How Much Does Electrical Wiring for an ADU Cost in Long Beach? (2026)

California’s ADU laws have made it significantly easier for Long Beach homeowners to add a second unit to their property — and thousands of homeowners are taking advantage of it. But an ADU is a full living space, which means it needs its own electrical service: outlets in every room, a kitchen circuit, bathroom GFCI protection, lighting throughout, and in most cases its own sub-panel.

You can’t just tap into your home’s existing wiring. Your main panel likely doesn’t have the capacity, and the City of Long Beach requires separate metering for rental ADUs. An unlicensed installation will fail inspection, delay your occupancy permit, and create liability problems if you’re renting the unit.

ADU electrical costs vary based on the type of ADU, its size, and whether a panel upgrade is needed. Here’s a realistic breakdown for Long Beach in 2026:

For most Long Beach garage conversions — the most common ADU type in the city — expect to invest $8,500 to $12,000 in electrical work for a 1-car conversion with a sub-panel and full interior wiring. If your main panel also needs upgrading, add $4,800 to $7,500 to the total.

A complete ADU electrical installation from Karmic Electrical covers everything the City of Long Beach requires for occupancy sign-off:

• ✓ Sub-panel installation sized for the ADU’s load — typically 60 to 100 amps
• ✓ Underground conduit or direct-burial cable run from the main panel to the ADU (for detached units)
• ✓ All interior circuits — bedroom, living area, kitchen, bathroom
• ✓ Dedicated kitchen circuit for refrigerator, microwave, and small appliances
• ✓ GFCI outlets in all required locations per California Electrical Code
• ✓ AFCI protection in bedrooms and living areas per NEC 2023
• ✓ Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors hardwired and interconnected
• ✓ Exterior weatherproof outlet
• ✓ City of Long Beach electrical permit and final inspection
• ✓ All panel labeling and documentation for the building department

This is the most common question — and the most important one to answer before you start your ADU project.

Adding a full living unit to your property significantly increases the electrical load on your main panel. If your home currently has a 100-amp panel — very common in Long Beach homes built before the 1980s — there may not be enough capacity to support both the main house and an ADU running simultaneously.

A licensed electrician will run a load calculation before the ADU electrical work begins. This calculation adds up everything currently on your panel — HVAC, water heater, kitchen appliances, EV charger if applicable — and determines whether there’s enough headroom to add the ADU load safely.

Whether your ADU needs its own utility meter depends on how you’re using the unit.

If you’re renting the ADU to a tenant: The City of Long Beach and Southern California Edison allow — and most tenants expect — separate metering so each unit pays its own electricity bill. A separate meter requires SCE coordination and adds cost to the project, but it’s the right setup for a rental.

If the ADU is for family use: Separate metering is generally not required. The ADU shares your existing meter and you manage electricity costs as part of the whole property. This is simpler and less expensive to set up.

The biggest electrical difference between an attached and detached ADU is how power gets from the main panel to the unit.

Attached ADUs — a converted room, basement, or addition connected to the main house — can typically be wired from the main panel or a sub-panel directly without underground work. This is the most straightforward electrical scope and usually comes in at the lower end of the pricing range.

Detached ADUs — backyard cottages, converted garages with no physical connection to the house — require a conduit run underground from the main panel to the ADU. The length of this run significantly affects cost. A 20-foot run across a driveway is relatively simple. A 60-foot run under a yard requires trenching, which adds labor and material cost.

For detached ADUs in Long Beach, the underground conduit run alone typically adds $1,500 to $4,000 to the electrical cost depending on distance, soil conditions, and whether any hardscape like concrete or pavers needs to be cut and repaired.

All ADU electrical work in Long Beach requires a permit from the City of Long Beach Building and Safety Bureau. There are no shortcuts here — unpermitted electrical work in an ADU will cause problems when the city inspects the completed unit for occupancy approval.

The permit process for ADU electrical work involves submitting a scope of work, a load calculation, and a wiring plan. The city reviews the submission and schedules inspections at rough-in (before walls are closed) and at final completion.

Karmic Electrical handles the entire permit process for every ADU electrical project — application, load calculation documentation, inspection scheduling, and final sign-off. You don’t need to deal with the city building department directly at any point.

If you’re planning to rent your ADU, adding an EV charger is increasingly a competitive advantage. Long Beach has one of the highest EV ownership rates in California, and tenants with electric vehicles actively look for rentals with charging capability.

Adding a Level 2 EV charger to your ADU during the electrical build-out is significantly less expensive than adding it later — because the sub-panel, conduit, and trench are already open. A Level 2 EV charger added during ADU construction typically adds $800 to $1,500 to the electrical project cost rather than the $2,400 to $3,800 it would cost as a standalone installation later.

California’s Title 24 building code already requires EV-ready conduit in new ADU construction. If your ADU is new construction rather than a conversion, the conduit is required — adding the actual charger at the same time is a small incremental cost that makes the unit significantly more attractive to renters.

Here’s a realistic timeline for ADU electrical work in Long Beach from start to final inspection:

• 1 Free estimate and load calculation: 1 to 2 days after site visit
• 2 Permit submission: submitted immediately after estimate approval
• 3 Permit review by City of Long Beach: 2 to 4 weeks
• 4 Rough-in electrical work (panel, conduit, wiring): 2 to 4 days
• 5 Rough-in inspection by city: 1 to 3 days after request
• 6 Finish work (outlets, fixtures, covers): 1 to 2 days
• 7 Final electrical inspection: 1 to 3 days after request

Total time from start to final electrical sign-off is typically 5 to 8 weeks, with most of that time being permit review rather than actual installation work. Starting the electrical permit process early — ideally at the same time as your ADU building permit — is the most important thing you can do to keep the overall project on schedule.