# Electrical panel upgrade in Seattle, the Eastside and Everett

> Typical Puget Sound ranges as of September 2026: $3,500–$6,000 for a like-for-like 200 A panel replacement, $8,000–$16,000 to go from 100 A to 200 A service because the meter base, mast and utility are involved. Washington requires the contractor to buy the permit before work starts, and the utility's disconnect schedule usually sets the date.

*Source: https://hbpowerelectric.com/electrical-panel-upgrade/ · HB Power Electric, WA Electrical Contractor Lic. # HBPOWPE758PO · last updated 5 September 2026*

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Typical range | $3,500–$6,000 for a like-for-like 200 A panel replacement; $8,000–$16,000 for a 100 A to 200 A service upgrade (as of September 2026) |
| Cheaper alternative | A subpanel, $1,500–$3,500, when the service has capacity but the panel has no slots left (as of September 2026) |
| Permit | Required. WAC 296-46B-901 puts it on the electrical contractor before work starts. Seattle SDCI, the city, or L&I depending on where you are. |
| Power off | Most of the working day. On a service upgrade the utility pulls the meter and resets it only after the inspection is signed off. |
| Rebates | None for a panel upgrade on its own. Washington HEAR panel funding had not launched as of mid-2026. (as of September 2026) |
| Licence | WA Electrical Contractor HBPOWPE758PO, General (01). Licensed and bonded. Owner-operated. |

## When you actually need one

Loads stack up faster than panels grow. A Level 2 charger wants a 40–60 A two-pole breaker, a heat pump or air handler a dedicated 30–60 A circuit, an induction range typically 40–50 A, and a battery system a two-pole slot plus wall space for a smart panel. Add any three to a 100 A service and you run out of slots and of calculated capacity at once.

The other triggers are older equipment and paperwork:

- **Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels.** Both have a documented history of breakers that fail to trip, and for many of these enclosures no listed replacement breaker is still made, so circuits cannot be added correctly.
- **Repeated tripping.** One circuit tripping over and over is a circuit problem. A breaker that trips under normal load, heat damage on a bus stab, or a main that trips is a panel problem.
- **No spare slots.** Tandem breakers fit only where the panel label allows them. Plenty of older load centers are already at their listed maximum.
- **A failed home inspection.** Double-tapped neutrals, missing bonding, a burned bus stab, or aluminum conductors on breakers not rated for them.

## What it costs, and what changes the number

The ranges below are published Puget Sound market anchors dated September 2026, not a quote for your house, and each carries its own movers. Permit fees, utility charges and equipment are itemized separately rather than buried in a range.

## Replacement, service upgrade, or a subpanel?

Three different jobs get called "a panel upgrade".

A **panel replacement** swaps the load center and breakers and reuses the existing service size, meter base and mast. It is the right call when the enclosure is obsolete or full but 200 A of service is already there — the Kent job pictured here.

A **service upgrade** raises the service itself, usually 100 A to 200 A: new service conductors, generally a new meter base, often a new mast, and the utility on both ends.

A **subpanel** is frequently the cheaper honest answer. When the main panel has capacity but no room — a garage filling with new circuits, an ADU, a shop — one two-pole breaker feeds a subpanel and the service is left alone. The Seattle job below added a 100 A subpanel carrying a 60 A EV charger circuit, a 50 A generator inlet with an interlock and twelve backed-up circuits, and the service was never touched.

A load calculation to NEC Article 220 decides which of the three applies. Commercial 400 A and three-phase services are a fourth track, paced by utility transformer and switchgear lead times.

## The utility, not the electrician, usually sets the date

Anything that touches the meter base or the service conductors needs the serving utility to disconnect and reconnect: Puget Sound Energy on the Eastside and in Bothell, Seattle City Light inside Seattle, Snohomish County PUD in Everett and Lynnwood, Tacoma Power in Tacoma. Each has its own request process and its own queue.

The order rarely changes: buy the permit, request the utility cut-out, do the work with the power off, pass the inspection, and only then does the utility reconnect and reset the meter. The electrical work on a residential panel is a day. The wait for a cut-over slot and a reconnect is the part nobody can compress, and we do not promise a utility's date on their behalf.

If the mast or meter has to move, the utility weighs in on placement and clearances, and that belongs at the start of the job.

## Who permits it, and what the permit costs

WAC 296-46B-901 requires the electrical contractor to buy the permit before work begins. Not the homeowner, and not after the fact. Where the house is decides who issues and inspects it:

| Where the work is | Permits and inspects |
|---|---|
| Seattle | Seattle SDCI |
| Bellevue, Everett, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Lynnwood, Renton, Federal Way | the city's own electrical permitting |
| Tacoma | Tacoma Power |
| Bothell, Kenmore, Issaquah, Kent, Edmonds, Covington, Auburn, Puyallup | Washington L&I |

Where L&I is the authority the fee schedule is public. These rows from schedule F500-130-000, effective 2026-07-01, are the ones that bear on panel work. The first two cover circuits; the four below them are the schedule's new commercial service tiers, not residential ones:

| L&I fee item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Circuits, first panel (up to five circuits) | $100.50 |
| Each additional circuit | $8.20 |
| New commercial service, 0–100 A | $129.40 |
| New commercial service, 101–200 A | $157.60 |
| New commercial service, 201–400 A | $303.60 |
| New commercial service, 401–600 A | $353.90 |

Seattle SDCI and the city jurisdictions set their own fees, so those are not the numbers above. Whichever applies, the permit fee is itemized separately.

## What is pictured here, and what is not

An honest gap: we have not yet photographed a Federal Pacific or Zinsco removal, or a commercial 400 A or three-phase service change. That commercial work is inside the General (01) licence scope, but every picture here is residential.

## Getting a number for your panel

The fastest start is two photos: the panel with its door open so the directory is readable, and the meter base outside. Those show the service size, the brand, how full the bus is and whether the mast is a factor — usually enough to say whether you need a replacement, a service upgrade or a subpanel, and who permits it at your address. Call or text (425) 239-4425, or email info@hbpowerelectric.com. The owner does the work and pulls the permit under licence HBPOWPE758PO.
## Typical price ranges

| Work | Range | What moves it | Source checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 A panel replacement, like for like | $3,500–$6,000 | Circuit count, whether the meter base and mast are reused, aluminum branch wiring, asbestos or knob-and-tube found behind the panel, and the utility's disconnect schedule. | 5 September 2026 |
| 100 A to 200 A service upgrade | $8,000–$16,000 | Overhead versus underground service, meter or mast relocation ($10,000–$20,000 when it moves), utility coordination time, and trenching. | 5 September 2026 |
| Subpanel installation | $1,500–$3,500 | Feeder length and size, whether the main panel has a spare double-pole slot, and finished-wall routing. | 5 September 2026 |
| Commercial 400 A or three-phase service | $15,000–$50,000 | Converting single-phase to three-phase adds roughly $10,000–$30,000; utility transformer work, CT cabinets and switchgear lead times dominate. | 5 September 2026 |

Prices shown are typical ranges for the Puget Sound area as of September 2026, compiled from published industry and local contractor sources. Every job is quoted after a site visit or plan review. Permit fees, utility charges and equipment are itemized separately unless stated.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need a permit to replace an electrical panel in Washington?

Yes. Replacing a load center or changing the service size is permitted work everywhere in this corridor, and WAC 296-46B-901 puts the permit on the electrical contractor before work starts, not on the homeowner afterwards. Seattle SDCI issues and inspects inside Seattle, Tacoma Power covers Tacoma, several Eastside and Snohomish cities run their own electrical permitting, and Washington L&I covers the rest of the corridor, including Bothell and Kent. The inspection sign-off matters twice over: it is also what the serving utility waits for before it reconnects and resets the meter.

### Will my power be off during a panel upgrade?

Yes, for most of the working day. On a like-for-like panel replacement the main is off while the old enclosure comes out and every branch circuit is landed and labeled in the new one. On a service upgrade the utility pulls the meter first and does not reset it until the inspection has been signed off, so the outage runs longer and is not entirely in our hands. Make a plan in advance for freezers, a well pump, medical equipment and anything else that has to stay online, and expect clocks and network gear to need resetting afterwards.

### Do I need a 200 A service to install an EV charger?

Often not. A load calculation to NEC Article 220 decides it, not a rule of thumb. A 100 A service in a house with gas heat and few large electric appliances can frequently carry a 40–48 A charger, and where the calculation comes up short a load-management device or an EV energy management system can let the charger share existing capacity instead of forcing a service upgrade. The Everett job pictured on this page is the common outcome: an existing 200 A panel, one new two-pole Eaton breaker labeled Car Charger, and no upgrade at all.

### Does a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel have to be replaced?

Nothing forces the swap on its own. But both designs have a documented record of breakers that fail to trip on an overload or a short circuit, and for many of these enclosures no listed replacement breaker is still manufactured, so there is no correct way to add or repair a circuit. Home inspectors flag them and they come up during a sale. If you are already adding an EV charger, a heat pump or a battery, replacing the panel at the same time is the cheaper order of operations than doing it twice.

### Are there rebates for an electrical panel upgrade in Washington?

Not for the panel by itself. Seattle City Light, Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish County PUD and Tacoma Power all run incentive programmes, but they pay for equipment — EV charging, heat pumps, lighting and controls — not for the load center that feeds it. Washington's HEAR programme, which is expected to fund panel and wiring work for income-qualified households, had not launched as of mid-2026. When panel work is part of a heat pump, commercial EV charging or commercial lighting project, the incentive attaches to that project instead.


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HB POWER ELECTRIC LLC · 16125 Juanita Woodinville Way NE, Unit 302, Bothell, WA 98011 · (425) 239-4425 · info@hbpowerelectric.com
Washington Electrical Contractor Licence HBPOWPE758PO (General (01)), valid to 20 October 2027. UBI 605 986 025. $4,000 bond under RCW 19.28.041. Verify: https://secure.lni.wa.gov/verify/Detail.aspx?UBI=605986025&LIC=HBPOWPE758PO&SAW=