Apartment and Multifamily Panel Upgrades in Orange County
When the panels in a rental building are aging or recalled, it is your problem as the owner and your tenants are in the way. We replace unit and house panels building by building with short power-off windows, pull the permits, coordinate SCE, and document the work so the building stays insurable and rentable.
What an Apartment or Multifamily Panel Upgrade Involves
An apartment or multifamily panel upgrade replaces the aging panels across a rental building, both the individual unit panels and the house and common-area panels. Unlike an HOA, there is no board and no master policy. It is one owner making one decision, but with tenants in place and a building that has to stay rentable while the work happens. Many Orange County buildings from the 1960s through the 1980s still run on the original Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or undersized panels, and that becomes a problem the moment an insurer, a lender, or a city inspector takes a closer look. We run the replacement as a phased program so the building ends up safe, code-compliant, and insurable.
What a Multifamily Panel Program Includes
A building program is more than a stack of separate jobs, so here is what a multifamily upgrade from The Panel Pros covers.
We install modern, UL-listed main-breaker panels in each unit on the program, with the AFCI and GFCI protection current code requires.
We cover the house meter, the laundry room, and any common-area subpanels too, so the whole building is handled, not just the units.
Where the meter bank or service equipment cannot legally carry the load, we replace it with the correct setup approved for SCE.
Older buildings routinely fail here, so we correct the grounding and bonding throughout so the building meets current code.
Each unit gets its own city permit, inspection, and SCE meter release, which gives you a third-party record that the work was done right.
We hand you a consolidated record of every panel, with the make and model and the signed-off inspection, which is what carriers and lenders ask for.
Book a free on-site assessment. We give you a flat-rate price in writing, with no obligation.
When an Apartment Building Needs a Panel Program
A building is usually due for a panel program rather than one-off repairs when a few of these are true.
- Federal Pacific (Stab-Lok), Zinsco, or Challenger panels are installed across multiple units, which are a known fire risk
- Your insurer or your lender flagged the building's electrical panels
- Units still run on fuse boxes or 60-amp and 100-amp services from the original build
- Tenants report tripping breakers, flickering lights, or panels that feel warm
- You are adding EV charging, in-unit laundry, or heat pumps the old services cannot carry
- You are refinancing or selling and the panels are holding up the deal
Working Around Your Tenants
The work that scares most electricians off a multifamily building is not the wiring, it is the tenants. People are living in the units, so the power cannot be off for long, the schedule has to be predictable, and residents need to know exactly when their unit is up. That is a coordination problem, and it is the part we are built for.
We phase the work building by building and keep each unit's power-off window short, usually a few hours. We give you a schedule and the notice language so tenants are never caught off guard, and we keep one licensed crew on the property so the standard never drifts from the first unit to the last. Every unit still gets its own city permit, its own inspection, and its own Southern California Edison meter release, all handled by us.
When the program is done we hand you a consolidated record, unit by unit, with the panel make and model and the signed-off inspection, formatted so your insurer or lender can close the file. If the property is an owner-occupied association rather than a rental building, the board should look at our HOA and community panel program instead.
How a Multifamily Panel Program Works
We document the make, model, and condition of every panel, unit and house, so you see the full exposure before committing funds.
You get a per-unit and total scope with a phasing plan that keeps the building rentable while the work happens.
We give you the schedule and notice language so residents know exactly when their unit's power will be off and for how long.
We replace the panels building by building, each unit permitted, inspected, and reconnected with SCE, all handled by us.
We deliver a consolidated record proving every panel is up to code, ready for your insurer, your lender, or a sale.
What a Multifamily Panel Upgrade Costs
Multifamily pricing is quoted per panel after a walk, and a phased building program almost always comes in lower per unit than booking the units one at a time. Simpler same-spot swaps land at the low end, and units or meter banks that need service-entrance work run higher. The number that matters is the written scope we give you after we inventory the building.
- The panel type being replaced, since recalled Federal Pacific or Zinsco panels often come with meter and service work
- The condition of the meter bank and whether it can legally carry the building's load
- The number of units plus the house and common-area panels in scope
- How the work can be phased and whether units are occupied or vacant
- Access, parking, and how the panels and service runs are laid out on the property
- Added capacity for EV charging, in-unit laundry, or heat pumps
- Trenching, stucco and drywall patching, and any service relocations required to meet code
CSLB #1084610
panels are all we do
from South OC homeowners
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you do this with tenants still living in the units
Yes, that is how most of these run. We phase the work and keep each unit's power-off window short, usually a few hours, and we give you the schedule and notice language so residents know exactly when their unit is up. One licensed crew stays on the property from the first unit to the last.
Our insurer or lender flagged the building's panels. Can you fix it and document it
Yes. Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Challenger panels are a documented fire risk, and we replace them building-wide and hand you a consolidated record, unit by unit, with the make and model and the signed-off inspection. That is the documentation a carrier or lender needs. See our guide on California panel insurance requirements.
Do you handle the house panel and common areas too
Yes. We cover the house meter, the laundry room, and any common-area subpanels along with the units, so the whole building ends up on safe, code-compliant equipment. That also sets the building up for EV charging and heat pumps in shared spaces.
Who pulls the permits for a multifamily project
We do, for every unit. Each unit gets its own city permit, inspection, and SCE meter release, and we handle all of that paperwork and scheduling so you never have to chase the city or the utility across a whole building.
Can the project be phased to protect cash flow
Yes. We build the schedule around your cash flow and any carrier or lender deadline, and can phase the program across quarters. You get the per-unit and total cost in writing so you can plan it out without taking units offline.
Do you serve apartment and multifamily owners across Orange County
Yes. Panels are all we do, and we run building programs for apartment and multifamily owners across Orange County, including throughout South OC. Call us at (949) 799-2034 to set up a building walk.
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