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How much does it cost to rewire a house in Los Angeles?

Rewiring replaces the old wiring inside your walls with new cable, and usually brings outlets, grounding and circuit protection up to current code. It is one of the bigger electrical jobs, and the price depends mostly on the size of the home and how hard it is to reach the wiring.

Typical price ranges

National cost guides put rewiring at roughly $3 to $5 per square foot. That works out to about $3,000 to $5,000 for a 1,000 sq ft home, $4,500 to $7,500 for 1,500 sq ft, and $6,000 to $10,000 for 2,000 sq ft. Labor rates in Los Angeles are higher than the national average, so local quotes often land toward the top of these ranges or above them. Treat these as estimates and rely on written quotes.

What drives the price

The square footage and number of rooms, the number of floors, crawlspace and attic access, plaster versus drywall walls, whether the panel also needs upgrading, the permit and inspection, and wall patching and painting afterwards.

Signs a home may need rewiring

Knob-and-tube or cloth-covered wiring, two-prong outlets throughout, frequent tripping, flickering lights, outlets or switch plates that get warm, or an insurer or buyer asking for an electrical inspection. Many older homes in Los Angeles, especially craftsman houses and homes built before the 1960s, fall into this group.

Permits

In the City of Los Angeles, rewiring needs an electrical permit from LADBS and inspections. Cities such as Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Santa Monica and Long Beach issue their own permits. A licensed electrician normally pulls the permit.

How to compare quotes

Ask each electrician to list what is included: the whole house or certain circuits, the panel, new outlets and switches, grounding, the permit, wall repair, and how long the job takes. Partial rewiring of the oldest circuits can be a cheaper first step.

Questions

How long does rewiring take?

A typical single-family home takes several days to a couple of weeks, depending on size and access. Permits and inspections add time.

Can I stay in the house during rewiring?

Often yes. Electricians usually work room by room so part of the house keeps power, though there will be noise, dust and some outages.

Do I have to rewire the whole house?

Not always. An electrician can inspect the wiring and tell you whether only some circuits need replacing.

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Updated 2026-10-21. General information only, not a substitute for an inspection by a licensed electrician.