Electricians inspecting the electrical panels and meters on a multifamily house
Electricians inspecting the electrical panels and meters on a multifamily house. Photo: Tomwsulcer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Electrical San Jose

San Jose electrical work: panel swaps, Level 2 chargers and rooftop solar

A Level 2 car charger, rooftop solar with a battery, a heat pump: in San Jose each one is an electrical permit the city issues online for a qualifying house, and each can end in a panel upgrade. The city's panel page spells out what its inspector checks, from a surge-protection device on any replaced service to combination AFCI breakers on every circuit that is modified or extended.

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Online permits
Panels, Level 2 chargers and qualifying solar via SJPermits.org
Replaced service
Needs a Type 1 or Type 2 surge-protection device
No permit needed
Like-for-like outlets, switches, breakers and fuses
Power supplier
San José Clean Energy generates; PG&E delivers and meters

The work

Where San Jose electrical jobs usually begin

  • Upgrading the main service panel

    San Jose issues the electrical permit for a main panel upgrade online. Load calculations and underground conduit are generally not required, unless the existing service entrance is already underground or PG&E, Public Works or the Building Division decides the conductors should go underground. On PG&E's side, any new load addition needs an application through its Your Projects portal, and PG&E handles permits for its outside infrastructure only. Power comes back after the city inspector approves the new panel and PG&E reconnects.

  • A Level 2 charger in the garage

    A Level 1 charger on an existing 120-volt outlet needs no permit in San Jose; a Level 2 charger on 240 volts needs an electrical permit, and a mechanical one too if the manufacturer calls for ventilation. The city treats charging as a continuous load, so the circuit is sized at 125 percent of the charger's maximum, and a panel rated 125 amps or less needs a load calculation. If you want a second meter for an EV rate, it goes on the application.

  • Rooftop solar with a battery

    San Jose requires a building permit before solar panels or a storage battery go in. A rooftop system on a single-family house, duplex or townhouse can be permitted online when the panels sit no more than 18 inches above the roof and are not ballasted. The racking has to attach to rafters, trusses or blocking, since the city does not count plywood sheathing as structural. The battery's bracket anchorage is usually inspected before the battery is mounted.

  • Rewiring an older house

    The city's electrical projects page says a rewire must follow the California Electrical Code strictly and that all of it must be done by a licensed electrician, with a service of at least 100 amps. Every device and its trim has to be installed before the meter release or the final inspection, and combination AFCI breakers are required wherever branch circuit wiring is modified, replaced or extended, so the rewired circuits come back with arc-fault protection.

Hotel Valencia at Santana Row in San Jose
Hotel Valencia at Santana Row in San Jose. Photo: Payton Chung, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The houses here

Victorian districts, post-war tracts and the panels in their walls

San Jose's oldest wiring sits in its conservation areas. The Hensley district holds the city's largest concentration of Victorian-era houses, built mostly between 1880 and 1900, and Hanchett and Hester Park and Palm Haven filled in from about 1906 into the 1940s. Much of the rest of the city is post-war tract housing from the annexation decades, built long before chargers and heat pumps were part of the load. Two details catch older services when the panel changes. Where an underground metal water pipe is the only grounding electrode, a supplemental electrode has to be added, and a new surface-mounted panel may not simply cover an old semi-flush one set into the wall.

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Free to request, and you agree the scope and price with the person you hire before work starts. In California, a job over $1,000 in labor and materials, or one that needs a building permit, must be done by a contractor licensed by the CSLB in the right class. Ask for the license number and check it at cslb.ca.gov.

Permits and local rules

San Jose code points that decide an electrical bid

  • What San Jose lets you do without a permit

    The city's permit guide exempts replacing electrical outlets, switches in existing boxes, circuit breakers and fuses, and removing electrical wiring. Replacing a main disconnect is not exempt, and any new outlet or other electrical work needs a permit. The same page reminds owners that state law requires disclosing unpermitted work when a property is sold, so wiring a previous owner added without a permit can come back up when you sell.

    City of San José, When Is a Permit Required (opens in a new tab)

  • The inspector's checklist for a new panel

    San Jose's panel upgrade page lists what the inspector looks for: a Type 1 or Type 2 surge-protection device wherever service equipment serving a dwelling is replaced, 6 feet 6 inches of headroom, and a grounding electrode conductor that reaches the water pipe within five feet of where it enters the house. For service equipment over 225 amps, the inspector needs the utility's figure for maximum available short-circuit current before approving the meter release.

    City of San José, Electrical Service Panel Upgrades (opens in a new tab)

  • EV-ready wiring in new San Jose homes

    San Jose's reach code applies to new buildings whose permit applications were made on or after July 1, 2024. A new single-family house over 1,200 square feet must include one EV Ready space, meaning a circuit ready for a charger, and new buildings other than ADUs must be solar-ready. For an owner building a new house, that wiring is part of the electrical plan from the start rather than an upgrade later.

    City of San José, Reach Code summary (opens in a new tab)

State license for this work: C-10 Electrical. Look up a contractor's license on the CSLB website (opens in a new tab).

Before you hire

Pin these down with a San Jose electrician first

  • Does the panel quote include the surge-protection device and AFCI breakers San Jose's inspector will look for?
  • If my panel is rated 125 amps or less, will you give me the load calculation for the charger?
  • Who files PG&E's Your Projects application for a service upgrade, and who coordinates the meter release with the inspector?
  • For solar, how does the racking attach to the rafters, and who requests PG&E's permission to operate?
  • Check the C-10 Electrical license at cslb.ca.gov and confirm the online permit is in the contractor's name.

Questions

Panels, chargers and solar: what owners here want to know

Can I install a DC fast charger at my house in San Jose?

No. San Jose's EV charging page says Level 3 chargers, also called DC fast chargers, are not allowed on residential properties. A home charger is Level 1, on a standard 120-volt outlet, or Level 2 on 240 volts, which needs an electrical permit the city issues online.

Who is my electric company in San Jose, San José Clean Energy or PG&E?

Both, for different things. San José Clean Energy is the city's not-for-profit generation provider and sources the electricity. PG&E delivers it, owns the poles, wires and meters, and handles billing and customer service. SJCE says it is not involved in metering, so a service upgrade, a new meter or a reconnection is arranged with PG&E.

Does San Jose use SolarAPP+ for solar permits?

San Jose was not on SolarAPP+'s list of participating jurisdictions when checked in October 2026; it issues permits for qualifying rooftop systems through its own online system at SJPermits.org. The U.S. Energy Secretary wrote in 2021 that after San Jose automated residential solar permitting, approved projects rose by 600 percent.

When can we switch on new solar panels in San Jose?

Not until PG&E sends written permission to operate, even if the city inspection has passed. PG&E says turning a system on earlier is against its Electric Rule 21. Customers who applied to interconnect after April 14, 2023 are on PG&E's Solar Billing Plan, and their credit value is set on the day the system receives that permission.

Do I need a permit to replace a light switch or a breaker in San Jose?

Not for a straight replacement. San Jose exempts replacing outlets, switches in existing boxes, circuit breakers and fuses. Adding a new outlet, extending a circuit or replacing the main disconnect does need a permit or other new electrical work.

Where these facts come from

Checked against these public sources in October 2026. Rules and programs change: confirm permit requirements with the city before work starts, and a contractor's license on the CSLB website.

Electrical work in San Jose? Tell us what you see.

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