A charger is a new circuit, and the license that covers it
Adding a Level 2 charger means running a new circuit from your panel. TDLR licenses electrical contractors for "designing, installing, erecting, repairing, or altering electrical wires or conductors to be used for light, heat, power, or signaling purposes," and to hold that license a business must employ a master electrician and carry business liability insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence on TDLR's page. Ask the company for its TDLR electrical contractor license number and who pulls the electrical permit.
A homeowner may do electrical work on a dwelling they own and live in without the state license. TDLR adds that cities may have their own licensing or permit rules, so check with your permit office before you plan to wire it yourself.
What a Texas charger installation costs: the model price
The model's Level 2 charger installation price is $910 to $2,275 per Level 2 charger installed. Two national ranges are adjusted with Texas's electrician wage ratio of 0.91, not the solar installer one, and no permit fee is added. It's an estimate and not a quote, and no federal credit comes off it.
A panel upgrade, trenching, a longer wire run and the car are outside the range. Ask for the charger's make and model and the circuit size.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $910 to $2,275 per Level 2 charger installed | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Texas electrician mean wage ratio (0.83). Before any incentive: there is no federal credit for a system installed in 2026. Basis: no Texas company price for this job, so the national estimate stands. |
| Electrician wage, Texas mean | $28.50 an hour | BLS OEWS, May 2025: what electricians are paid, not the price of a charger job. |
| US electrician mean wage, same survey | $34.37 an hour | BLS OEWS, May 2025: the national figure the model compares Texas with. |
Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (2 sources), adjusted by Texas's electrician mean wage ratio to the US (0.83, BLS May 2025), plus the city solar permit fee where the city publishes one. Not a quote. One Texas installer publishes its own current price on its own page (Palmetto, per watt), too few to build a range from; the others print blog or market averages or dated figures, which we do not count. We have no Texas company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.
Which electrical code your city applies
TDLR adopted the 2026 National Electrical Code as the state electrical code, published in the Texas Register on August 28, 2026 and effective September 1, 2026, with a limited exception for ground-fault circuit interrupter requirements on certain outdoor outlets. Cities adopt their own editions. Denton's solar page still cites the 2020 NEC, so ask your permit office which edition it will inspect the charger circuit against and whether it wants a load calculation.
How exports and charging show up on the bill
Texas doesn't mandate net metering, so what your panels earn while the car charges depends on your provider. Austin Energy meters all production, credits 100 percent of it at its Value of Solar rate (12.89 cents per kWh from October 1, 2026, subject to change) and bills all consumption, charging included. El Paso Electric's net metering rate nets generation against consumption for most of its solar customers.
Elsewhere the PUCT says the buyback rate is part of your contract with your electric provider and is usually lower than the retail price you pay. CPS Energy and El Paso Electric don't print a buyback figure in cents on the rooftop pages cited here, so ask your provider for it in writing before you count on exports to cover charging.
EIA puts the Texas average residential electricity price at 15.91 cents per kWh in August 2026, and 15.40 in August 2025. Those are monthly prices, not a charging cost.
Panel room, the permit and a bundled contract
The model leaves out a panel upgrade, trenching and a longer wire run, so ask the electrician to say in writing whether your panel can carry the new circuit. The charger takes an electrical permit from your city, which sets its own fee, so get the amount from the building department.
If a solar company folds the charger into a system contract, ask for the charger's price as its own line. The seller of the solar system should also hold a TDLR solar retailer registration, in place since September 1, 2025.
When a charger problem is an emergency
- A burning smell, melted plastic, smoke or sparks at the charger, its cable or the panel is a 911 call; stay away from the equipment.
- The charger shows a fault light but nothing is hot or smoking.
- The app can't reach the charger.
What to gather before the electrician comes
- Find your panel's label with its amperage from the ground, without opening it.
- Note where the car will park and how far that is from the panel.
- Ask the company for its TDLR electrical contractor license number.
Permit and code for a charger circuit
The charger needs an electrical permit from your city, with its own fee. Ask the permit office which NEC edition it enforces and whether it wants a load calculation for your panel.
Ask for the company's contractor license number and look it up with your state's licensing board before you sign.
Questions people ask
Who can install an EV charger in Texas?
A contractor holding a TDLR electrical contractor license, or a homeowner wiring a home they own and live in. The homeowner exemption is a state rule, and cities may add their own.
Which electrical code applies to my charger?
Your city's adopted edition. The state code is the 2026 NEC from September 1, 2026, but Denton's solar page, for example, still cites the 2020 NEC.
Will my solar pay for charging in Texas?
That depends on your plan's buyback, because Texas doesn't mandate net metering. Austin Energy credits production at its Value of Solar rate and bills all consumption; elsewhere the PUCT says the buyback is in your contract and usually lower than retail.
Does the charger need a panel upgrade?
The electrician decides after looking at your panel. The model leaves out an upgrade, so ask for it as a separate line.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: Electricians (SOC 47-2111), Texas, 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, Texas (editorial policy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Apply for a New Electrical Contractor License; Houston Permitting Center HPWCODE1119 Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Electrical exemptions Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Commission adopts rules (2026-09-01) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- City pages (Dallas SFB 204; Houston HPWCODE1119; Denton) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Texas Utilities Code 39.916 (legacy host, Wayback copy) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- Austin Energy: Value of Solar Rate; For Your Home (solar rebate) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- El Paso Electric: Texas Interconnection of Facilities up to 10 MW Read Oct 24, 2026.
- CPS Energy: Rooftop Solar (residential) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- PUCT: Solar (consumer help) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (August 2026) Read Oct 24, 2026.
- TDLR: Texas Residential Solar Retailers program, laws and rules Read Oct 28, 2026.