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Electrical Permit in San Diego, California

San Diego requires an electrical permit for all electrical work and names EV charging explicitly: 'An Electrical Permit is required for all electrical work, including Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCS).'

Verified 2026-09-11 · Source

When you need this permit

  • WHO MAY HOLD IT IS RESTRICTED: the permit 'can only be issued to a licensed California State Contractor authorized to perform electrical installations or to the property owner or lessee.'
  • 'Please ensure your proposed scope of work does not require a Building Permit .'
  • Scope determines whether a simple no-plan permit or a plan permit applies; the City points to Information Bulletin 103.

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Electrical permit feesMechanical, electrical and plumbing/gas fees sit in IB-103, NOT in IB-501, which covers structures. No dollar figure is published on the Electrical Permit page itself.
Per Information Bulletin 103

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Electrical Permit permit actually take in San Diego?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Electrical inspection

    Requested through DSD after permit issuance.

See the full San Diego inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

Tips

  • A HOMEOWNER CAN HOLD THE PERMIT, BUT ONLY AS OWNER OR LESSEE. The City limits issuance to a licensed California State Contractor authorized to perform electrical installations, or to the property owner or lessee - there is no third category.
  • THE ELECTRICAL PAGE CITES SDMC 129.0303, a different code section from the building-permit exemption list at 129.0203.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The City states an electrical permit 'is required for all electrical work, including Electric Vehicle Charging Systems (EVCS).'

In San Diego, the published Electrical permit fees is: Per Information Bulletin 103. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

San Diego does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact City of San Diego - Development Services Department (DSD) at 619-446-5000 for current turnaround.

You'll need: Online application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

San Diego requires 1 inspection(s) for an electrical permit, in order: Electrical inspection. Schedule each through City of San Diego - Development Services Department (DSD) (619-446-5000).

Apply through City of San Diego - Development Services Department (DSD) at 7650 Mission Valley Road, MS# DSD-1A, San Diego, CA 92108 - the Mission Valley office, which the City calls 'This office is the primary location for in-person customer assistance, with most services requiring an appointment .' A second office at 550 West C St., 12th Floor (MS# DSD-2A), San Diego, CA 92101 serves pre-scheduled appointments for existing projects and permits only; 'Walk-in services are not available.'. Phone: 619-446-5000. Office hours: Mission Valley building hours Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Front Counter Customer Service Mon-Thu 8 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 3 p.m., Fri 10 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 3 p.m. Records Mon-Thu 7 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 4 p.m. Cashiers Mon-Thu 7 - 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. The Customer Service Line is listed separately as 619-446-5000, MONDAY - FRIDAY: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. NOTE: 'All in-person services at the Mission Valley location are closed on business days between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.'. Official information: https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services.

San Diego, California has adopted: 2025 California Building Standards Code (CBSC), Title 24 California Code of Regulations - the City's own document records that it 'has been adopted by the State of California and will be effective on a statewide basis on January 1, 2026.'; San Diego's local amendments to the 2025 CBSC are published by DSD. CAUTION: the adoption document is headed 'Proposed Local Amendments 2025 California Building Standards Code' and says the City 'proposes to adopt by reference certain parts of the CBSC'. It is dated Thursday August 28, 2025 and revised 2-13-2026. Confirm the enacted status with DSD before relying on any individual local amendment.. Local amendments apply — see the San Diego overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.

Fee schedules

Department & other records

Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the San Diego building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.

San Diego's permit history isn't searchable here yet

This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for San Diego yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.

Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when San Diego lands. Privacy.

Other permits in San Diego

Residential Building Permit (Combination Building - Single Dwelling Units, ADUs and Duplexes)Commercial Building Permit (Building - All other buildings)Plumbing/Gas PermitMechanical PermitDemolition/Removal PermitAccessory Dwelling Unit / Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit Permit

Electrical Permit in other cities

Fresno, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaAkron, ColoradoAlamogordo, New Mexico

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