The decision in one table
| Your situation | Level 1 (existing 120 V outlet) | Level 2 (240 V, needs a permit) |
|---|---|---|
| Short daily commute, car parked overnight near an outlet on its own circuit | Usually enough (DOE) | Optional |
| Long commute, irregular hours, large battery | May not refill overnight | Worth it (DOE) |
| Permit | None to use an existing outlet in Anaheim; a new outlet needs an electrical permit | Required in every city we checked (the rule in 9 cities) |
| Panel check | Not needed for an existing outlet | Load calculation required in Anaheim |
| Federal credit | n/a | Ended for chargers placed in service after 30 June 2026 |
What a Level 2 install is filed at
Usual filed value is the median the contractor declared on the permit. Days run from issue to final inspection.
| City | EV-charger permits | Firms | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms | Usual days to final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary, NC | 2,922 | 244 | $1,104 | $1,000 to $1,400 | 17 |
| Elk Grove, CA | 1,353 | 119 | $925 | $850 to $1,312 | 18 |
| Sacramento County, CA | 839 | 111 | $1,400 | $984 to $1,624 | 25 |
| Seattle, WA | 3,347 | 385 | $1,701 | $1,200 to $2,800 | 20 |
| Naperville, IL | 266 | 70 | $1,600 | $1,322 to $1,964 | 59 |
| Marin County, CA | 213 | 68 | $2,296 | $1,600 to $3,000 | 64 |
Add the permit fee: Anaheim's is $172 (City of Anaheim). Our EV charger installation cost guide breaks the price down further.
The panel question decides the real cost
A charger on spare panel capacity is the cheap case above. One that needs more capacity is a different job. Anaheim's page sets out the order: a Level 2 permit needs "electrical load calculations to show that your existing electrical service can handle the added load"; if a service upgrade is needed, the utility has to approve the charger too (City of Anaheim). DOE says the same in plainer words: "Some homes might have insufficient electric capacity for Level 2 equipment", and an electrician can tell you (AFDC).
So ask for the load calculation before you compare quotes. A quote that assumes your panel is fine without one is a guess. If you need an upgrade, read do I need a permit for a panel upgrade and expect a separate, larger permit.
What it saves, and what it does not
Level 2 does not make the electricity cheaper; it makes it faster. DOE's worked example: at 10.7 cents per kWh, a car using 27 kWh per 100 miles costs about $0.03 a mile, and a full charge of a 54 kWh battery about $6 (AFDC). That is the same at either level. What you are buying is the ability to refill in one night after a long day, and the option of charging inside a utility's cheaper time-of-use window, which DOE mentions some utilities offer.
A rough test: if your car regularly comes home with less charge than a night on Level 1 can put back, Level 2 is worth the install, usually filed at $1,104 to $2,296 in the table above. If it rarely does, a dedicated 120 V outlet may be all you need.
See every Cary EV-charger installer by permit record →
Who should install it
A licensed electrician, who pulls the permit. In Washington only "property owners or electrical contractors can purchase an electrical permit", and you must request the inspection within three business days of finishing or one business day after it is energized (L&I F500-078). Check the firm's record on our compare pages: in Seattle, 87.3% of EV-charger firms matched an active L&I license, and 91.6% in Elk Grove matched an active CSLB license.
What these numbers cannot tell you
A filed value is the contractor's declared job value, not your invoice, and cities differ on whether the charger itself is included. Only part of Seattle's EV permits carry a value (77.1%), and Bellevue, Bend, Bellingham and Anaheim record EV permits without one, so they are not in the table. We do not see utility rebates, which change the net price more than anything here.
How we know this
EV-charger permits are those each city files under an EV charger or EVSE work type in its three-year window ending September 2026. Usual filed value is the median declared value; the firm range is the 25th to 75th percentile of firms' own medians (firms with 3 or more priced permits); days are the median from issue to final. Charging guidance and cost examples are quoted from the DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center, the credit dates from the IRS 30C page, and permit requirements from the City of Anaheim and Washington L&I, all read 23 October 2026.
Numbers come from Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only); City of Elk Grove TRAKiT building permits on single-family, duplex, mobile-home and ADU homes; City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Naperville building permits (the current permit system plus the city's older records); Marin County Community Development Agency building permits on homes in unincorporated Marin (the County's open-data permit and inspection files), data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Elk Grove EV-charger installer →
Questions
- Is it worth installing a Level 2 EV charger at home?
If overnight charging on a regular outlet does not cover your driving, yes. The Department of Energy says many drivers manage on Level 1 with a dedicated circuit, and suggests Level 2 for less regular schedules, longer commutes or large batteries. The usual Level 2 permit is filed at $1,104 in Cary, NC and $2,296 in Marin County, CA.
- How much does it cost to install a Level 2 charger?
The usual filed value of an EV-charger permit runs from $925 in Elk Grove, CA to $2,296 in Marin County, across the cities that record it. That is the job value the contractor declared; the charger itself may or may not be included, and a panel or service upgrade is a separate job.
- Can my electrical panel handle an EV charger?
Only an electrician's load calculation can say. Anaheim requires 'electrical load calculations to show that your existing electrical service can handle the added load' with every Level 2 permit, and sends you to the utility if a service upgrade is needed. DOE notes some homes have insufficient capacity, which an electrician can address by adding circuits.
- Is there a federal tax credit for a home EV charger in 2026?
Not for one installed now. The IRS says the 30C credit for a charger at your main home covers property bought and placed in service from 1 January 2023 to 30 June 2026: 30% of the cost up to $1,000 per item, and only in an eligible census tract. Check your state and utility for rebates.
- How long does an EV-charger permit take?
Not long. The usual permit took 17 days from issue to final in Cary, 18 in Elk Grove and 20 in Seattle.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- EV charger installation cost in 2026: what 13 cities' permits show
- Do I need a permit to install an EV charger? Yes for Level 2: the rule in 9 cities
- General contractor vs handyman: where your state draws the line
- What does a handyman do? What the law lets one take on, state by state
- Hiring an electrician in Seattle: the L&I electrical license, the permit, and what 20,000 electrical permits show
For one city
- Charging Electric Vehicles at Home — U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit — IRS (last reviewed 26 May 2026) (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Electric Vehicle Charger — City of Anaheim (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Electrical Work on Residential Property, F500-078-000 — Washington L&I (accessed 2026-10-23)