Power from SCE
Electrician in Chino Hills: online permits for 1990s homes
Chino Hills added Very High fire hazard zones in 2025, and parts of the city sit on slopes. Most homes are newer single-family houses on SCE power, so the work is usually adding load, not replacing old wiring.
Permit office
City of Chino Hills Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division
(909) 364-2780 · Permit page · Online portal
Permit fees in Chino Hills
City of Chino Hills Community Development Department, Building & Safety Division
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical Service / Main Panel Chino Hills Building Services fee schedule effective July 1, 2026. General Plan surcharge fee (0.08 percent of valuation) and technology fee (6 percent of building fees) are added. | $538.00 |
| Electrical Vehicle Charging Station (residential) Effective July 1, 2026. Commercial EV charging station is $1,210.00 (50 percent for each additional unit). Surcharges apply. | $269.00 |
| Electrical Subpanel, each Effective July 1, 2026. | $269.00 |
| Energy Storage System (not integrated with PV system) Effective July 1, 2026. Roof-mounted single-family photovoltaic permit is $450.00 (Gov. Code 66015). | $269.00 |
| Power Pole / Meter Pedestal (temporary or permanent) Effective July 1, 2026. | $336.00 |
| Re-inspection fee Effective July 1, 2026. | $336.00 |
Taken from the city's fee page. Fees change, and other charges such as plan check can apply. Confirm at the permit counter. Compare permit fees across cities.
EV charger permits. AB 1236 (Gov. Code 65850.7) requires every city to run an expedited, administrative review for EV charger permits and publish a checklist, and AB 970 (Gov. Code 65850.71) adds review timelines (GO-Biz). Applications are submitted online through the Virtual Development Services (EnerGov) portal.
Inspections. Inspection requests are made through the same online portal (the city says the portal is used for all building permit applications, inspection requests and planning applications). Counter hours per the city's Location and Hours page: Monday to Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rebates listed for Chino Hills
From SCE and the city
| Program | Amount |
|---|---|
 SCE Charge Ready Home SCE residential customers who are income-qualified or on a qualifying assistance program or live in a disadvantaged community; licensed contractor required; SCE takes applications while you plan, during the work or up to six months after | Up to $4,200 toward a panel upgrade to 200 amps plus a dedicated 240 volt circuit for income-qualified households whose main panel is under 200 amps; if the panel is already 200 amps or more, the outlet-only rebate is up to $1,000; check the current SCE terms. Does not pay for the charger. |
Amounts as listed by each program, October 2026. Programs have limits and rules.
$2,500 to $4,500
A regional range from the sources on the cost page. Your electrician gives the actual quote after a look.
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Fire zones in the hills
In March 2025, CAL FIRE’s updated map added Very High zones in Chino Hills. A local report puts more than 20,000 acres in that class, about half of it open space. The Chino Valley Fire District adopted the zones by ordinance in 2025. Status is by address, so look yours up, then read wildfire zones and electrical work for how it affects a job.
That also makes shutoffs a fair question. PSPS notification problems were on the agenda of a February 2025 community meeting. Start with the PSPS explainer and the prep checklist.
Hillside lots and gated tracts
Chino Hills has its own hillside development application. A service move, detached garage or ADU on a slope can trigger planning steps before the electrical permit matters. Where a service runs underground, trenching in the public right-of-way is an encroachment item that the city lists apart from the building permit. Many tracts are gated or HOA-run too, so check the association rules early. See ADU electrical requirements.
What the fee table means
The permit table above shows a panel permit at about double the price of a charger or subpanel permit. That changes the math on small jobs. If a 200-amp panel has room, a subpanel or a charger circuit avoids the higher line. If the panel is full, the bigger fee is part of a panel upgrade budget. Rooftop solar has its own flat permit and process page, so solar with a battery follows a different path than a plain panel swap.
Applying
Everything goes through the city’s online portal: applications, inspection requests and planning. The counter is open Monday to Friday, with Friday ending an hour earlier. The state requires every city to run a fast, checklist-based review for charger permits, as the AB 1236 guide explains, but the city does not name its checklist on the pages that list fees. Ask which one applies. No turnaround time is posted for panel or charger permits.
Newer homes, SCE power
Newer wiring changes the job here. The median Chino Hills home dates to 1990, only 17 percent predate 1980, 23 percent were built after 2000, and 81 percent are single-family. Panels tend to be newer, so the jobs are additions: a charger, a battery or an ADU. Chargers need a load check first, see the EV charger load calculation.
SCE serves the city and decides what service size an address can have. Its TOU-D-PRIME plan is worth a read in the time-of-use guide. SCE customers in income-qualified or disadvantaged-community households can look at Charge Ready Home when the existing panel is under 200 amps. Terms change, so check your address.
The housing, in numbers
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; QuickFacts for Chino Hills. Climate zone 10.
What SCE handles on a panel or charger job
SCE sets and reconnects the meter. Its published targets cover only SCE steps, and city review time is extra. How the steps fit together.
SCE serves Chino Hills. Chino Hills runs its own water and sewer billing, which is separate from electricity.
Backup power for shutoff days
What the record shows on outages in Chino Hills
Shutoff record: Named on a possible-shutoff list only
Chino Hills does not appear on the October 2019 FOX 11 shutoff list.
Parcel status is by address.
Worth knowing in Chino Hills
- The city's residential application list includes a hillside development application ('standards for proposed new development in hillside areas') and separate design review forms for custom homes and for tracts. A service move, detached garage or ADU on a hillside lot can trigger planning steps that a flat-lot city does not have. Source
- Very High zone properties face defensible-space and sellers' disclosure rules. Source
- Chino Hills prices a main service or panel permit at $538.00, an EV charging station at $269.00 and a subpanel at $269.00 (July 1, 2026 schedule), plus a 6 percent technology fee and a 0.08 percent General Plan surcharge. Source
- All permit applications, inspection requests and planning applications go through the Virtual Development Services (EnerGov) portal, and the city adds a 3.75 percent convenience fee on card transactions. Building & Safety is at 14000 City Center Drive with (909) 364-2780. Source
Jobs Chino Hills homeowners look up
Nearby cities
Questions about electrical work in Chino Hills
What is the Chino Hills fee line for a main panel, and what gets added to it?
The July 1, 2026 fee schedule lists $538.00 for an electrical service or main panel. A 6 percent technology fee and a 0.08 percent General Plan surcharge are added, and a 3.75 percent convenience fee applies to card payments. That is a high figure for a panel permit, so ask the counter for the full total before you budget.
Is my Chino Hills home in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
It depends on the address. CAL FIRE's March 2025 update added Very High zones in Chino Hills, and the fire district adopted them by ordinance in 2025. Check your parcel with the Chino Valley Fire District. Very High zone properties face defensible-space and seller disclosure rules.
Do I need hillside review to add a detached garage or ADU with power on a sloped lot?
Possibly. The city's application list includes a hillside development application and design review forms for custom homes and tracts. A detached garage, ADU or service move on a slope can trigger planning steps that flat-lot cities do not have. Ask Planning before the electrician pulls a permit.
How much is an EV charger permit in Chino Hills?
A residential EV charging station permit is a flat $269.00 on the July 2026 schedule, plus the surcharges. A subpanel is also $269.00, and commercial charging is $1,210.00. Applications and inspection requests go through the city's online Virtual Development Services portal, which adds a 3.75 percent convenience fee on card payments.
Will SCE shut off power in Chino Hills during Santa Ana winds?
It could. The city put a PSPS update on a February 2025 community meeting agenda, with 24 circuits feeding the city. A confirmed shutoff on those circuits has not been reported. The PSPS guide explains what to expect during a shutoff, and a home battery is the usual fix for longer outages.
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