altadena electrician at emergency electrical repair

Licensed Electrician in Altadena, CA

Altadena homes are not standard wiring jobs. Much of the town was built between the 1920s and the 1950s, which means original knob-and-tube runs, 60- and 100-amp services never designed for a modern kitchen, and mid-century Zinsco and Federal Pacific panels that no longer meet code. We work on these houses every week — and since the Eaton Fire, we’ve worked on the rebuilds too.

Licensed, insured, and local to Altadena since 2019. Appointments Monday to Sunday, 10 am–10 pm, with 24/7 emergency call-out.

Book an Electrician
Call (626) 768-1402
  • Licensed & insured
    CSLB #1034067
  • Local to Altadena
    Serving the foothills since 2019
  • Permit-ready work
    LA County inspected
  • Upfront fixed pricing
    Fixed price before we start

Emergency & Same-Day Electrical Repair in Altadena

A breaker that trips the moment you reset it, an outlet that’s warm to the touch, a burning smell near the panel, or half the house without power — these are not “book it next week” problems.

Call and describe what you’re seeing. If it’s a live hazard we’ll tell you what to shut off before we arrive, and we’ll give you a straight answer on whether it needs a truck tonight or can safely wait until morning at a lower rate. We’d rather talk you through a safe overnight than sell you a call-out you don’t need.

What counts as an electrical emergency

Burning or fishy smells from outlets or the panel, visible sparking or scorch marks, a panel or switch that’s hot to the touch, buzzing from the service equipment, water reaching live wiring, or a downed service line. Any of these, call now and don’t investigate it yourself.

What it costs after hours

Scheduled work runs 10 am to 10 pm, seven days. Outside those hours an emergency surcharge applies, and we quote it on the phone before we dispatch — never after the work is done. More on our emergency service →

Our Electrical Services in Altadena

Residential and commercial electrical work across Altadena and the surrounding foothill communities. Every job is permitted where a permit is required, and inspected where inspection is required.

Rebuilding After the Eaton Fire: the Electrical Work, Step by Step

If you’re rebuilding in Altadena, the electrical work doesn’t start at rough-in. It starts before the foundation, with getting temporary power to the lot — and the sequence has to run in the right order or the inspection fails and you wait again.

Temporary power to your lot

Southern California Edison approves the pole location first. Then the electrical permit is pulled from LA County Public Works Building & Safety — Altadena is unincorporated, so it’s the County, not the City of Pasadena and not LADBS. A licensed electrician sets the pole to code, the County inspects, the inspector releases to SCE, and SCE connects. We handle every step except the SCE paperwork you have to sign yourself.

New service, panel and meter

A rebuild is the one chance to size the service for what the house will actually run: induction cooking, a heat pump, EV charging, backup power. We do the load calculation against the finished house, not the one that was there before, so you aren’t paying for a second panel upgrade in four years.

Permits, inspections and fee waivers

Qualifying owner-occupied rebuilds can have building permit, plan review and inspection fees waived under the County’s 2025 Board of Supervisors motion. Utility connection fees and professional fees are not included in that waiver. We’ll tell you which of your costs fall on which side of the line before you commit to anything.

See the full scope of our rebuild electrical work →

Common Electrical Problems in Altadena Homes

Run through this list. If two or more of these describe your house, an inspection is worth the service call.

  • Does your panel say Zinsco, Sylvania or Federal Pacific Stab-Lok? These were installed widely across Southern California mid-century and are now generally regarded as unsafe to leave in service.
  • Is your service 60 or 100 amps? That was standard for the era most of Altadena was built in. A modern kitchen plus an EV charger needs 200.
  • Can you see cloth-sheathed or knob-and-tube wiring in the attic or crawlspace? Many insurers now decline or non-renew over it.
  • Do lights dim or flicker when the air conditioner starts? Often a loose neutral — a genuine fire risk, not a quirk of an old house.
  • Are there two-prong outlets, or three-prong outlets with nothing actually grounded behind them?
  • Is there no GFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, garage or outdoors?
  • Does a breaker trip again immediately after you reset it?
  • Any outlet, switch plate or panel cover that is warm, discoloured or buzzing?

Book an electrical safety inspection →  ·  Why breakers keep tripping  ·  What flickering lights mean

Areas We Serve

Based on Lincoln Ave in Altadena, working across the western San Gabriel foothills.

  • Altadena — Our home town — and the whole reason this company exists.
  • Pasadena — Craftsman and Spanish Revival stock with the same ageing-service issues as Altadena.
  • South Pasadena — Historic district work where panel and meter placement needs care.
  • Sierra Madre — Foothill homes with long service runs and frequent wind-driven outages.
  • La Cañada Flintridge — Larger lots, detached structures, and sub-panel work to match.
  • San Marino — Period properties where rewiring has to be done without tearing up plaster.
  • Arcadia — Residential and small-commercial electrical across the city.
  • Eagle Rock — Pre-war bungalows and the panel upgrades they tend to need.

Not on the list? Call (626) 768-1402 — if we can get to you, we will.

Why Altadena Homeowners Call Us

We work on old houses

Plaster and lath, balloon framing, no attic access, panels in impossible places. We don’t quote a surprise once we open the wall, because we already expected what’s behind it.

Permit-ready, County-inspected

Where the work needs a permit, we pull it and meet the inspector. You end up with a paper trail that holds up with your insurer and at sale.

Straight pricing

Fixed price after we’ve seen the job. The emergency surcharge is quoted on the phone, not added at the end.

We answer the phone

Seven days, 10 am to 10 pm for scheduling, and around the clock for genuine emergencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does an electrician cost in Altadena?

Most of our work is quoted as a fixed price after we’ve seen the job, not billed by the hour, so you know the number before we start. Diagnostic visits carry a standard service call fee, which we credit against the repair if you go ahead. Emergency call-outs outside 10 am–10 pm carry a surcharge, and we tell you what it is on the phone before dispatching anyone.

Yes. Altadena is unincorporated, so panel and service upgrades are permitted and inspected by LA County Public Works Building & Safety — not the City of Pasadena and not LADBS. We pull the permit, schedule the inspection and meet the inspector on site. If a contractor offers to skip the permit, that is a problem for your insurance and your eventual sale, not a saving.

We hold California State License Board licence #1034067. You can verify it, along with our bond and workers’ compensation coverage, at cslb.ca.gov. We would encourage you to check ours and anyone else’s you are considering.

Yes. Southern California Edison approves the pole location first, then the electrical permit is pulled from LA County, we set the pole to code, the County inspects, and the inspector releases to SCE for connection. We handle every step except the paperwork SCE needs you to sign personally.

Scheduled appointments run Monday to Sunday, 10 am to 10 pm. For genuine emergencies — burning smells, sparking, a hot panel, water near live equipment — the line is answered around the clock and we dispatch from Altadena. Response time depends on where you are and what else is live, and we will give you an honest estimate on the call rather than a promise we cannot keep.

Regularly — it is one of the most common things we find in Altadena. Knob-and-tube is not automatically dangerous, but it has no ground, it degrades where it has been buried in insulation, and most insurers now treat it as a reason to decline or non-renew. We will tell you whether yours needs full replacement or whether rewiring the problem circuits is enough.

Electrical Guides from Our Altadena Team

Permit costs, panel sizing, code changes and the faults we see most often in foothill homes — written by the electricians who do the work. Browse all articles →

Professional photograph of a licensed electrician inspecting an electrical panel in a Southern California home, emphasizing safety and expertise.Altadena & LocalElectrical Panel Upgrade Southern California: Expert Local ServicesTable of Contents What to Know About Electrical Panel Upgrades in Southern California Signs You Need an Electrical Panel Upgrade How an…Read more →Professional photograph of a licensed electrician installing an AFCI/GFCI breaker in a residential electrical panel in Altadena, CaliforniaElectrical Panels & BreakersAFCI vs GFCI Breaker Requirements: The Complete 2026 GuideTable of Contents AFCI and GFCI Breaker Requirements Explained 1. AFCI vs GFCI: The Core Differences 2. NEC Mandates for AFCI Breaker…Read more →Licensed electrician installing a wall-mounted Tesla Wall Connector next to an electrical panel in a bright Altadena home garage with foothills in the backgroundElectrical InstallationLADWP EV Charger Rebate: How to Qualify in 2026Table of Contents LADWP EV Charger Rebates: What Homeowners Need to Know Eligibility Requirements for the LADWP EV Charger Rebate Program How…Read more →Professional electrician installing modern ceiling light fixture in bright living roomElectrical InstallationTop Residential Lighting Installation Los Angeles: 2026 ComparisonTable of Contents Residential Lighting Installation in Los Angeles, California: What You Need to Know Signs It's Time to Upgrade Your Home…Read more →Licensed electrician reviewing ADU construction plans with Title 24 code book on a sunny California jobsitePermits, Codes & CostsElectrical Code Requirements for ADU California: 2026 Compliance GuideCalifornia ADU electrical requirements for 2026: service sizing, sub-panels vs separate meters, load calcs, GFCI/AFCI rules and permit steps.Read more →Homeowner and electrician reviewing a smart electrical panel in a sunlit Altadena living room with mountain views.Electrical Panels & BreakersSmart Electrical Panel Benefits for Older Homes: Load Management GuideHow smart electrical panels help older homes manage load, avoid costly service upgrades, add EV charging and monitor energy circuit by circuit.Read more →A licensed electrician in a blue uniform stands on a ladder, installing an LED recessed light into a white ceiling in a sunlit Pasadena living room.Lighting & OutletsRecessed Lighting Installation Cost Pasadena: 2026 GuideRecessed lighting installation costs in Pasadena for 2026: per-light pricing, new vs retrofit cans, attic access, dimmers and permit needs.Read more →Licensed electrician installing an EV charger in a residential garageEV ChargingBest Pasadena EV Charger Installation Cost: 2026 GuideWhat EV charger installation costs in Pasadena in 2026: Level 2 pricing, panel capacity, permits, utility rebates and what affects the quote.Read more →

Contact us

Kindly fill out our online form and we will come back to you with a fixed price. A standard service call fee applies to diagnostic visits, quoted before we dispatch and credited against the repair if you go ahead.

Scheduled appointments run Monday to Sunday, 10:00 am–10:00 pm. Our emergency line is answered 24/7 throughout:

  • Altadena, CA
  • Pasadena, CA
  • Sierra Madre, CA
  • La Cañada Flintridge, CA
  • South Pasadena, San Marino & the Los Angeles foothill communities