Power from SCE
Electrician in Santa Ana: underground rule for overhead services
Santa Ana can issue many electrical permits the same day, but not in historic districts such as French Park. Half the homes predate 1970, and new service connections must go underground.
Permit office
City of Santa Ana Planning and Building Agency, Building Safety Division (Permit and Plan Check Counter)
714-647-5800 · Permit page · Online portal
Permit fees in Santa Ana
City of Santa Ana Planning and Building Agency, Building Safety Division (Permit and Plan Check Counter)
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Permit issuance and general plan surcharge City of Santa Ana Development Fees Worksheet, Electrical Permit (form APP-02, dated 03-11-2026 on the form). Made up of $70.06 issuance plus $28.10 surcharge. | $98.16 |
| Service meter, subpanel, switchboard or other distribution equipment, under 400 amps City of Santa Ana Development Fees Worksheet, Electrical Permit (form APP-02, dated 03-11-2026 on the form). | $67.81 |
| Service meter, subpanel or switchboard, 400 to 1,199 amps City of Santa Ana Development Fees Worksheet, Electrical Permit (form APP-02, dated 03-11-2026 on the form). | $184.89 |
| Dedicated circuit (15 or 20 amp receptacle) City of Santa Ana Development Fees Worksheet, Electrical Permit (form APP-02, dated 03-11-2026 on the form). | $31.54 each |
| Electrical plan check City of Santa Ana Development Fees Worksheet, Electrical Permit (form APP-02, dated 03-11-2026 on the form). The city's miscellaneous fee schedule gives the same 65% rate. | 65% of the permit subtotal |
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. Santa Ana's PBx Same Day Express Permit program issues permits that need no plan check the same day at the counter or in the online Permit Portal. The list includes electrical permits, dedicated circuits and EV chargers, and residential service meter upgrades. Historic register properties, contributing properties, SD-19 and SD-40 zoning districts and historic districts are not eligible. Counter hours: Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., alternating Fridays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (appointments are often required for large projects).
EV charger permits. Santa Ana adopted an AB 1236 streamlining ordinance (Chapter 8, Article XVII). One and two family chargers use the Residential EVCS Expedited Review Eligibility Checklist, a residential load calculation handout and, for simple replacements, a same-day express electrical permit. For multi-family and commercial sites the city takes a building and electrical application with a single-line diagram. An electronic EVSE plan check request form is acknowledged by email within three days.
Inspections. Inspections can be scheduled online, and the city offers remote video inspection guidelines.
No city-run rebate is listed for Santa Ana. See the rebate finder for programs from SCE 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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Dense housing, shared meters
Half of Santa Ana’s homes predate 1970 and about a third predate 1960, with a 1969 median. Fewer than half of households own their homes and only about half the stock is single-family, so many jobs involve a landlord, a duplex or a garage conversion. Multi-family and older single-family buildings mean undersized services and shared meters. The city’s residential guideline tells applicants to consult an SCE planner about meter location. See whole-house rewire and the knob-and-tube page if the walls are original.
Overhead service and the underground rule
Municipal Code 41-626(b) says new utility connections go underground. Existing one and two family homes get an exception if the new service uses a listed combination service box that can be fed from the top now and from the bottom later. Replacing an old overhead service on a house therefore needs that specific equipment. The handout on this rule is dated 2020, so ask whether a newer one exists.
Learn how the mast and meter piece fits in on the meter and service mast page.
Same-day express, with exceptions
Santa Ana’s Same Day Express Permit program covers electrical permits, dedicated circuits, EV chargers and residential service meter upgrades. Historic register properties, contributing properties, SD-19 and SD-40 zoning and historic districts are left out.
Counter hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with Wednesday closing at 2 p.m. and alternating Fridays. Large projects often need appointments. The city posts an electrical permit fee worksheet with amounts for service meters and subpanels, but fees vary by scope, so call the counter at 714-647-5800 for your job. Inspections can be scheduled online, and the city offers remote video inspections.
Charger rules and the utility
For a one or two family charger, Santa Ana uses the Residential EVCS Expedited Review Eligibility Checklist and a residential load calculation handout, following AB 1236. Larger sites send a single-line diagram and get an email reply within three days. Read EV charger load calculation for how the calculation works.
SCE supplies and delivers all the power. After the city inspection and clearance, SCE sets or releases the meter, and that step is separate from the city’s wait. See the utility coordination guide.
Heat more than fire
Santa Ana is in climate zone 8, flat and built out. Orange County foothill circuits were the ones cut in past wind events, not flatland circuits. For costs, see the panel upgrade page, and for a neighbor with different rules, Garden Grove.
Santa Ana homes: age, count and heating
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; QuickFacts for Santa Ana. Climate zone 8.
Getting power work done with SCE
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 supplies and delivers all electricity in Santa Ana. Santa Ana is not a member of Orange County Power Authority (it was named as interested in 2020 but did not join. Members are Buena Park, Fullerton, Irvine and, from April 2027, Fountain Valley), and Clean Power Alliance does not serve Orange County, so generation comes from SCE.
Santa Ana Municipal Code 41-626(b) requires new utility connections to be installed below grade, with a standing exception for existing one and two family homes (see localFacts).
Backup power for shutoff days
Fire weather and power shutoffs
Shutoff record: None on record
Local details
- Santa Ana's General Plan lists Downtown and French Park as National Register districts. French Park was the city's first local historic district (1984, National Register 1999) and Heninger Park was the second (1986, zoned SD-40). The city also runs a Mills Act program. Source
- Santa Ana's permit counter is open only Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Wednesday to 2 p.m.) and alternating Fridays, and the city says its residential service meter upgrades can be issued same day over the counter. Source
- Santa Ana tells EV applicants to use its Residential Load Calculation for Electric Vehicle Charging handout. Runs an electronic EVSE plan check request for larger sites with a reply within three days. Source
Jobs homeowners here ask about
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Questions about electrical work in Santa Ana
Can I replace the overhead service on my Santa Ana house or does it have to go underground?
Santa Ana Municipal Code 41-626(b) requires new utility connections below grade. Existing one and two family homes have an exception, but only if the new service uses a listed combination service box that can be fed from the top or the bottom. Ask your electrician to confirm the equipment.
Can I get a same-day electrical permit for a panel swap in Santa Ana?
Often yes. The city's Same Day Express Permit program issues electrical permits, dedicated circuits, EV chargers and residential service meter upgrades the same day, at the counter or in the online portal. Historic register properties and historic districts are not eligible and go through normal review.
My house is in French Park or Heninger Park. Does a panel or meter move need historic review?
It can. Historic districts are excluded from the express program, and French Park and Heninger Park are historic districts in the city's General Plan. Call the Building Safety counter with your address before you plan a meter location on the front wall, since a street-facing change is what gets reviewed.
My Santa Ana duplex or fourplex has one old meter bank. Can I add an EV charger?
It may be possible, but the shared service sets the limit. The city asks for a single-line diagram on multi-family sites, and SCE sets or releases the meters. A load calculation is the first step, and the answer may be load management on a few chargers rather than a bigger service for the whole building.
What is the smallest electrical service Santa Ana allows for a house?
The city's residential electrical guideline sets a minimum of 100 amp service under CEC 230.79(C). It also tells applicants to consult an SCE planner about meter location. A house with a 60 amp service that is being altered would need to meet that minimum, so ask the counter how your project is classified.
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