Electrician in Glendale

Glendale runs its own electric utility, and that's the first thing to know about a panel job here. The city's permit FAQ says a service upgrade starts with a meter spot from Glendale Water and Power's Electrical Engineering office, not with the permit, and the new equipment has to meet GWP's Electrical Service Requirements Manual. We put that step first so the city permit is never waiting on the utility.

The houses are older than most of the Valley next door. The foothill neighborhoods north of the 134 went up in the 1920s to 1940s, and five of them are designated historic districts; south of the freeway, whole blocks were rebuilt with apartments and condos in the 1980s. Whether it is a Rossmoyne Spanish Colonial or a Tropico condo, the estimate is on site, and the price comes in writing.

What we do in Glendale

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

Panel upgrades in Glendale

Service upgrades with the GWP meter spot requested at the start, the equipment matched to GWP's manual and the separate city permit for the service, so the job isn't held up by the utility step.

More on panel upgradesCall (844) 430-7681

EV charger installation in Glendale

Level 2 chargers in foothill garages and in detached garages behind 1920s houses, and metered charging for assigned spaces in south Glendale condo garages.

More on EV charger installationCall (844) 430-7681

Electrical repair & troubleshooting in Glendale

Dead circuits in houses remodeled three times since 1930, and faults in exterior lighting on canyon lots.

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

Rewiring in Glendale

Whole-house rewiring for 1920s–40s homes in the historic districts and the foothills, room by room, with nothing changed outside before the district guidelines are checked.

More on rewiringCall (844) 430-7681

Lighting & ceiling fans in Glendale

Period-appropriate fixtures and recessed lighting for Spanish Colonial and Tudor Revival interiors, and landscape and security lighting in the canyons.

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

Outlets, GFCI & new circuits in Glendale

Grounded outlets in place of two-prong originals in 1920s–40s houses, and GFCI and AFCI protection where the code now calls for it.

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

Commercial electrical in Glendale

Tenant improvements, lighting retrofits and dedicated circuits for the shops, offices and mixed-use buildings along Brand Boulevard and downtown, on each building's existing service.

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 Glendale homes

Glendale's housing splits at the 134 freeway: 1920s–40s foothill neighborhoods to the north, 1980s apartments and condos to the south. The electrical questions are different on each side.

• Houses in the historic districts. Rossmoyne, Ard Eevin Highlands, Brockmont Park, Royal Boulevard and Cottage Grove: Spanish Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival and Monterey homes, many on their second or third kitchen and their original service. The districts come with city guidelines, so where a new meter and panel sit on the outside is settled with the city before we propose it.
• Hillside homes in the canyons and foothills. Glenoaks Canyon, Chevy Chase Canyon, Verdugo Woodlands and Oakmont mean long service runs, sub-panels for additions, exterior lighting and gate circuits, and the fire zone: the map adopted in 2025 put 16,383 Glendale homes in the Very High zone, and the fire code asks for 100 feet of defensible space. Outdoor equipment has to be rated for weather and heat.
• 1980s apartments and condos south of the 134. Shared meter banks, HOA approval for anything in a common garage, and EV charging that has to be metered to the right unit.

Permits and power in Glendale

Glendale is an independent city (ZIP codes 91201 to 91208, 91210, 91214) with its own building department and its own electric utility, so neither the City of Los Angeles rules on its southern and western edges nor Burbank's utility to the northwest apply here.

Permits come from the City of Glendale Community Development Department's Building & Safety Division, through the Permit Services Center on East Broadway. We pull the permit under our license and meet the city inspector, so you don't have to.

Power comes from Glendale Water and Power, not LADWP or SCE. For a new or upgraded service, the city's permit FAQ says to start by requesting a meter spot from GWP Electrical Engineering; GWP reviews the service supply and equipment against its Electrical Service Requirements Manual; the service upgrade needs its own city permit, even when it's part of an EV charger job; and GWP connects the new service after the city signs off. GWP doesn't publish a turnaround for that last step, so we pass on its dates in writing as the job moves.

Repairs, new circuits, lighting and a charger that fits on the existing service don't involve GWP: that's a city permit and inspection only.

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

Around Glendale

Burbank and Pasadena are independent cities with their own building departments and their own utilities, Burbank Water and Power and Pasadena Water and Power, each with a service-upgrade procedure different from GWP's. La Cañada Flintridge is its own city with SCE for power. La Crescenta-Montrose is unincorporated (Los Angeles County Building and Safety, SCE), although the Glendale side of Montrose is GWP territory with Glendale permits. Eagle Rock, Los Feliz and, across the Verdugo Mountains, Sun Valley are City of Los Angeles neighborhoods (LADBS, LADWP).

• Burbank
• La Crescenta-Montrose
• La Cañada Flintridge
• Pasadena
• Eagle Rock
• Los Feliz
• Sun Valley

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