Panel and Service Upgrades in Janesville, WI

When a house needs one

The panel is where the power company's service ends and your house wiring begins. It needs replacing when it is full (no room for the circuit you want to add), when the service is too small for what the house now runs, or when the panel itself is worn out or damaged. The jobs that push a Rock County house past 100 amps are almost always the same: an EV charger circuit, a heat pump or central air, an electric range or dryer, a hot tub, or a standby generator.

Age matters too. 8,801 of Janesville's 29,330 homes (30%) were built before 1960 (Census ACS 2020-2024), long before anyone planned for those loads. Houses that age often still have the panel they were last upgraded to decades ago, and sometimes knob-and-tube or aluminum branch wiring behind it.

What it costs in Wisconsin

No Janesville electrician publishes a price, so these are Wisconsin numbers. A Waukesha County remodeler's 2026 guide puts a 200-amp upgrade at $1,500 to $3,500, and a straightforward 100-to-200 swap at $1,500 to $2,000 (published August 2026). PermitDeck's Milwaukee table says $2,184 to $3,696 with the permit and utility coordination included (PermitDeck), and a Milwaukee-area contractor lists $1,800 to $4,500 for 200 amps and $3,500 to $8,500 for 320 to 400 amps (its 2026 price guide). A meter relocation, aluminum wiring or a panel moved to a new wall is what pushes a job to the top. Every range is on the electrician cost page.

Who may do it, and who pulls the permit

Janesville lets a homeowner who owns and lives in the house pull a permit for branch-circuit wiring only. Anything on the service or the feeders of a single-family home has to be done by a Wisconsin licensed Master Electrician, who pulls the permit (City of Janesville Building Division). State code says the master may not start work that needs a permit until the permit is issued (SPS 305.43). So a panel upgrade is never a do-it-yourself job here. How to check a licence before you hire is in the Wisconsin licence lookup guide.

The permit fee

Janesville's published fee for a residential service entrance is $51, the same as a temporary service; a feeder or subfeeder change is $16, and each new outlet, switch or fixture adds $1.17 (Municode Appendix A, read November 8, 2026). Beloit charges a $50 filing fee plus $15 for a 100-amp service (Beloit 2026 fee schedule). The full tables are in Janesville electrical permits.

Inspection, then power back on

Janesville's electrical ordinance bars connecting service or turning on current until the city's electrical inspector issues a certificate of inspection, and makes the power company get a copy before it supplies service (Janesville electrical code). Alliant Energy says a new or upgraded meter is installed after it receives the local inspection (Alliant Energy). In practice that means the day is planned around three parties: the electrician, the inspector and Alliant. Alliant's construction line for the project lead is (866) 255-8234.

Under the 2023 code

Wisconsin switched from the 2017 to the 2023 National Electrical Code on September 1, 2026 (CR 26-016), so a panel installed now is inspected to the newer edition. Ask the electrician what that changes for your house before the quote is final.