Utility and permits in Los Angeles
Los Angeles County is not on one electric utility and it is not on one permit desk. Which pair you are on changes who spots the meter and who schedules the disconnect. It also changes how long you wait.
Which utility, and which permit desk
- LADWP
- Southern California Edison
- Burbank Water and Power
- Glendale Water and Power
- Pasadena Water and Power
- Azusa Light & Water
- Vernon Public Utilities
- Cerritos
Lists on the web put Beverly Hills and West Hollywood on LADWP. LADWP’s own service area boundary map marks Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, San Fernando, Marina del Rey, the VA campus and Universal Studios as served by Southern California Edison. Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, Azusa, Vernon and Cerritos run their own electric utilities.
Retrieved September 7, 2026.
The utility’s own capacity data comes with a warning that it does not guarantee what your job will need, so a number from it has no place in a quote from us.
Every place this lookup knows, with its utility and permit desk
| Place | Electric utility | Permit desk |
|---|---|---|
| Agoura Hills | Southern California Edison | The City of Agoura Hills (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Alhambra | Southern California Edison | The City of Alhambra (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Altadena | Southern California Edison | LA County Public Works, Building and Safety |
| Arcadia | Southern California Edison | The City of Arcadia (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Atwater Village | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Azusa | Azusa Light and Water | City of Azusa building division |
| Bel Air | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Beverly Hills | Southern California Edison | City of Beverly Hills building and safety |
| Boyle Heights | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Brentwood | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Burbank | Burbank Water and Power | City of Burbank building division |
| Calabasas | Southern California Edison | The City of Calabasas (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Canoga Park | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Carson | Southern California Edison | The City of Carson (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Cerritos | Cerritos, which runs its own electric utility | City of Cerritos building and safety |
| Chatsworth | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Claremont | Southern California Edison | The City of Claremont (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Culver City | Southern California Edison | The City of Culver City (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Cypress Park | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Del Rey | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Downey | Southern California Edison | The City of Downey (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Downtown Los Angeles | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Eagle Rock | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| East Los Angeles | Southern California Edison | LA County Public Works, Building and Safety |
| Echo Park | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| El Segundo | Southern California Edison | The City of El Segundo (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| El Sereno | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Encino | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Gardena | Southern California Edison | The City of Gardena (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Glassell Park | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Glendale | Glendale Water and Power | City of Glendale building and safety |
| Granada Hills | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Hancock Park | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Harbor City | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Hawthorne | Southern California Edison | The City of Hawthorne (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Hermosa Beach | Southern California Edison | The City of Hermosa Beach (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Highland Park | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Hollywood | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Hollywood Hills | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Inglewood | Southern California Edison | The City of Inglewood (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Koreatown | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| La Cañada Flintridge | Southern California Edison | The City of La Cañada Flintridge (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Ladera Heights | Southern California Edison | LA County Public Works, Building and Safety |
| Lake Balboa | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Lakewood | Southern California Edison | The City of Lakewood (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Lancaster | Southern California Edison | The City of Lancaster (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Lincoln Heights | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Long Beach | Southern California Edison | The City of Long Beach (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Los Angeles | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Los Feliz | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Malibu | Southern California Edison | The City of Malibu (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Manhattan Beach | Southern California Edison | The City of Manhattan Beach (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Mar Vista | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Marina del Rey | Southern California Edison | LA County Public Works, Building and Safety |
| Mid City | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Monrovia | Southern California Edison | The City of Monrovia (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Monterey Park | Southern California Edison | The City of Monterey Park (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Mount Washington | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| North Hills | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| North Hollywood | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Northridge | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Pacific Palisades | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Palmdale | Southern California Edison | The City of Palmdale (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Palms | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Palos Verdes Estates | Southern California Edison | The City of Palos Verdes Estates (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Panorama City | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Pasadena | Pasadena Water and Power | City of Pasadena permit center |
| Playa del Rey | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Playa Vista | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Pomona | Southern California Edison | The City of Pomona (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Porter Ranch | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Rancho Palos Verdes | Southern California Edison | The City of Rancho Palos Verdes (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Redondo Beach | Southern California Edison | The City of Redondo Beach (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Reseda | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| San Fernando | Southern California Edison | City of San Fernando building division |
| San Marino | Southern California Edison | The City of San Marino (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| San Pedro | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Santa Clarita | Southern California Edison | The City of Santa Clarita (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Santa Monica | Southern California Edison | The City of Santa Monica (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Sherman Oaks | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Sierra Madre | Southern California Edison | The City of Sierra Madre (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Silver Lake | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| South Pasadena | Southern California Edison | The City of South Pasadena (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Studio City | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Sunland | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Sylmar | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Tarzana | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Topanga | Southern California Edison | LA County Public Works, Building and Safety |
| Torrance | Southern California Edison | The City of Torrance (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Tujunga | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Valley Village | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Van Nuys | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Venice | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Vernon | Vernon Public Utilities | City of Vernon building division |
| View Park | Southern California Edison | LA County Public Works, Building and Safety |
| West Covina | Southern California Edison | The City of West Covina (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| West Hills | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| West Hollywood | Southern California Edison | City of West Hollywood building and safety |
| West Los Angeles | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Westchester | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Westwood | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Whittier | Southern California Edison | The City of Whittier (or LA County, if the city contracts its permits out) |
| Wilmington | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Winnetka | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
| Woodland Hills | LADWP | Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety |
Some cities have LA County Building and Safety run their permit desk for them. The city can tell you if that is yours. For a place that is not on this list, send us the address with the job and the written price names both.
How long each part takes
A one-day panel upgrade is a description of the install. The job around it is measured in weeks.
The figures below are LADWP’s and the City of Los Angeles’s. Other utilities and other cities publish their own.
- We do this
The meter spot request
No utility feeWe ask your utility for it first. The utility charges nothing for it, and it has to happen before most of the rest.
Source: LADWP - Your utility does this
The service planning visit
5 to 15 business daysLADWP publishes two different figures for this. Its web page says 5 to 15 business days. Its own 28-page guide says 5 to 10, on page 8.
Source: LADWP - We do this
The permit
LADBS: sometimes same dayWe pull it and your city issues it. You pay the permit fee directly to the city. LADBS runs express e-permits for work that qualifies, and says inspection can typically be scheduled for the next business day.
Source: City of Los Angeles, LADBS - We do this
The install
The short partThe part most people picture. It is rarely the part that decides how long you wait.
- We book this
The final inspection
LADBS: typically the next business day, where express appliesWe book it and your city inspects. Your insurance company wants a permit that gets closed. A paid invoice is not the same thing.
Source: City of Los Angeles, LADBS - Your utility does this
The meter change
No published figure with a panel upgradeLADWP gives approximately 5 to 10 business days where no panel upgrade is needed. Where the panel is being upgraded, it does not publish a figure.
Source: LADWP
Figures retrieved September 7, 2026.
The line the utility draws
The meter on the side of your house is a boundary, and it is the most useful thing to understand about the price of electrical work. Everything above it belongs to the company that sells you power. Everything below it belongs to you, and it is the part we work on and price.
That is why part of a service upgrade cannot be quoted from a price list. The utility works its own side out case by case, and it is not money we keep.
Why this changes inside a five-mile drive
Most of this county is served by two utilities, and six cities inside it run their own. Cross one city line and the utility, the permit desk, the forms and the waiting times all change, while the house on either side of the line is identical.
It is why a figure somebody was quoted in one neighborhood is not evidence about another one three miles away.
What a permit that gets closed is worth
The inspection that closes a permit is the record that the work met the standard. An insurer asks for that record after a letter about a panel, and a buyer’s agent asks for it at a sale. A utility program wants it before it connects something.
A paid invoice is not the same thing. We pull the permit, and when the work is done we book the final inspection that closes it. We handle the utility paperwork too, and our quote says so. Your city bills the permit fee to you, and none of it is in our price. If another quote does not say who pulls the permit and who closes it, ask before you sign it.
Where these figures come from
Everything with a number on this page came from the utility’s or the city’s own published material, and it carries the date we retrieved it. Where two published figures from the same body disagree, both are shown.
Say what is happening and we will tell you what it involves.
One sentence about what is happening will do. Sending it costs nothing and does not book a visit.