What the job is and which contractor class fits
A Level 2 charger is a wall unit on its own circuit, and it can go into a home that already has solar or be quoted together with new panels. CSLB's Solar Smart page describes the C-10 Electrical class as covering solar projects that generate, transmit, transform or use electrical energy, and C-46 Solar as covering work to install, modify, maintain and repair PV systems.
Ask the contractor which class its license number carries and check it on CSLB's lookup. Our cost model prices the charger with electricians' wages: BLS puts the California mean at $41.28 an hour and the national mean at $34.37 (May 2025).
A Level 2 charger in California: the model price
Our model puts a Level 2 charger installation at $1,325 to $3,300 per Level 2 charger installed. It adjusts two national ranges by California's electrician wage ratio to the US mean, not the solar installer ratio, and adds no permit fee. It's an estimate and not a quote, and nothing is taken off for a federal credit.
The range doesn't cover a panel upgrade, trenching, a longer wire run or the car. Ask for the charger's make and model, the circuit size, who pulls the electrical permit, and whether the quote sits inside a solar contract.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $1,325 to $3,300 per Level 2 charger installed | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the California electrician wage ratio (1.20). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. Basis: no California company price for this job, so the national estimate stands. |
| Electrician wage, California mean | $41.28 an hour | BLS OEWS, May 2025: California electricians' hourly pay, which isn't the price of a charger job. |
| Electrician wage, United States mean | $34.37 an hour | BLS OEWS, May 2025: the national pay figure the model compares California's with. A wage, not a charger price. |
| PV residential panel upgrade, Chula Vista | $203 | Master Fee Schedule Fee Bulletin 10-400, September 2024. A fee for panel work done with a PV system. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), adjusted by California's electrician wage ratio to the US (1.20, BLS May 2025), plus the city solar permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. One California installer publishes its own quoted range (per watt and per battery), too few to build a range from; the others print blog averages, which we do not count. We have no California company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 23, 2026.
The electrification rate that comes with net billing
A customer who takes service on net billing in PG&E, SCE or SDG&E territory must use an electrification time-of-use rate. The CPUC names them: E-ELEC at PG&E, TOU-D-PRIME at SCE and EV-TOU-5 at SDG&E. NBT bills are due monthly, and the tariff is kept for nine years. Under it the CPUC credits exports at hourly Avoided Cost Calculator values, usually lower than import rates, and says they can rise above the retail rate on late summer evenings.
Per SDG&E's Solar Billing Plan page, its time-of-use plan carries a $16 basic monthly service fee. Ask the installer to name the rate plan your utility will put you on. LADWP and SMUD are municipal utilities, and the NBT and its rate requirement don't apply there.
Charger rebates by utility, as of October 23, 2026
PG&E's Residential EV Charging Rebate has two options. Its Standard option, for customers who don't meet the income limits, pays up to 50 percent of the purchase price of one eligible charging equipment option, and you buy and install first, then apply within 180 days of purchase. Rebate Plus, for households under 80 percent of area median income or on a listed public assistance program, pays up to $2,000 for installing an eligible charger, or up to $5,000 for a panel upgrade plus charger. Either way you need a PG&E residential account, community choice customers included, and a battery EV or plug-in hybrid registered in California. The page printed no closing date for the Standard option on October 23, 2026.
LADWP pays up to $1,000 for a qualified Level 2 home charger, $500 more for Senior Citizen/Disability Lifeline or EZ-SAVE customers, and $250 for a dedicated EV time-of-use meter. Apply within 12 months of purchase. The charger must be UL listed and network-capable with a J1772 or J3400 connector, installation costs require an electrician holding a license, and LADWP says "Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis." SMUD's Charge@Home offers rebates of up to $850 for charging equipment, circuit work or both.
SCE's Charge Ready Home is for income-qualified households or residents of disadvantaged communities in SCE territory. It pays up to $4,200 for a panel upgrade plus a Level 2 outlet when the main panel is under 200 amps, or up to $1,000 for the outlet alone at 200 amps or more. SDG&E's EV pages list no home-charger rebate for residential customers, so ask SDG&E before you count on one.
Your electrical panel, and the city rows that price panel work
Some cities price a service panel upgrade next to solar. San Diego's Information Bulletin 301 says its electrical permit fees for PV include service panel upgrades up to 320 amps, and Chula Vista's fee bulletin of September 2024 lists a PV residential panel upgrade at $203. Those rows describe panel work done with solar, and our model treats a panel upgrade for a charger as a separate job.
The fast permit path can change too. Roseville's SolarAPP+ application allows no main panel upgrade, so a solar job that needs one in Roseville goes outside that path. Ask the contractor whether your panel needs work and who prices it.
How four California cities permit a home charger, and the new-home rule
San Diego's Information Bulletin 187 says chargers for single dwelling units, duplexes or townhouses "qualify for Simple Permits and do not require plans for review." In a private garage, a City Circuit Card (DS-1779A) with load calculations takes the place of plans and stays on site for the inspection. The bulletin also says EV charging stations don't need homeowners association approval.
The San Jose EV page, as of May 2026, says "A Level 2 station requires an electrical permit" and that some models also need a mechanical permit; a Level 1 station needs one only if it adds a new outlet. In San Francisco, DBI Information Sheet E-02 (March 21, 2025) says a charger using a previously approved receptacle and circuit that meets the maker's specifications needs no permit. It cites Gov. Code 65850.7, which limits review of charger permits in existing parking areas to health and safety. Long Beach's FORM-019 checklist says a one- or two-family charger job that marks every box "Y" may skip formal plan review and may be issued an express permit.
New homes are another matter. The 2025 CALGreen mandatory measures, effective January 1, 2026, require a new one- or two-family dwelling or townhouse with an attached private garage to be "EV capable" under section 4.106.4.1. That means a listed raceway for a dedicated 208/240-volt branch circuit, panel capacity for a 40-ampere circuit with space reserved for its overcurrent device, and the panel space and raceway end marked "EV CAPABLE". The exceptions are no utility power, a utility that can't supply adequate power, and accessory dwelling units without added parking.
A charger written into a solar contract
If the charger is quoted inside a solar contract, ask for the cover-page disclosure that B&P 7169 requires on solar contracts and for the charger as its own line. The down payment limit CSLB states for solar installation is $1,000 or 10 percent of the price, whichever is less, and the three-business-day cancellation right (five days for buyers 65 or older) comes with it.
A solar system quoted with the charger carries no federal credit: per the IRS, that credit isn't available for anything placed in service after December 31, 2025. If a pitch pairs the charger with a promised saving, that's a savings claim, and Solar Smart says to get those in writing.
When a charger or inverter problem can't wait
- A charger, inverter, panel or wire that is smoking, burning or smells of burning: call 911 and don't touch it.
- The charger's app shows an error but nothing is hot, smoking or burning.
- The solar monitoring app shows lower production than you expected.
What to check before you call
- Find the rate plan name on your latest utility bill.
- Locate the electrical panel's label and note the main breaker size printed on it, without opening anything.
- Gather the solar contract and warranty papers, if you have solar already.
Permits for a charger
A city's PV fee row prices solar, not a charger, and our model doesn't add a charger permit to the estimate. San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Long Beach each print a different path above, so ask your building department which one your charger takes and ask the contractor who pulls the permit.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
Does solar with net billing require a particular rate plan?
Yes, an electrification time-of-use rate. The CPUC names E-ELEC at PG&E, TOU-D-PRIME at SCE and EV-TOU-5 at SDG&E.
Which contractor installs an EV charger?
Ask which CSLB class its license number carries. C-10 Electrical covers solar projects that generate, transmit, transform or use electrical energy.
Does the rate requirement apply at LADWP or SMUD?
No, net billing and its rate requirement apply in PG&E, SCE and SDG&E territory only. LADWP and SMUD run their own rules as municipal utilities.
Will a charger need a new electrical panel?
Ask the contractor, because it depends on your panel. San Diego and Chula Vista price panel upgrades done with solar, and Roseville's SolarAPP+ application allows no main panel upgrade.
How much does an EV charger cost with solar in California?
Our model range is $1,325 to $3,300 per Level 2 charger installed, which is an estimate and not a quote. It does not cover a panel upgrade or trenching.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Electricians (SOC 47-2111), California, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Electricians (SOC 47-2111), United States, mean hourly wage Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SolarPanelMatch: how we estimate costs, California (editorial policy) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, Chula Vista Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- CSLB Solar Smart Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CSLB Licensing Classifications Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CPUC Net Energy Metering and Net Billing Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Solar permit fee, San Diego Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- B&P Code 7169 (leginfo) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- CSLB bulletin 20-22, solar contracts Read Oct 23, 2026.
- IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit; IRS OBBBA provisions Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SDG&E Generation Interconnection 101; SDG&E NEM and Solar Billing Plan pages Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- City solar permit page, Roseville Read Oct 23, 2026.
- B&P Code 7159 (leginfo) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- PG&E, Residential Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Rebate Read Oct 23, 2026.
- LADWP, Residential EV Charger Rebate Program and FAQs Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SMUD, Charge at Home Incentive Read Oct 23, 2026.
- SCE, Charge Ready Home; SCE Electric Vehicle Rates & Rebates Read Oct 23, 2026.
- HCD, 2025 CALGreen Residential Mandatory Measures (SHL 625, Rev. 11/25) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of San Diego, Information Bulletin 187 (current version dated 2026-05-04) Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of San Jose, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (Wayback copy 2026-05-13) Read Oct 23, 2026. Confirm with the source before you rely on it.
- City and County of San Francisco DBI, Information Sheet E-02 Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Long Beach, FORM-019 Express Permit Checklist for One- and Two-Family EVCS Read Oct 23, 2026.