How Much Does It Cost to Install a Level 2 EV Charger in California?

A national DOE installation sample, California electrician wages from BLS, and the AFDC programs that exist in the extract reviewed on 2026-10-25. This page does not invent a statewide installation price.

By — Power plant & electrical maintenance tech · Last reviewed

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The short answer: There is no published statewide Level 2 installation price for California on this page. In the 2022 Idaho National Laboratory sample of Smart Charge America residential jobs, installation, with the charger itself not included, had a median of $1,098 and a mean of $1,310, from about $150 to about $18,000. California's May 2025 mean electrician wage is $41.28 an hour, index 1.20 versus the U.S. mean of $34.37, about 20% above the U.S. mean. That index is not a quote.

National installation sample, labeled by scope

Use these figures as the national picture. They are not a bid for California. Distance, permit examples, the service-upgrade sample, and the multifamily sample are on the hub methodology.

Charger hardware is a separate price from installation. Idaho National Laboratory report INL/RPT-22-68598 (Schey, Chu, and Smart, August 2022) checked Amazon.com and found 30 basic residential Level 2 wall-mount units from $335 to $899, with a median of $549, and a median of $575 for 22 smart units. That report quotes Rocky Mountain Institute at $380 to $689. The AFDC infrastructure page, reviewed on 2026-10-25, quotes the RMI range as $380 to $690. Both wordings are cited. This page does not pick one.

Sources: Schey, Chu, and Smart, Breakdown of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Installation Costs, INL/RPT-22-68598, August 2022; OSTI PDF of INL/RPT-22-68598; AFDC, Procurement and Installation for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.

The same INL report uses Smart Charge America billing records: more than 4,800 residential records, primarily from July 2018 to May 2022, from contractors in 20 major metros and from outside those metros. Installation cost, analyzed separately from the charger price, ran from about $150 to about $18,000. The mean was $1,310 and the median was $1,098. 45% of those installation costs were under $800. The report defines that installation cost as labor, materials such as wiring and conduit, permit fees, travel, and added fees such as design and overhead. Do not add labor again on top of $1,310.

Sources: Schey, Chu, and Smart, INL/RPT-22-68598, August 2022.

AFDC's infrastructure page says residential Level 2 installation is approximately $1,300 per connector and says that figure does not include labor and permitting. It cites the National Laboratory of the Rockies and Idaho National Laboratory levelized-cost report. That is a different citation, and a different scope, from the $1,310 mean above, which already includes labor and permits. Do not stack the two figures.

Sources: AFDC, Procurement and Installation for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.

The federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, 26 U.S.C. 30C, expired for property placed in service after June 30, 2026. AFDC lists that expiration date. For a charger at a principal residence in a qualified location from January 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, the credit was 30% of the cost, up to $1,000. A new installation does not qualify. In that same window, the business credit was 6% of depreciable costs, or 30% if prevailing-wage and apprenticeship rules were met, up to $100,000 per item. That business credit is also closed for property placed in service after June 30, 2026.

Sources: AFDC law 10513, Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit; IRS, Instructions for Form 8911.

Electrician wages in California

California electricians (SOC 47-2111, all industries) had a mean hourly wage of $41.28 and a mean annual wage of $85,860 in the May 2025 OEWS release. Employment was 73,310. The median hourly wage was $36.62. The U.S. mean was $34.37 an hour and $71,490 a year, with employment of 757,220. The state mean divided by the U.S. mean is 1.20, about 20% above the U.S. mean. That is the 8th-highest mean hourly wage among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The index is 1.20: the state mean hourly wage divided by the U.S. mean of $34.37, rounded to two decimals. About 20% above the U.S. mean. OEWS covers wage-and-salary workers and excludes the self-employed. A contractor's bill rate is not this wage. The 2022 installation report's average electrician time is on the hub. This page does not multiply that time by $41.28.

Source: California electricians, May 2025 OEWS and the national electricians table. Workbooks: oesm25st.zip and oesm25nat.zip.

Programs AFDC lists for California

Amounts below are copied from the AFDC record. If a program is for workplaces, public sites, or multifamily buildings, the label says so. Funding can be exhausted before the law page comes down. Check the program site before you apply.

Programs a resident may apply for

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Rebate - South Coast and MSRC

Low-income residents inside the South Coast AQMD jurisdiction. A charger purchase rebate, not a full installation quote.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee's (MSRC) Residential EV Charging Incentive Pilot Program offers rebates of up to $500 for the purchase of a qualified residential Level 2 EV charger. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis to low-income residents within the SCAQMD jurisdiction.

AFDC law 11908 · Program site

Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Grant - Bay Area

Income-eligible Bay Area residents who replace a qualifying older vehicle. The charger amount is an add-on, not a standalone install rebate. AFDC also lists a vehicle grant in this program; that vehicle amount is not repeated here.

Individuals that purchase a PHEV or EV are eligible to receive up to $2,000 for the purchase and installation of Level 2 electric charger.

AFDC law 12322 · Program site

Low-Income Electric Vehicle (EV) and EV Charger Rebates: El Dorado County

Lower-income El Dorado County residents in a vehicle program. The home-charger figure is a $2,000 bonus, or a $2,000 public-charging card instead. AFDC also lists a vehicle rebate in this program; that vehicle amount is not repeated here.

In addition to the vehicle rebate, participants may receive an additional $2,000 bonus to install a home Level 2 EV charger or a $2,000 prepaid card to use at public EV charging stations.

AFDC law 14396 · Program site

Financing, not a rebate

Residential Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Financing Program

California PACE financing, not a rebate. The $700,000 figure is a property-value threshold for the loan limit. It is not an installation price.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loss Reserve Program financing allows property owners to borrow funds to pay for energy improvements, including purchasing and installing EV chargers. Financing limits are 15% of the first $700,000 of the property value and 10% of the remaining property value.

AFDC law 11558 · Program site

Multifamily and campus programs

Multifamily Housing (MFH) Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Grants

California Energy Commission solicitation GFO-24-604 has been awarded. It is not an open application. Not a single-family garage rebate.

The California Energy Commission page for solicitation GFO-24-604 says the solicitation status is Awarded and the last awarded date is April 28, 2025. It is not an open application. AFDC describes the solicitation as Level 2 chargers at multifamily housing, a minimum of 120 ports, and at least 50% of ports in underserved or low-income communities.

AFDC law 14221 · Program site

Public, workplace, fleet, or commercial programs

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Incentives - San Joaquin Valley

Public agencies, businesses, and multifamily property owners in the San Joaquin Valley. Not a single-family garage rebate.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD) administers the Charge Up! Program, which provides funding for public agencies, businesses, and property owners of multifamily housing for the purchase and installation of new EV chargers. Single Port Level 2 $5,000 Dual Port Level 2 $6,000 Direct Current (DC) Fast Charger $25,000 30% of Total Cost Annual funding is capped at $50,000 per applicant.

AFDC law 11657 · Program site

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Grant – Antelope Valley

Public chargers. Preferred sites include retail, multifamily housing, and workplaces. Not a private garage rebate.

Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District (AVAQMD) offers grants for the installation of public EV chargers, up to 75% of the total costs of infrastructure, equipment, and installation of eligible projects.

AFDC law 12719 · Program site

Commercial Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger Grant: El Dorado County

Local businesses and properties. Chargers must be publicly accessible. Multiunit residential is an eligible site type, not a private garage rebate.

Eligible applicants may receive a grant of up to $10,000 per Level 2 charging plug installed to cover the cost of equipment and installation. Eligible projects include retail businesses, multiunit residential properties, and points of interest located within El Dorado County. The chargers must be publicly accessible.

AFDC law 14397 · Program site

Utility offers AFDC lists

AFDC assigns each utility record below to California. Confirm the utility serves the address before you count on an offer. A few utility names show up under more than one state in AFDC. Each bullet is quoted from that record's Residential Incentives / Infrastructure section and names a Level 2 charger, wiring, panel, or make-ready offer. Direct-current fast-charging-only bullets are left out. A record that says no incentives are currently offered is left out. A dollar amount appears only when the bullet states it. This page does not add one.

Alameda Municipal Power - California

AFDC record 13537 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Anaheim Public Utilities - California

AFDC record 13539 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Azusa Light & Water - California

AFDC record 13576 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Burbank Water & Power - California

AFDC record 13586 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Central Coast Community Energy - California

AFDC record 13791 · Utility page linked by AFDC

CleanPowerSF - California

AFDC record 14206 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Colton Public Utilities - California

AFDC record 13591 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Glendale Public Service Department - California

AFDC record 13626 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Glendale Water and Power - California

AFDC record 13627 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Imperial Irrigation District - California

AFDC record 14195 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power - California

AFDC record 13685 · Utility page linked by AFDC

MCE - California

AFDC record 13553 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Pacific Gas and Electric - California

AFDC record 13555 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Palo Alto Utilities Department - California

AFDC record 14198 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Pasadena Water & Power - California

AFDC record 13687 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Peninsula Clean Energy - California

AFDC record 13697 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Utility - California

AFDC record 14200 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Riverside Public Utilities Department - California

AFDC record 13659 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Roseville Electric - California

AFDC record 14201 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Sacramento Municipal Utility District - California

AFDC record 13665 · Utility page linked by AFDC

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission - California

AFDC record 13818 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Silicon Valley Clean Energy - California

AFDC record 14342 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Silicon Valley Power - California

AFDC record 13808 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Sonoma Clean Power - California

AFDC record 13671 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Southern California Edison - California

AFDC record 13674 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Southern California Public Power Authority - California

AFDC record 13559 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Turlock Irrigation District - California

AFDC record 13689 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Vernon Gas & Electric Department - California

AFDC record 14202 · Utility page linked by AFDC

Look up the utility for an address in the AFDC U-Finder.

Building, access, and permitting rules

These are access, building, or permitting rules, not rebates. A dollar amount or a percent in this list is a project-size trigger or a share of parking spaces.

What to do with these numbers

Ask for an itemized written quote: charger, circuit, panel or service work, utility fees, trenching, permits, and exclusions. The panel question is separate. The panel guide does not publish an upgrade price. What it costs to charge after the hardware is in is on the California charging-cost page.

See whether a panel can take a Level 2 circuit

See what charging costs in California

See home charger rebates in California

See the extra EV registration fee in California

Also in Pacific Contiguous

All 50 states and the District of Columbia

Home hardware, if you are pricing a Level 2 charger. The ChargePoint Home Flex is the adjustable 16–50A unit covered in the charger guide and the Home Flex review. The hardware ranges higher on this page come from the cited DOE report, not from this link. The button opens the Amazon listing.

Check Home Flex on Amazon

Shopping for a Tesla? The referral link is ts.la/tyler468767.

FAQ: installing a Level 2 charger in California

How much does it cost to install a Level 2 EV charger in California?

There is no published statewide Level 2 installation price for California on this page. In the 2022 Idaho National Laboratory sample of Smart Charge America residential jobs, installation, with the charger itself not included, had a median of $1,098 and a mean of $1,310, from about $150 to about $18,000. California's May 2025 mean electrician wage is $41.28 an hour, index 1.20 versus the U.S. mean of $34.37, about 20% above the U.S. mean. That index is not a quote.

Does California have a Level 2 charger rebate?

AFDC records reviewed on 2026-10-25 list at least one resident or make-ready amount for California. Read the audience label on each program. A public or multifamily grant is not a garage rebate. Utility bullets are listed only when AFDC states the offer, and most of those bullets do not state a dollar amount.

Can a new home Level 2 installation still claim the federal 30C credit?

The federal Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit, 26 U.S.C. 30C, expired for property placed in service after June 30, 2026. AFDC lists that expiration date. For a charger at a principal residence in a qualified location from January 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, the credit was 30% of the cost, up to $1,000. A new installation does not qualify. In that same window, the business credit was 6% of depreciable costs, or 30% if prevailing-wage and apprenticeship rules were met, up to $100,000 per item. That business credit is also closed for property placed in service after June 30, 2026.

Sources