EV charger permits in the City of Los Angeles: a homeowner’s checklist.

1. Confirm that LADBS handles your address.

This guide is for the City of Los Angeles. Pasadena, Burbank, Glendale and other cities have their own processes; a Los Angeles County address does not automatically use LADBS. Start with the countywide guide to finding your permit authority if you are unsure.

Write two names at the top of your project notes: the permitting authority and your electric utility. Ask the electrician to confirm both for the actual property. Keep their responsibilities separate when comparing quotes.

2. Ask whether the electrical work qualifies for an express permit.

The LADBS EV checklist describes an Express e-Permit route without electrical plan check for qualifying residential and commercial parking installations with service up to 400 amps. This is a permit route, not an exemption from obtaining a permit. Have the applicant confirm eligibility for the complete scope.

Apartment and commercial installations can also need separate building review for accessibility. Where electrical plan review applies, the checklist calls for plans, load calculations, panel information and equipment specifications. Your design professional determines the required submission; a homeowner’s project brief does not replace it.

3. Give the electrician a clear starting brief.

• Parking: identify the space, who uses it, and whether the charger would be inside or outside.
• Equipment: list the vehicle and proposed charger model, or say that you have not selected one.
• Access: describe shared areas, a detached garage, or surfaces that might need opening and restoring.
• Future plans: mention another EV or major electric appliances you expect to add.
• Assessment: ask what capacity evaluation and design information are needed before applying.

Take ordinary photos of parking and the outside of the panel if helpful. Do not remove electrical covers. Ask for a written list of remaining questions after the site visit, with a person responsible for resolving each one.

4. Keep service changes on their own track.

LADWP has a separate residential service-request process for changes to loads, equipment and meters. If LADWP supplies the home, ask whether your scope needs coordination through that process and who will handle it.

Record dependencies rather than accepting one unexplained completion date: permit, any utility work, installation and inspection. For a proposed panel change, use our capacity assessment questions. Keep potential rebates separate from these approvals.

5. Agree who closes out the permit.

LADBS’s inspection guidance says work must be inspected before it is covered or concealed, and the permitted work is not approved until accepted by its inspection staff. Ask the contractor to include inspection scheduling and any required corrections in the written scope.

Keep the permit number, inspection result and final invoice together. If a rebate needs final permit evidence, identify that document before applying. A charger that powers on is not, by itself, evidence of a closed permit.

Questions to settle before accepting a quote.

• Who is the permit applicant, and what work will the permit cover?
• Are permit fees, possible plan review and inspection visits included?
• What depends on a utility response or another property owner?
• Who pays for and approves scope changes discovered later?
• Which completion records will I receive?

We do not quote a universal permit fee or approval time: ask for current fees and the route applicable to your project. Add the confirmed amounts to our installation quote worksheet. For shared parking, also prepare the condo and HOA project checklist.

Official sources

• LADBS — EV charging station permitting checklist
• LADBS — inspections and completion
• LADWP — residential service requests

Program terms and permit requirements can change. The utility and permit authority determine the current requirements for your address.