Electrician in Tarzana

Tarzana has two halves, split by Ventura Boulevard. To the north are post-war streets and Melody Acres, a 1920s subdivision of large lots with equestrian zoning. To the south the streets climb into the Santa Monica Mountains, where houses went up on steep view lots from the late 1950s through the 1970s around the Braemar and El Caballero country clubs, with Topanga State Park behind them.

For an electrician those are two different jobs. The hillside means long service runs, sub-panels added over decades, gate and landscape circuits, and fire-zone rules for anything outdoors; the flats mean original panels and, on the Melody Acres lots, barns and outbuildings on feeders of their own. We're based a few minutes north in the Reseda area, and every estimate is on site and followed by a written price.

What we do in Tarzana

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

Panel upgrades in Tarzana

Service upgrades for hillside houses that have outgrown their original panels, with LADWP's meter spot requested first, because on a steep lot the approved location isn't always where the old panel sits.

More on panel upgradesCall (844) 430-7681

EV charger installation in Tarzana

Level 2 chargers in garages at the top of long hillside driveways, with the run measured and the load calculation done before you order the charger.

More on EV charger installationCall (844) 430-7681

Electrical repair & troubleshooting in Tarzana

Flickering and voltage drop on long feeders south of the Boulevard, and landscape and gate circuits that fail after the first rain.

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

Rewiring in Tarzana

Rewiring post-war houses in the flats, and replacing the layered, half-permitted wiring that decades of hillside remodels leave behind, planned so you can stay in the house.

More on rewiringCall (844) 430-7681

Lighting & ceiling fans in Tarzana

Landscape and path lighting on hillside lots, barn and arena lighting in Melody Acres, and recessed and accent lighting for remodels.

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

Outlets, GFCI & new circuits in Tarzana

GFCI protection at pools, spas and barns, and 240-volt circuits for spas, irrigation pumps and shop tools.

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

Commercial electrical in Tarzana

Tenant improvements, lighting, meter banks, dedicated circuits and service upgrades for shops, offices, warehouses and multi-unit buildings.

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 Tarzana homes

The flats are post-war tracts with the same original services as the rest of the west Valley. The hills are custom houses on steep lots, built later, remodeled more and wired in layers.

• Hillside houses south of the Boulevard. Long feeders from a meter near the street, sub-panels in garages and pool houses, and gate, pump and landscape circuits added by each owner in turn. We trace and label what exists before adding to it.
• Melody Acres and the other large lots. Barns, tack rooms, arena lights and irrigation pumps on their own feeders, often run long ago and never permitted. Wiring in a barn should be rated for a wet, dusty building, and it's worth checking whether what's there is.
• Post-war ranch houses in the flats. Original 100-amp services, two-prong outlets and a kitchen remodeled at least once since 1960. A charger or an induction range is usually what forces the panel question.

Permits and power in Tarzana

Tarzana (ZIP codes 91356, part of 91335) is a City of Los Angeles neighborhood, and the line that matters here is Ventura Boulevard rather than a city boundary. South of it the streets climb into the Santa Monica Mountains, and parts of that hillside are inside the Fire Department's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, where brush has to be cleared up to 200 feet from a structure. That doesn't change an electrical permit, but it does decide where landscape lighting, outdoor outlets and circuits to outbuildings can sensibly run.

North of the Boulevard, Melody Acres was laid out with large lots and equestrian zoning. A barn or stable there needs a building permit of its own from the city, and its wiring is permitted with it.

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 Tarzana

Encino, Reseda and Woodland Hills border Tarzana, and Winnetka and Lake Balboa are a few minutes away; all five are City of Los Angeles neighborhoods with LADBS permits and LADWP power. Over the ridge to the south, Topanga is unincorporated Los Angeles County, with permits from LA County Building and Safety and power from Southern California Edison.

• Encino
• Reseda
• Woodland Hills
• Winnetka
• Lake Balboa
• Topanga

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