Power from SDG&E
Electrician in San Clemente: online permits and expanded fire-prone areas
San Clemente is served by SDG&E, not SCE. SCE only manages the closed San Onofre plant just south of town. Permits go through e-TRAKiT, and the 2025 state fire maps expanded the fire-prone areas.
Permit office
City of San Clemente Community Development Department, Building Division
(949) 361-3366 (inspection line) · Permit page · Online portal
Permit fees in San Clemente
City of San Clemente Community Development Department, Building Division
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical permit issuance City of San Clemente Building Division fee schedule (Resolution 08-80), posted as 'Current Building Fees and Valuation'. System and unit fees are added to this. | $35.00 |
| Service, 600 volts or less, up to 200 amps City of San Clemente Building Division fee schedule (Resolution 08-80), posted as 'Current Building Fees and Valuation'. | $118.00 |
| Service, 600 volts or less, over 200 to 1,000 amps City of San Clemente Building Division fee schedule (Resolution 08-80), posted as 'Current Building Fees and Valuation'. | $118.00 |
| Fixed residential appliance (range, dryer, water heater and similar), each City of San Clemente Building Division fee schedule (Resolution 08-80), posted as 'Current Building Fees and Valuation'. | $17.00 |
| Electrical plan check City of San Clemente Building Division fee schedule (Resolution 08-80), posted as 'Current Building Fees and Valuation'. | 25% of the electrical permit fee |
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.
Turnaround. The city invoices plan review first and then a final invoice for all other fees.
EV charger permits. The city's Forms, Handouts and Checklists page lists an EV Checklist (PDF), in line with AB 1236's requirement for a published checklist and electronic submittal. Permits can be applied for in e-TRAKiT.
Inspections. Schedule inspections by phone at (949) 361-3366 or through e-TRAKiT.
No city-run rebate is listed for San Clemente. See the rebate finder for programs from SDG&E and the state.
$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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A 1925 plan still shapes the front wall
San Clemente was laid out in 1925 by Ole Hanson, whose deeds required Spanish Colonial Revival design with red tile roofs and whitewashed stucco. The city’s current guidelines still refer to those locations. If you want a panel or charger on a street-facing wall downtown, ask about design review before you buy equipment.
Roughly a quarter of San Clemente homes predate 1970 and another quarter went up after 2000 (median 1983). Owners hold 66% of homes and 68% are single-family. Older downtown lots tend to have original wiring, so the first job is usually a panel check before a charger. The newer hillside and master-planned areas have the opposite issue: modern wiring, but air conditioning, a pool or an EV can still fill a panel, and a load calculation settles it before anyone orders equipment.
Fire maps and Very High zones
The State Fire Marshal’s recommended map update of March 24, 2025 expanded the fire-prone areas in the city, although some Very High areas shrank. Defensible space and insurance consequences can affect remodel and panel decisions, so check your parcel on the CAL FIRE map or the city viewer. See wildfire zones and electrical work and PSPS explained.
What the city asks of you
Permits go through e-TRAKiT, and the Building Division is at 100 Avenida Presidio. Fees are tied to scope. The city lists an EV checklist on its forms page, in line with California’s EV charger permit law, so ask for the current copy before the electrician drafts the permit. A fire hazard rating can also add steps. For a general look, see permits in Southern California.
SDG&E and the meter
SDG&E sets the meter, not SCE. Panel upgrade requests go through SDG&E’s My Project Center, and its Express Program covers residential panel upgrades up to 400 amps. For an EV, ask about SDG&E’s EV-TOU-5 rate plan. See SDG&E EV and panel programs and the panel upgrade timeline.
San Onofre, salt air and neighbors
The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, just south of the city, closed in 2013. Neither the plant nor its decommissioning changes how a home panel or charger is permitted or inspected.
Coastal salt air and bluffs are hard on outdoor panels and meters, so ask an electrician about enclosures that suit the site. For the next towns over, see Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo, which have separate permit offices.
San Clemente homes: age, count and heating
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; QuickFacts for San Clemente. Climate zone 6.
Getting power work done with SDG&E
SDG&E sets and reconnects the meter and issues a work order for service changes. How the steps fit together.
SDG&E delivers and bills electricity in San Clemente. The city's own pages send residents to SDG&E at 800-411-7343, and its General Plan says SDG&E maintains the distribution network. SCE is not the utility here.
SDG&E's residential line is 800-411-7343.
EV rate. SDG&E EV-TOU-5: a residential time-of-use plan for homes that charge an EV overnight, with the highest prices from 4 to 9 p.m..
Backup power for shutoff days
Fire weather and power shutoffs
Shutoff record: Named on a possible-shutoff list only
SDG&E has named San Clemente in Public Safety Power Shutoff warnings, for example a December 2024 warning to more than 88,000 customers in Santa Ana wind conditions.
The 2025 recommended State Fire Marshal maps expand fire-hazard designations in San Clemente (some Very High areas were reduced). Parcel-level zones should be checked on the CAL FIRE map or the city viewer.
Local details
- All spent fuel is in dry storage in 123 canisters on site (a 2020 report). A December 2025 KPBS report says demolition of the domes is expected to finish by the end of 2027 with decommissioning complete in 2028. SCE manages the site, but San Clemente's electric utility is SDG&E. Source
- The city opened a review period that ran until May 8, 2025, and local rules cannot lower the state's hazard level, only raise it. Homes in Very High zones face defensible space and insurance consequences that affect remodel and panel decisions. Source
- San Clemente applicants must create an e-TRAKiT account to apply for permits online, and the city invoices plan review first and then a final invoice for all other fees. A residential solar permit is applied for on the same online portal. Source
Jobs homeowners here ask about
Near San Clemente
Questions about electrical work in San Clemente
Does my Spanish-style San Clemente house need design review for a new meter panel or EV charger on the front wall?
Possibly. The city's design guidelines for special districts still refer to Spanish Colonial Revival locations from Ole Hanson's 1925 plan, so exterior equipment such as meter enclosures or conduit in the downtown areas may get review. Ask the Building Division whether your wall is covered before you buy equipment.
Is my San Clemente home in a Very High fire zone after the 2025 map update?
Check your address. The State Fire Marshal issued recommended maps on March 24, 2025 that expand the fire-prone areas in San Clemente, though some Very High areas shrank. The city held a public review period until May 8, 2025. Ask the city whether the council has adopted the zones, then check your parcel.
Does San Onofre affect my power service or my electrical permit?
No. SCE manages the closed plant, which shut down in 2013, but SDG&E is the electric utility in San Clemente. City permit rules do not change because of the plant. For a home panel or charger, the permit and inspection steps are the city's, and the meter steps are SDG&E's.
How do I schedule an electrical inspection in San Clemente?
Call (949) 361-3366 or use e-TRAKiT, the city's online permit system. Permit applicants create an e-TRAKiT account to apply online. The city bills plan review first, then a final invoice for all other fees, so keep the permit number handy when you call.
Why can't San Clemente quote my panel permit before it sees my plans?
The city prices electrical permits by scope: a base fee per permit plus a fee for each electrical component. Plan check for solar is a percentage of the electrical permit fee. Because the line items depend on what the job includes, ask the Building Division for a quote based on your plans.
Send a photo, get a range.
Share your ZIP and a photo of your panel. Your request goes to a licensed partner electrician, who contacts you.
Get this quoteAurion Electric is a referral service operated by Roviq LLC. Electrical work is done by a licensed partner electrician.
