Cost to Rewire a House in Los Angeles: Older Homes (2026)

The cost to rewire a house is typically $10,000 to $30,000 nationally, according to HomeGuide’s 2026 guide. For a 1,500 sq ft home, the national range is $7,500 to $25,500. We found no current Los Angeles-specific published price for a whole-house rewire, so treat these as a starting budget. As a general contractor, here is what we tell homeowners to expect: in an older home, access and wall repair move the price as much as the wire does.

How much does whole house rewiring cost in 2026?

HomeGuide’s national range is $5 to $17 per square foot. That wide spread is why square footage alone cannot tell you what your home will cost. Access to the wiring, wall construction, and the amount of wall repair can move the estimate substantially.

The table shows national market ranges, not verified Los Angeles prices and not our prices. The size-based rows help you build a preliminary budget. The walls-opened row describes a different work scenario, not an extra charge to automatically add to a size-based price.

Market ranges reviewed September 2026. These are typical market ranges, not our prices.

Treat these ranges as planning figures, not a promise that every project fits inside them. In particular, the national overall range and the size-specific ranges describe different ways of looking at the work. Use the row that matches your home as a starting point, then compare the actual scope.

What does rewiring a house cost in Los Angeles?

We could not find a current, Los Angeles-specific published price for a whole-house rewire. The most useful available figures are HomeGuide’s national ranges, with local labor context kept separate.

A Los Angeles-area electrical contractor’s cost article, citing Angi, reports that Los Angeles labor runs about 18% above the national average. That points toward local jobs tending to the upper half of national ranges. It does not establish a reliable Los Angeles price per square foot or justify adding 18% to every total in the table. The cited figure concerns labor, not the entire project.

Be careful with small online estimates labeled simply “rewiring.” Some describe partial jobs rather than a whole-house rewire. Before comparing a number with your own quote, check whether it covers the whole home and whether wall repair and panel work are addressed.

Older web pages and AI answers can also repeat stale prices. These ranges were reviewed September 2026, but a site-specific written estimate is still what you need before committing to the work.

What drives the cost of rewiring an older home?

In an older home, the practical question is not just how much wiring needs replacing. It is how the wiring can be reached and what needs repairing afterward.

• Attic and crawlspace access: Usable access keeps costs lower than work that requires opening walls. During the walk-through, ask which areas can be reached through existing access and which cannot.
• Lath and plaster walls: Patching is a major swing item. If your home has lath and plaster, make wall repair a specific part of the scope discussion rather than assuming it is handled in the electrical price.
• Number of wall openings: More openings raise the amount of repair work to account for. Ask which walls will be opened, not just whether the contractor expects “some patching.”
• A panel upgrade: Whether a panel upgrade accompanies the rewire changes the scope and price. Ask whether the quote addresses the panel and why that work is proposed. You can also read about panel upgrades before the visit.
• Asbestos or lead discoveries: Findings during the work can change the project’s scope and cost. Ask how newly discovered conditions would be discussed before additional work proceeds.
• Responsibility for wall repair: A quote is easier to understand when electrical work and repair responsibilities are clear. On rewiring jobs the estimate spells out which walls are opened and who repairs them.

You do not need to diagnose all of this yourself. For your older-home rewiring project, start by explaining what you want done and showing the available attic or crawlspace access. Use the walk-through to turn a broad budget into a defined scope.

What does a fair rewiring estimate include?

A fair estimate makes the boundaries of the job clear. Compare what the estimates describe before comparing their totals. A whole-house price and a partial-job price are not interchangeable, even if both use the word “rewiring.”

Ask each contractor to make the boundaries of the job clear. Does the estimate describe the whole home? Does it address panel work? Which walls are expected to be opened, and who handles their repair? How would a discovery during the work affect the agreed scope?

Local electricians publish ranges rather than universal flat prices because the site matters. A useful estimate lets you understand why your home lands where it does within a range. If a line is unclear, ask for clarification in writing before work starts rather than assuming the lower total covers the same work.

Questions to ask any contractor

• Does this price cover the whole house, or part of it?
• Which areas can you reach from the attic or crawlspace, and which walls will you open?
• Who patches the walls? Is lath-and-plaster repair in this price?
• Is the permit fee included?
• Does the price include a panel upgrade? If so, why is it needed?
• If you find asbestos or lead during the work, how will we agree on the change before work continues?

Which utility and permit office serve your city?

For local planning, keep your utility and your city’s permit office distinct. The contacts below identify the relevant organizations; they do not establish permit fees, inspection counts, or rewiring requirements for your project.

• City of Los Angeles: Permits come from LADBS, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. The utility is LADWP. Studio City is in the City of Los Angeles, so it belongs under this city entry.
• Burbank: The permit office is Burbank Building & Safety, and the utility is Burbank Water and Power. The 2025 California Building Code has been in effect since January 1, 2026.
• Pasadena: The permit office is the Pasadena Permit Center, reachable at (626) 744-4200. The utility is Pasadena Water and Power.
• Glendale: The permit office is City of Glendale Building and Safety. The utility is Glendale Water and Power.

How VoltGen quotes this

VoltGen Energy serves Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and Los Angeles, including Studio City, and is led by Hovik Akopyan. Every job gets a written estimate after a site walk-through, before work starts.

For rewiring, the estimate spells out which walls are opened and who repairs them. That gives you a concrete scope to review alongside the price, rather than leaving wall repair as an assumption.

VoltGen Energy operates under Akopi Builders, CSLB #1112420. Electrical work is performed by licensed C-10 electrical contractors.

Where these numbers come from

• HomeGuide, “Cost to rewire a house,” 2026: national overall, per-square-foot, home-size, and walls-opened cost ranges.
• A Los Angeles electrical contractor's cost article, citing Angi, for the Los Angeles labor premium. This is labor context, not a verified local whole-house rewiring price range.
• LADBS, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety: City of Los Angeles permit-office information.
• City of Pasadena, Permit Center page: permit-office information and contact number.
• City of Burbank, Building & Safety page: permit-office information and the building-code effective date.