What Electricians Charge per Hour in Metro Vancouver (2025-2026)
$100 to $150 per hour; $150 to $300 for a service call that covers the first hour
Metro Vancouver figures, reviewed 2026-09-26. How these ranges are set
Get Quotes for This JobElectricians in Metro Vancouver charge $100 to $150 per hour in 2025-2026, with apprentices billed around $60 and Red Seal journeypersons at the upper end. A service call of $150 to $300 covers travel, the first hour and the diagnosis, then time and parts after that. A typical single-fault repair, such as a failed receptacle, a bad breaker or a burnt connection, lands between $200 and $800 all in.
Most companies quote small work as a service call plus time, and larger jobs such as panel upgrades, rewiring and EV chargers as a fixed price after a site visit. A fixed quote should say whether the permit, the inspection and any BC Hydro coordination are inside it.
What you will actually pay
Rates vary with the company's size and the electrician's ticket more than with the municipality; the North Shore and West Side of Vancouver tend to sit at the top of the band.
| Job | Typical range | What sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Journeyperson electrician, hourly | $100 to $150 | Red Seal master electricians often above $130 |
| Apprentice, hourly, working alongside a journeyperson | about $60 | Billed lower when on the same job |
| Service call, travel plus first hour and diagnosis | $150 to $300 | Ask whether the diagnostic hour is credited to the repair |
| After-hours, weekend or emergency first hour | $250 to $350 | Rising by the half-hour after that |
| Typical single-fault repair, all in | $200 to $800 | Failed receptacle, bad breaker, burnt connection |
| Written diagnosis or insurance letter | $150 to $400 | Often required by insurers for older wiring |
Flat rate or hourly
For a single known fault, hourly with a stated service call is usually cheaper. For anything with a permit or more than one circuit, a fixed price after a site visit protects you, because it forces the scope onto paper: what is included, what is excluded, and what changes the price if the wall or the panel holds a surprise. Quotes in Metro Vancouver separate mostly on three things: whether the permit and inspection are included, whether the contractor is licensed and insured, and what is actually in scope. Compare them line by line rather than on the bottom number.
Permits and inspections in Metro Vancouver
Seven Metro Vancouver local governments run their own electrical permit and inspection programs: the City of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, West Vancouver and Maple Ridge. Everywhere else in Metro Vancouver, including Richmond, Delta, Langley, White Rock, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, New Westminster and Pitt Meadows, the electrical permit is issued by Technical Safety BC. Residential electrical permit fees typically run $150 to $300 and belong inside the quote, not as a surprise on the invoice.
What a fair quote includes
- The service call fee and the hourly rate after the first hour, in writing before the visit
- Whether the diagnostic hour is credited toward the repair
- Parts at cost or with a stated markup
- For permitted work, the permit and inspection fee and the contractor's Technical Safety BC licence number on the invoice
Ask before you hire
- The contractor's Technical Safety BC licence number, which you can verify online, and proof of current WorkSafeBC coverage
- Whether the permit, the inspection and any BC Hydro coordination are inside the price
- What changes the price if they open a wall or a panel and find aluminum wiring, knob-and-tube or a full panel
- Whether drywall or exterior repair is included or quoted separately
- How long the quote is valid, and whether a deposit is required before materials are ordered
Want this done at your place?
Tell us what is wrong or what you want installed and we'll get you a real quote from a local Metro Vancouver electrician. We send it out to local contractors for you. Free, no pressure.
Common questions
Why are two quotes for the same job so far apart?
Usually because one includes the permit, inspection and Hydro coordination and the other does not, or because one contractor is licensed and insured and the other is not. Ask what happens to the price if they find aluminum wiring or a full panel.
Is a deposit normal?
For jobs with ordered materials such as a panel or a charger, a deposit of 25% to 50% of materials is common. A deposit for a small service call is not.