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

Outlets, GFCI & new circuits in Chatsworth

GFCI protection for barns, troughs, pools and outdoor areas, and 240-volt circuits for well pumps, spas and shop equipment.

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

Commercial electrical in Chatsworth

Three-phase and equipment circuits, high-bay lighting, fleet charging and service upgrades for the shops, manufacturers and warehouses along Nordhoff and Lassen streets, scheduled around production.

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 Chatsworth homes

There is no typical Chatsworth property. About seven in ten homes are owner-occupied, the density is among the lowest in the city, and one street can run from a post-war ranch house to a horse lot with three outbuildings. The electrical work follows the lot.

• Horse properties. Barns, tack rooms, arena and paddock lighting, trough heaters, pumps and gates, usually on feeders run one at a time over decades. Wiring in a barn should be rated for a wet, dusty building and kept out of reach of animals, and older barn wiring often isn't.
• Foothill and hillside homes. Long service drops from the street, sub-panels for additions and pool equipment, and landscape and gate circuits on lots inside the fire zone. The 2018 Woolsey Fire started in the hills just west of here; if you're considering backup power, the first question is what your panel can take.
• Post-war tracts around Devonshire Street. Tracts such as Devonshire Highlands, built from 1955 to 1964, still carry original panels and two-prong outlets that are now sixty years old.

Permits and power in Chatsworth

Almost every Chatsworth address (ZIP code 91311) is City of Los Angeles. The exceptions are pockets of unincorporated county land at Twin Lakes to the north and toward the Simi Hills on the west, where Los Angeles County issues the permit instead of LADBS. On Santa Susana Pass Road or in the hills along the line, we confirm the jurisdiction from the exact address before the estimate.

Two local rules come with the land. A barn, stable or other equine structure needs a building permit of its own, with its electrical permitted alongside it, and on foothill lots inside the Fire Department's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, brush clearance reaches 200 feet from a structure, which shapes where outbuildings and outdoor circuits can go.

Large lots can also change LADWP's side of a service upgrade: with a long overhead drop to a horse property, it's worth asking LADWP early whether transformer or line work will be needed. Businesses on the industrial corridor go through LADWP's commercial process instead of the residential one, so if a business needs more power than its building has, that conversation with LADWP should start early.

Permits come from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS). A new circuit, an EV charger, a sub-panel or a panel replacement is permitted work, and LADBS will not send an inspector until the permit is issued. We pull it under our license and meet the inspector at the end.

Power comes from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), not Southern California Edison. For repairs, lighting, new outlets and a charger that fits on the existing panel, LADWP is not involved. For a panel or service upgrade it is: the job starts with LADWP's free meter spot, where an Electric Service Representative visits within five to fifteen business days, confirms where the new equipment may go and leaves a sketch at the job (single-family services up to 320 amps can be requested online). When only the meter needs setting, LADWP says that generally happens within ten working days. If the existing LADWP service can carry the new load there are generally no LADWP charges; work in the street, on a transformer or on the lines can add cost and time, and we find that out before you commit.

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

Around Chatsworth

Porter Ranch and Northridge to the east, Winnetka, Canoga Park and West Hills to the south, and Granada Hills a little further east are all City of Los Angeles neighborhoods with LADBS permits and LADWP power. Over the Santa Susana Pass, Simi Valley is a separate city in Ventura County, with permits from its own Building and Safety Division and power from Southern California Edison, so the whole process changes at the county line.

• Porter Ranch
• Northridge
• Canoga Park
• West Hills
• Winnetka
• Granada Hills
• Simi Valley

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