Electricians in Dallas-Fort Worth: Panel Upgrades, Oncor Service and TDLR Licenses

What electricians cost in Dallas-Fort Worth

Our figures start from national cost data and apply the Fort Worth construction cost factor of 0.84 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That puts most jobs here about 16% below the national average.

Estimates for 2026, including labor and standard parts. Dallas–Fort Worth prices use the metro's construction cost factor of 0.84 (US average = 1.00) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Cost Factors. Your quote depends on access, materials and the condition of the home.

Angi's local data agrees. Angi puts Dallas electricians at $50 to $100 an hour, with the first hour costing more, about $150 on average. By license level, Angi lists apprentices at $40 to $60 an hour, journeyman electricians at $60 to $90 and master electricians at $90 to $120. Its average Dallas electrical job costs $333, and most fall between $164 and $505. Emergency calls cost about twice as much (Angi).

For a panel upgrade, Angi's Dallas average is $1,650, with most projects between $1,237 and $2,062. A 200-amp panel installed runs $1,340 to $2,060 in its data, and a 400-amp service $2,060 to $4,125 (Angi).

What changes the price in North Texas:

• The age of the house. Angi notes that many Dallas homes built before the 1990s may have outdated, undersized panels. In the City of Dallas, 46.1% of homes were built before 1980, compared with a median build year of 2010 in Frisco (Census Reporter, ACS 2024).
• Oncor coordination. A service upgrade needs the power cut at the meter and an inspection before it comes back on.
• The permit. Listed on its own line, it should be on every estimate for a panel, a new circuit or a charger.

Price your own job with the calculator below, which uses the rate for your ZIP code. For national prices, see our electrical cost guide.

Oncor, your retail provider and the city utilities

Texas split the power business in two. In most of the state you choose a Retail Electric Provider, the company that sends your bill, through the state's Power to Choose site. The wires company still delivers the power, reads the meter and fixes outages, whichever provider you pick. Some city-owned utilities and electric cooperatives were not required to join that market, so their customers may have no choice of provider (Power to Choose).

For most of DFW, the wires company is Oncor. CoServ, a member-owned cooperative, serves areas north of Dallas (CoServ).

Who owns what on an overhead service, according to Oncor:

This matters most after a storm. If wind or a falling limb tears the meter base or weatherhead off the house, Oncor's process is: report it at 888-313-4747, let Oncor do a temporary hazardous disconnect, hire an electrician to repair your equipment, check whether your city requires an inspection (the city tells Oncor when it passes), then call 888-313-6862 to have power reconnected (Oncor FAQ). Oncor also says its employees never enter your home to do work and never call to demand payment to prevent a disconnection.

Panel upgrades for EV chargers, heat pumps and bigger loads

DFW houses run air conditioning hard. The metro has about 2,825 cooling degree days a year against 2,218 heating degree days, and averages 20.2 days at 100°F or more (NWS Fort Worth). Add an EV charger, a heat pump or a pool pump to an older 100-amp panel and the electrician may tell you the service is full.

How a typical upgrade goes on the Oncor grid:

1. The electrician runs a load calculation and decides whether a new 200-amp panel is enough or the service itself needs to grow.
2. The electrician pulls the city permit.
3. For a planned outage, Oncor asks for three days' notice and charges for disconnecting and reconnecting service.
4. The electrician replaces the panel and, if needed, the meter base and mast, which you own.
5. The city inspects, and Oncor restores power.

One number on these quotes can look wrong. Oncor's service guidelines explain that a 320-amp meter socket and a 400-amp panel have the same real capacity, because meter sockets are rated for continuous current and panels for their maximum (Oncor Electric Service Guidelines). So a "400-amp upgrade" quote may show a 320-amp meter base, and that is normal.

EV chargers

A Level 2 charger needs a dedicated 240-volt circuit. In DFW, plan on $630 to $2,200 installed, more if the panel needs work first. If the panel is close to full, ask the electrician whether managing the charger's load could avoid a full service upgrade.

Rebates and credits in 2026

The federal tax credit for home EV chargers (30C) ended for equipment placed in service after June 30, 2026, and the credits for heat pumps and panels (25C) and for solar and batteries (25D) ended after December 31, 2025 (IRS). Oncor runs energy efficiency programs through participating third-party providers, usually open from January to November (Take A Load Off, Texas). Check what is open before you schedule work, and do not count on a rebate until it is approved.

Standby generators after Winter Storm Uri

In February 2021, DFW stayed below freezing for 139 straight hours (NWS), and the state's grid operator, ERCOT, ordered controlled outages because there was not enough generation, according to Oncor.

Three rules apply:

• Your HOA cannot ban a permanently installed standby generator, though it can regulate its location and screening (Texas Property Code 202.019, Texas Legislature).
• Oncor requires the transfer switch to sit on the load side of the meter base, and never built into or in series with the meter and base (Oncor guidelines).
• Portable generators belong outdoors, away from the house. Texas health officials counted 19 carbon monoxide deaths during Uri, from generators, grills and vehicles in enclosed spaces and from ice blocking the vents of gas heaters (Texas DSHS).

In Dallas, wiring a standby generator and its transfer switch is electrical work that needs a permit and a licensed electrician, like any new circuit.

Solar and batteries on the Oncor grid

Oncor says net metering does not apply in the deregulated market. Instead, Oncor reprograms your meter to measure the surplus power you send to the grid and passes that number to your retail provider, which credits you under a buyback plan if your plan has one (Oncor FAQ). The Public Utility Commission of Texas notes that the buyback rate is part of your contract with the provider and is usually lower than the price you pay for power, and that city utilities and co-ops set their own rates (PUCT).

The steps on Oncor's grid: choose an installer, file an Interconnection Application, wait for Permission to Operate, and only then turn the system on. Oncor also suggests making the house more efficient first, because that is typically more cost effective than adding panels.

Solar installation is electrical work and must go through a TDLR-licensed electrical contractor, and anyone selling a turnkey solar system needs that license. Since September 1, 2026, residential solar retailers and salespeople also have to register with TDLR (TDLR). If your roof is near the end of its life, replace it before the panels go up; our Dallas roofing guide covers costs and hail-rated shingles. An HOA may not prohibit solar devices outright, with some exceptions in Property Code 202.010.

Do you need a permit?

Yes for most wiring work. Repairs that only swap a device often do not.

In Dallas, electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician unless the homeowner proves to the Chief Electrical Inspector that they have the knowledge to do the work on their own home, and permits are required unless Chapter 52 of the city code exempts the work (City of Dallas). Under the city's homeowner exemption, electrical repairs are allowed after passing a city exam. Dallas enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code with local amendments (Chapter 56). Its fee guide sets a $175 minimum for alteration and standalone trade permits, plus a $15 technology fee per document (Dallas fee guide).

In Fort Worth, an electrical permit requires a city contractor registration, and that registration requires a TDLR electrical contractor license. Homeowners working on their own homestead are exempt from registering (City of Fort Worth).

Arlington publishes a clear list for one- and two-family homes. No permit is needed to reinstall receptacles, to replace a breaker with one of the required size in the same spot, for low-voltage wiring under 25 volts and 50 watts, or for minor repairs such as replacing lamps (City of Arlington). New circuits, panels, chargers and generators all need one.

Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Irving and Denton run their own building departments. Your electrician should know each city's rules and pull the permit.

Common electrical jobs in DFW homes

Areas we cover

GOLDGCP electricians work across Dallas-Fort Worth:

• Dallas
• Fort Worth
• Plano
• Arlington
• Irving
• Frisco
• McKinney
• Denton

Enter your ZIP code to see electrical prices where you live and get matched with licensed electricians nearby.