Commercial electrical work in Southern California

Who commercial pages are for

Commercial pages here are written for six kinds of readers: small business owners, restaurant and retail operators, office and medical tenants, warehouse operators, property managers and HOA boards. Multifamily owners are in the same group. If you pay a utility bill for a building that is not a single home, this section applies to you.

Commercial electrical work is available through the partner electrician. The pages describe how the work and the rules generally run in California. They do not set prices, timing or capacity for any one job.

Pick the page for your job

If this is happening	Start here
Lights, outlets or equipment feeds fail	Commercial service and repair
You signed a lease and are building out the space	Tenant improvement electrical
You run a kitchen, a dining room or a store floor	Restaurant and retail electrical
The panel or meter is too small for new load	Panel and service upgrades
Old fixtures cost too much to run or fail inspection	LED lighting retrofits
You want chargers for staff, customers or vans	Commercial EV charging
Residents want chargers in shared parking	Multifamily and HOA EV charging
You want inspections on a schedule	Maintenance agreements
An HOA needs gate, pump or common-area work	HOA common-area electrical
You manage several buildings	Property manager checklist

Each city has its own utility and building department. Commercial pages for Los Angeles, San Diego, Long Beach, Anaheim, Irvine, Ontario and Riverside cover the local utility, permit office and business types in each.

How commercial differs from residential

Service size and voltage

Most homes run on single-phase 120/240 volt service. Commercial buildings often use three-phase service. Small shops, offices and restaurants usually get 120/208 volt. Larger buildings and warehouses often get 277/480 volt, which runs 277 volt lighting and large motors. Equipment must match the service, so a new oven, compressor or charger starts with a nameplate check and a load calculation.

Plan check and permits

Home panel swaps often go through over-the-counter permits. Commercial work more often needs plans, a load calculation and plan check before a permit issues. The path depends on the city and the scope. Some cities take small tenant work over the counter. The permits guide covers the basic order, and the building department can say which path your scope takes.

Title 24 energy rules

The nonresidential part of the California Energy Code sets lighting power limits and controls. An alteration that touches 10 percent or more of the fixtures in an enclosed space triggers them, with exceptions such as lamp, ballast or driver swaps only. The 2025 edition took effect January 1, 2026. It also added electric-ready requirements for commercial kitchens, as the Energy Commission described in January 2026.

Fire and life safety

Exit signs and emergency lighting have their own rules. California Building Code section 1008 asks for emergency lighting that runs at least 90 minutes on a power failure, along aisles, corridors and exit routes. The fire marshal and building inspector check this, and a remodel can trigger it.

Accessibility

Chapter 11B of the California Building Code reaches charging spaces, routes to them and clear floor space. A charger that is simple at a house can need striping and a route check at a store.

What to send for a quote

Send the building type, the address, whether you are the owner, the tenant or the property manager, and what is wrong or planned. Add a photo of the main panel and the meter, and a spec sheet for any new equipment. The quote checklist shows what a written quote should list. Then use the quote form.

Permit and utility basics

A permit is required for panel, service and new circuit work in every Southern California city, and the city inspects the work. A service change also needs the utility. Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power each have their own service rules, and many cities run their own utility. The utility coordination guide lays out the usual order.

The work must be done under a C-10 license. Electricians who work for a C-10 contractor must hold state certification, according to the Department of Industrial Relations. Check the license before the first visit.

Restaurants also need the county health department to approve plans. In Los Angeles County, plans are required for new food facilities and for remodels that need a building permit. The health inspector also wants the building department sign-off before the final inspection.

Utility programs and incentives

Business programs change fast. As of October 2026, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shows its fiscal year 2026-27 commercial EV charger rebates as pending release, and the California Energy Commission is taking round 1 applications for public fast chargers until January 14, 2027, at up to $100,000 per port. The commercial EV charging page has the rest. Confirm any program with the utility before you buy equipment.

Utility programs also come with their own rules for metering and rates, which a quote should mention. Equipment bought before a program confirms payment is usually not covered.