San Diego, CA
San Diego electrical permit cost
A City of San Diego electrical permit is priced from Table 2 of Information Bulletin 103
and most of its rows print two amounts rather than one: a new MDU service is $1,412.54 for the first dwelling unit and $87.68 for each one after it, a panel replace or upgrade up to 200 amperes is $176.57, and a permit for conduit and junction boxes only, a generator, a temporary construction pole or a specialised occupancy is a flat $176.57 to $529.71. The circuit bands price a *group* of circuits rather than one and are named rather than modelled.
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conduit and junction box onlyPermit fee | $176.57 flat fee | electrical item is conduit jbox | — |
| Generator onlyPermit fee | $176.57 flat fee | electrical item is generator | — |
| Electrical service, new MDUPermit fee | $1,412.54 for the first dwelling unit, plus $87.68 for each additional dwelling unit | electrical item is mdu service | — |
| Panel replace or upgrade, up to 200 APermit fee | $176.57 flat fee | electrical item is panel upgrade | — |
| Specialised occupancyPermit fee | $529.71 flat fee | electrical item is specialized | — |
| Temporary construction power polePermit fee | $176.57 flat fee | electrical item is temp pole | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
An eight-unit multiple dwelling unit building in the City of San Diego, permitted for its electrical service as a standalone MEP permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Dwelling units | 8 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | New construction |
| Electrical item | mdu_service |
Example total
$2,026.30
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 1Rules considered 6
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Electrical service, new MDUPermit fee"TABLE 2: ELECTRICAL FEE SCHEDULE (PER BUILDING) — Electrical Service New MDU, 1 Dwelling Unit, First Unit $1,412.54, Each Add'l Unit $87.68."Show the working
| $1,412.54 for the first dwelling unit, plus $87.68 for each additional dwelling unit | $2,026.30 |
| Total | $2,026.30 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Conduit and junction box only — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Generator only — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Panel replace or upgrade, up to 200 A — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Specialised occupancy — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Temporary construction power pole — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 1 fee rule in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Table 2's electrical service row is a First Unit and an Each Add'l Unit amount, and Table 2 counts it in dwelling units: $1,412.54 for the first unit and $87.68 for each of the seven that follow, which is $613.76, so the permit is $2,026.30. Nothing else on the permit applies, because the flat rows are gated on the item being permitted and a service permit is not a conduit-only, generator, temporary-pole or specialised-occupancy permit.
One caution belongs with the number. This is the electrical service charge alone; the branch circuits, the panel and any specialised-occupancy work are separate lines on the same Table 2, and the circuit bands in particular are not modelled here because each prices a group of circuits rather than one.
What is different in San Diego
The service charge is the row most permits turn on, and it is measured in dwelling units rather than in amperes. "Electrical Service New MDU, 1 Dwelling Unit — First Unit $1,412.54, Each Add'l Unit $87.68": so the first unit carries the whole base and each additional one adds $87.68, which a twelve-unit building turns into $1,412.54 plus eleven times $87.68. That is a different question from the amperage basis used in Florida, where a service is priced by how much current it carries; here it is priced by how many dwellings it serves.
The flat rows are deliberately small and specific. Conduit and junction boxes only is $176.57, a generator only is $176.57, a temporary construction power pole is $176.57 and a specialised occupancy — healthcare or a hazardous location, as Chapter 5 of the California Electrical Code identifies them — is $529.71. Each is one charge for the permit rather than a rate on anything, and each is gated on the item the applicant is permitting so that two of them can never apply to one job by accident.
The bands left out are the ones to ask about. Table 2 prices 15–45 ampere circuits as "First 5 Circuits $176.57 … 6-10 Circuits $52.39 … each additional 10 circuits over 10, up to 50 $52.39 … each additional 50 circuits over 50 $141.28", and the 50–200 A and 225–400 A rows at $353.13 for each three circuits. Every one of those prices a group, so this site names the row instead of inventing a per-circuit rate the bulletin does not print — which matters, because the difference between reading "6-10 Circuits $52.39" as $52.39 for the band and as $52.39 for each circuit is more than the permit.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This estimate is the Table 2 electrical rows this site models: the new MDU service charge and the flat per-item permits. It excludes:
- The circuit bands — 15–45 A, 50–200 A, 225–400 A, 450–1,000 A and 1,200 A or larger — each of which prices a group of circuits rather than one.
- The building permit on the same project, which is a separate application, and the plumbing and mechanical permits, the last of which this site does not price anywhere.
- Solar photovoltaic and electric-vehicle charging systems, which Information Bulletins 301 and 187 price separately.
- The specialised-occupancy hazardous materials permit from San Diego Fire-Rescue that may accompany the $529.71 electrical row.
- The mapping fee of $12.16 and other charges that IA-501 and IB-103 both reference.
- The plan review fee where a project does not qualify for a Simple Permit and is not submitted with a building permit; in that case IB-103 says a plan review fee is charged per Information Bulletin 501.
What you need before applying
- A separate MEP permit is required for non-residential and multi-dwelling unit workRequired
"Separate building and MEP permits are required for all non-residential and Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) construction. Each building must have its own MEP permit." That is why the electrical and plumbing pages are their own permits rather than lines on the building page, and why the building page says the two trade permits for the same project are separate applications.
Common questions
How is the electrical service charged?
"Table 2: Electrical Service New MDU, 1 Dwelling Unit — First Unit $1,412.54, Each Add'l Unit $87.68." The first dwelling unit carries the base charge and every unit after it adds $87.68, so the row is counted in dwelling units rather than in amperes. An eight-unit building is $1,412.54 plus seven times $87.68.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 2
Why are the circuit rows not priced here?
Because each prices a group. Table 2 reads "Circuits 15-45 Amps — First 5 Circuits $176.57 … 6-10 Circuits $52.39 … Each additional 10 circuits over 10, up to 50 $52.39 … Each additional 50 circuits over 50 $141.28", and prices 50–200 A and 225–400 A at $353.13 for each three circuits. The bulletin does not print a single per-circuit rate for any band, so this site names them rather than guessing one.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 2
Do I need a separate building permit for electrical work?
"Separate building and MEP permits are required for all non-residential and Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) construction. Each building must have its own MEP permit." The bulletin also flags the reverse: a separate building permit is required when the electrical scope includes drywall, wood framing or new finishes in an MDU or non-residential building.
Information Bulletin 103
What is a Simple Permit, and does it change the fee?
IB-103 marks each row "Qualifies for Simple Permit—MEP". A Simple Permit is one that does not require plan review and can be applied for online; the fee on the row is the same either way. What changes is the route: if a project includes items needing plan review alongside Simple Permit items, "the project does not qualify for Simple Permits–MEP and all items must be included in the permit scope to be plan reviewed", and a plan review fee is charged per IB-501.
Information Bulletin 103, Section II
Is solar priced on this table?
No. Table 2 marks "Solar Photovoltaic" with a note to see Information Bulletin 301, and electric-vehicle charging in private garages with a note to see IB-187. Both are priced by their own bulletins, and this site models neither.
Information Bulletin 103, Table 2
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Information Bulletin 103, “Fee Schedule for Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing/Gas Permits”
Read 2026-09-24. Header: "INFORMATION BULLETIN 103 May 2026", previous version last effective 2026-05-03, so effective from 2026-05-04. Its Table 1A and 1B price mechanical work per building use and per item, Table 2 the electrical work, and Tables 3A and 3B the plumbing work — each printing a First Unit and an Each Add'l Unit amount. This site models Table 2 and Tables 3A/3B and does not model mechanical work anywhere. One thing the bulletin states plainly and this site repeats: "Separate building and MEP permits are required for all non-residential and Multi-Dwelling Unit (MDU) construction. Each building must have its own MEP permit."
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.