Power from SCE
Electrician in Torrance: two in three homes predate 1970
Torrance has taken electrical permits through its online portal only since January 5, 2026. SCE serves the whole city, and two in three of its houses went up before 1970.
Permit office
City of Torrance Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division
(310) 618-5910; [email protected] · Permit page · Online portal
Permit fees in Torrance
City of Torrance Community Development Department, Building and Safety Division
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residential permit fee at project value $5,001 to $5,100 (example row) | $190 |
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. Since January 5, 2026 all plan reviews and permit submittals are electronic only through the portal. Paper is no longer accepted.
EV charger permits. The city's electrical inspection codes include a charging station inspection and an electrical service inspection, and an electrical trade permit is applied for separately in the portal.
Inspections. Inspections are scheduled online through the city's Schedule Building Inspection page and the Citizen Access portal.
No city-run rebate is listed for Torrance. 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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Permits are online only
Since January 5, 2026, Torrance accepts plan reviews and permit submittals electronically through its Citizen Access portal. Paper is no longer taken. Electrical is its own trade permit, filed separately, and a zoning screening comes before most applications. A charger and a panel swap get separate inspections, and inspections book online, so keep the permit number handy when your electrician finishes.
Fees follow a project-value table, not a list of electrical items, so the same panel job can price differently depending on the value on the application. Ask the city what your job will be before you compare bids, because two electricians can quote the permit line differently. The general permit rules are in electrical permits in Southern California.
Ranch houses from the postwar tracts
Postwar ranch tracts dominate: 41 percent of Torrance houses were built before 1960, 68 percent before 1970 and 82 percent before 1980, with a median year of 1964. Old Torrance has craftsman bungalows from about 1912, while the tracts in Southwood, Hillside and Meadow Park came later. A central air conditioner or a garage conversion may have been added to some of these houses without a bigger service. Look at your panel label and read how to read your electrical panel.
If you want an EV charger, the first question is whether the service can carry it. The load calculation page explains that step, and 200 amp panel upgrade covers the next one.
When the substation fails
No SCE fire shutoff has been reported in Torrance. Its outage history comes from equipment: two large substation failures, one in 2013 and one in 2016, each took out power to tens of thousands of customers on ordinary days. That is the case for looking at a generator interlock kit or home battery installation here, even without fire risk.
Two climate zones and the SCE side
West Torrance and the Hollywood Riviera sit under the coastal marine layer, so cooling load stays low. East Torrance is warmer and sits in a different climate zone. SCE offers TOU-D-PRIME for customers with an EV, battery or heat pump. After the building department passes the work, SCE sets the meter. Its steps and the city’s review each take time, so plan for weeks, not days. See the panel upgrade timeline guide.
The housing, in numbers
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; QuickFacts for Torrance. Climate zone 6 in most ZIPs, 8 in the rest (by ZIP).
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 Torrance. Torrance has had two large SCE outages tied to its own substations, which matters for backup power planning: a downed-line substation failure on September 14, 2013 near Crenshaw and 190th that cut power to nearly 115,000 households, 83,000 of them in Torrance, and a wiring error at a Torrance substation on October 11, 2016 that cut about 100,000 customers for up to 80 minutes.
Backup power for shutoff days
What the record shows on outages in Torrance
Shutoff record: None on record
The big outages were substation events: September 14, 2013 (nearly 115,000 households, 83,000 in Torrance, downed lines at a substation near Crenshaw Boulevard and 190th Street, LAist) and October 11, 2016 (about 100,000 customers, a wiring error at a Torrance substation, with the PBF refinery flaring as a safety step, Fox News).
Worth knowing in Torrance
- Torrance sets building permit fees from a project-value table. Its fiscal year 2026-27 residential schedule is dated July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Source
- On October 11, 2016, SCE blamed a wiring error at a Torrance substation for an outage of about 100,000 customers in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Hawthorne and Gardena, lasting up to about 80 minutes. The PBF refinery burned off product as a safety step. Source
- The city's electrical inspection list has a separate code for charging station inspections, so an EV charger is inspected separately from a service upgrade. Source
- Torrance's ZIP 90504 and 90506 are in CEC climate zone 8 while the rest of the city is zone 6, which changes the Title 24 energy forms attached to HVAC and panel jobs. Source
Jobs Torrance homeowners look up
Nearby cities
Questions about electrical work in Torrance
Where do I apply for an electrical permit in Torrance?
Apply online through the city's Citizen Access portal. Since January 5, 2026 the city accepts plan reviews and permit submittals electronically only, not on paper. Electrical is a separate trade permit application. Most projects need a zoning screening before you submit. Call Building and Safety at (310) 618-5910 with questions.
Do I need a backup plan for Torrance outages?
It is worth thinking about. Two SCE substation failures hit Torrance hard. In 2013 nearly 115,000 households lost power, 83,000 of them in Torrance. In 2016 about 100,000 customers lost power for up to 80 minutes. Both came from substation faults, not weather, so a battery or interlock covers a risk that has happened here.
Why does a Torrance zoning screening come before my electrical permit?
The city requires an approved zoning screening before most portal applications go in. It checks the property use before the building side reviews anything. Plan on this step happening first. The city does not say how long it takes, so ask Building and Safety when you start.
Why can two bids for the same Torrance panel job show different permit lines?
Because the city does not list a panel line. Torrance sets permit fees from a project-value table that took effect July 1, 2026, and the table does not break out electrical work. The city says small permits can cost under $100 and larger projects several thousand dollars. Ask Building and Safety for the fee on your specific job.
Is my Torrance house in climate zone 6 or 8?
Most of Torrance is zone 6, including 90501, 90502, 90503, 90505 and 90277. East and inland ZIPs 90504 and 90506 are zone 8. The zone changes which Title 24 energy forms come with HVAC and panel work, and east Torrance runs warmer than the coast.
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