Pacific Palisades, after January 2025
Palisades rebuild electrical.
A house rebuilt in Pacific Palisades is a new house on a lot that LADWP, the City of Los Angeles and the owner all have a stake in. County Line Electric wires those houses: temporary power on the cleared lot, new LADWP service, a complete electrical system to current code, and the standby power the next windstorm will test.
Talk to a Rebuild ElectricianBuilders: request a bid
Call (805) 499-0823. CA Lic. #949580.
- LADWPService
- LADBSPermits
- Current codeNot the 1960s one
Generac product imagery. Generac is a trademark of Generac Power Systems.
The situation
The utility is rebuilding too.
The Palisades Fire destroyed thousands of structures in January 2025, and in parts of the neighborhood it also took LADWP's own poles, transformers and underground vaults. Rebuilding a house here means rebuilding its electrical service in coordination with a utility that is restoring its distribution street by street. The City of Los Angeles set up an expedited permitting path for like-for-like rebuilds through the Department of Building and Safety, and the electrical permit for a rebuilt house runs through it.
County Line Electric wires Palisades rebuilds for builders as the electrical subcontractor and for owner-builders directly. The company has worked on custom homes in the Palisades for years, knows LADWP's service requirements, and staffs each rebuild for the full rough-in and finish rather than commuting for short visits from its office in Newbury Park, about an hour away.
The sequence
From a cleared lot to a final inspection.
- 01
LADWP application
Filed as soon as the lot is cleared and the plans exist, for temporary power now and permanent service later. The utility's timeline sets the schedule, so this goes first.
- 02
Temporary power
A temp pole or pedestal so the foundation and framing crews have power. Inspected by LADBS, energized by LADWP.
- 03
Service and panels
A new service entrance sized for the house being built: 200 amps is the floor on a 2025 rebuild with a generator, EV charging, induction and heat pumps, and many need more.
- 04
Rough-in to current code
The California Electrical Code as adopted by the city today: arc-fault and ground-fault protection throughout, energy code lighting, EV-ready circuits, the low-voltage backbone.
- 05
Generator and hardening
A Generac standby generator with an automatic transfer switch, surge protection at the service, exterior equipment placed with the next fire in mind.
- 06
Finish and final
Fixtures, devices, lighting control programming, the LADBS final and a labeled panel.
What is different from the house that burned
Code has moved since most Palisades houses were wired.
- Arc-fault circuit interrupters on nearly every living-space circuit, and ground-fault protection in far more places
- Energy code requirements for lighting: high-efficacy fixtures, controls, and in many rooms occupancy or vacancy sensors
- EV-ready circuits and conduit to the garage
- Service capacity for electrification: induction cooking, heat pump water heaters and HVAC
- Surge protection at the service, now required on new residential services
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements, interconnected and hardwired
None of this is optional on a permitted rebuild, and a proposal that does not account for it will grow at rough-in. County Line's includes it from the start.
- 30 yrsIn the electrical tradeJeff Tucker has run County Line Electric in the Conejo Valley since the 1990s.
- #949580California contractor licenseLicensed, bonded and insured. Check it on the CSLB site any time.
- 24 hrsGenerator estimatesA written standby generator estimate within a day of the site visit.
- $600Twice-yearly generator serviceBoth visits, for the year. Jeff's comparison: the large installers quote the same service at about $1,000.
Palisades rebuild questions
Who handles electrical permits for a Palisades Fire rebuild?
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, through the City of Los Angeles rebuild permitting program for fire-damaged properties. Electric service is restored and connected by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. County Line Electric files with both as part of wiring a Palisades rebuild.
How long does LADWP take to reconnect power to a rebuilt home?
It varies by street and by how much of LADWP's own equipment is being rebuilt there, and County Line does not guess. The company files the application at the earliest possible point, relays what the utility says, and plans temporary power so the build is never waiting on the permanent service.
Does County Line Electric install generators on Palisades rebuilds?
Yes. County Line Electric installs Generac standby generators as part of the new electrical service on Palisades rebuilds, with the pad, gas stub and automatic transfer switch planned in from the start. The Palisades is in a very high fire hazard severity zone and subject to shutoffs during wind events, so the company recommends it on every rebuild.
Can County Line work with my builder on a Palisades rebuild?
Yes. Most of County Line Electric's rebuild work is as the electrical subcontractor to a general contractor or builder. The builder sends the plans, County Line prices the electrical scope and works inside the builder's schedule.
Related
Working with the adjuster
What County Line gives you for the insurance file.
County Line does not give insurance advice. What it gives is paperwork an adjuster can use: an itemized electrical proposal that separates the like-for-like replacement of what the house had from the code upgrades the new permit requires and from the improvements the owner chose. Those three categories are treated differently by most policies, and a proposal that lumps them together costs the owner money on both ends. The company has prepared that split for rebuilds in the Palisades, Altadena, Malibu and the Mountain Fire area and will prepare it again for yours.
Keep the permit record, the inspection cards and the final. They are the proof the work was done to code, and they travel with the house.
Timing
When to buy a generator, honestly.
The right time is spring and early summer. Shutoff season in Southern California runs from September into December, when the Santa Ana winds arrive, and that is when everyone calls. Lead times on Generac units and on permits stretch, gas work gets booked out, and a generator ordered in October may not be running until the season is over. A unit ordered in April is installed, inspected and exercised before the first red flag warning.
County Line says this on every generator page because it is true and because a customer who plans ahead gets a better installation: time to size it properly, time to place the pad well, time to get the HOA and the permit done without a rush.
Official references
Where the facts on this page come from.
County Line links to the authorities rather than restating them. Rules change; these pages are current.
- City of Los Angeles rebuilding: the Palisades permit path
- LADWP restoration and rebuilding: service reconnection
- LADBS: permits
- CSLB license check: license #949580
Next step
Rebuilding in the Palisades? Tell us where the lot is.
Name, phone, city and a line about the project. The office calls back, and a site visit is scheduled if it makes sense. No pressure, no sales script.
Or call (805) 499-0823. Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.