Step 1 — Assessment and load calculation
A licensed electrician visits, opens the panel, checks its brand, age, and condition, and runs a load calculation for your home as it is today plus what you plan to add. This is the step that determines whether you need a like-for-like panel swap or a full service upgrade to 200A — and it is the step a lowball quote most often skips.
Step 2 — Permit application
Illustrative photoThe contractor submits plans and the load calculation to your city or county building department and pays the permit fee. No legitimate panel upgrade happens without a permit in Southern California. If a contractor suggests skipping it, that is your cue to find another contractor.
Step 3 — Utility coordination
Because the power must be cut to swap the service equipment, the contractor coordinates a disconnect with your utility (SCE or SDG&E). If the underground service lateral or overhead drop also needs upsizing for 200A, this is when that scope gets defined — and under utility rules for customer-triggered upgrades, the customer typically pays for the utility-side work beyond the standard allowance.
Step 4 — Installation day
The crew disconnects power, removes the old panel, installs the new panel and breakers, updates the grounding system, and lands every circuit. A typical residential panel swap takes one full working day. You will be without power for most of it — plan accordingly.
Step 5 — City inspection
The city inspector verifies the installation matches the permitted plans and current electrical code: grounding, bonding, breaker sizing, labeling, clearances. If anything fails, the contractor corrects it and calls for re-inspection. Final payment should wait until this step passes.
Step 6 — Reconnect and closeout
The utility restores permanent power (and installs the new meter if the service size changed), the permit card is signed off, and you get your documentation. Keep the permit records — buyers and insurers ask for them.
How long does it all take
The installation itself is usually a single day. The full timeline — permit review, utility scheduling, inspection booking — typically runs a few weeks and varies by city and utility workload. Anyone promising a 200A upgrade with no permit and no utility involvement is not offering a shortcut; they are offering a liability.
Planning a panel upgrade? Send us three panel photos plus your city and the home's age, and we will map out the steps and timeline for your specific situation — free preliminary assessment, not a final quote.