electricians

How Much Does an Electrician Cost in Idaho? (2026 Price Guide)

Idaho electricians charge $65 to $125 per hour in 2026, with Boise at the top. See costs for panel upgrades, EV chargers, shop wiring, ADUs, DOPL permits, and tips.

How Much Does an Electrician Cost in Idaho? (2026 Price Guide)

The Treasure Valley has been one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country for most of a decade, and electricians in Boise, Meridian, Nampa, and Caldwell have had more work than they can handle for nearly as long. That shows up in the pricing.

Licensed electricians in the Boise area charge roughly $85 to $125 per hour in 2026, up sharply from where rates sat before the growth surge. Elsewhere in Idaho, from Pocatello to Lewiston, rates run $65 to $100.

Most residential work is priced by the job, and the price depends on what kind of house you have. A 2019 build in a Meridian subdivision has a modern 200-amp panel, open capacity, and wiring that is easy to extend. A 1940s bungalow in Boise's North End has plaster walls, a panel that may be original, and circuits that were never meant for today's loads.

Same task, very different quote. The figures in this guide are approximate and depend on the home, the contractor, and the season.

This guide covers hourly rates by region, what common jobs cost, how new construction and remodel pricing differ, what shop and ADU wiring runs, how Idaho's state licensing and permit system works, and how to keep costs under control in a market where electricians can afford to be selective.

Hourly Rates by Region

Boise, Meridian, Eagle, and Star command the highest rates in the state at $90 to $125 per hour, with service call fees of $110 to $185. Nampa and Caldwell are slightly lower at $85 to $110. Demand from new construction and remodeling keeps crews booked, and many Treasure Valley contractors quote two to three weeks out for non-emergency work.

Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls run $80 to $110 per hour, driven by growth and proximity to Spokane pricing. Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Twin Falls electricians charge $70 to $95. Lewiston, Moscow, and the smaller towns across central and eastern Idaho run $65 to $90, with mileage charges for rural calls.

Emergency and after-hours work runs 1.5 to 2 times standard rates statewide. Unless something is hot, arcing, or smells like burning, waiting for a weekday appointment saves $100 to $300 on most calls.

Common Job Costs in 2026

Replacing an outlet or switch runs $110 to $220 including the trip fee in the Treasure Valley and $100 to $190 elsewhere. Installing a ceiling fan at an existing fixture location costs $175 to $375.

Adding an outlet on an existing circuit runs $175 to $350. Replacing a single breaker costs $160 to $275.

New circuits depend on access. Idaho homes are split between basement construction, common in older neighborhoods and eastern Idaho, and crawlspace or slab construction, common in newer Treasure Valley subdivisions.

A 20-amp dedicated circuit runs $275 to $600 with basement or crawlspace access and $450 to $850 when the electrician has to fish through finished walls. A 240-volt circuit for a range, dryer, or hot tub costs $450 to $1,200.

Panel upgrades are the most common large job. A 200-amp service upgrade runs $2,400 to $4,800 in the Boise area and $2,000 to $4,000 elsewhere in Idaho. Idaho Power, Avista, Rocky Mountain Power, and the cooperatives each have their own requirements for meter placement and service drops, and your electrician should know which applies.

EV Chargers and Heat Pumps

A Level 2 EV charger install costs $850 to $2,000 in the Treasure Valley and $750 to $1,700 in the rest of the state when the panel has capacity and the garage is attached. Idaho's low electricity rates make EV ownership attractive, and charger installs are among the fastest-growing jobs for electricians here. Heat pump circuits run $450 to $1,200 on the electrical side, and a home adding both a charger and a heat pump often needs a load calculation to see whether the panel can handle it.

New Construction Versus Remodel Pricing

Electricians who wire new homes price by the square foot or by the opening, and the Treasure Valley's building pace has made this a specialized business. Rough and finish wiring for a new 2,200-square-foot home runs $9,000 to $16,000 in the Boise area, with the builder typically handling that contract. Homeowners rarely see those numbers directly, but they matter if you are building a custom home in Eagle or Star.

Remodel pricing is higher per task because the electrician is working around existing structure. Rewiring a kitchen during a remodel in a 1970s Boise Bench home runs $2,500 to $5,500 depending on how many circuits are added. A whole-house rewire of a 1,500-square-foot North End or East End bungalow built before 1950 costs $12,000 to $24,000 because of plaster walls and limited access.

Older homes in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Lewiston, and Coeur d'Alene's downtown neighborhoods have similar issues. Knob-and-tube wiring shows up regularly in homes built before 1940 across the state. Partial rewires that remove accessible knob-and-tube and add grounded kitchen and bathroom circuits run $5,000 to $9,500.

Shops, ADUs, and Detached Buildings

Idaho homeowners build shops. A detached shop or garage 100 to 200 feet from the house needs an underground feeder, a subpanel, and a trench. Running 100-amp service to a detached building runs $3,000 to $7,000 depending on distance and trenching, with a 200-amp feeder for a large shop with a welder and compressor costing $5,000 to $10,000.

Accessory dwelling units have become common in Boise since the city eased ADU rules, and the electrical side of an ADU build typically runs $6,000 to $12,000 for a 600 to 800-square-foot unit with its own subpanel. Some homeowners add a second meter, which involves Idaho Power and additional cost. Ask your electrician whether a subpanel from the main house or a separate service makes more sense for your lot.

Trenching is the biggest variable on any detached building job. Some electricians own trenchers and include it.

Others expect the homeowner to dig. Idaho's rocky soil in the foothills and lava rock in the Snake River Plain can make trenching slow and expensive, so get a clear answer on who handles it and what happens if rock is encountered.

Idaho Licensing, Permits, and Inspection Fees

Idaho licenses electricians statewide through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses. Electrical contractors, master electricians, journeymen, and apprentices all hold state licenses, and DOPL's online lookup lets you verify any of them in under a minute. Check it before hiring, and confirm the contractor license as well as the individual electrician's license.

DOPL also issues electrical permits and conducts inspections across most of Idaho. A handful of cities, including Boise, Nampa, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and Coeur d'Alene, run their own building departments and inspect electrical work within city limits. Everywhere else, the state does it.

State permit fees for residential work scale with the job and typically run $50 to $150 for a service change or a few new circuits. City permits are in a similar range.

Your electrician files the permit and requests the inspection, and the fee should appear on your quote. Utilities will not reconnect a service after a meter pull without a passed inspection. Idaho allows homeowners to pull permits for work on their own primary residence, and some homeowners in rural areas do their own wiring, but panel and service work is best left to a licensed contractor.

Keeping Costs Under Control

Get three written bids for anything over $2,000. Treasure Valley electricians are busy enough that some quote high to filter out jobs they do not want, and the spread between bids for the same panel upgrade can run from $2,600 to $4,800.

Compare scopes line by line. The higher bid may include a surge protector, a new grounding system, and a larger panel, or it may just be a busy contractor.

Time your project. Idaho electricians are busiest from April through October and after any windstorm or heavy snow. Non-urgent work like a shop subpanel or a basement finish often comes in 10% to 15% lower when scheduled for December through February.

Bundle tasks into one visit to avoid paying multiple trip fees, and let the electrician supply wire, breakers, and panels at contractor pricing. More on hiring and pricing trades across the state is on our home services blog, and the electricians in our directory are sorted by city and county.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does an electrician charge per hour in Boise?

Licensed electricians in Boise, Meridian, and Eagle charge $90 to $125 per hour in 2026, with service call fees of $110 to $185. Nampa and Caldwell run slightly lower. Wait times for non-emergency work often run two to three weeks.

How much does it cost to run power to a shop in Idaho?

Running a 100-amp underground feeder and subpanel to a shop 100 to 200 feet from the house typically costs $3,000 to $7,000, with trenching as the biggest variable. Rocky soil in the foothills and lava rock in the Snake River Plain can add to that.

Does Idaho require a permit for electrical work?

Yes. DOPL issues permits and inspects in most of the state, and cities like Boise, Nampa, and Pocatello run their own programs. Utilities will not reconnect after a meter pull without a passed inspection.

How much is a panel upgrade in Coeur d'Alene?

A 200-amp panel upgrade in Coeur d'Alene or Post Falls typically runs $2,300 to $4,300, including the permit and inspection. Avista may charge separately if the service drop needs work.

Why are Boise electricians so expensive compared to the rest of Idaho?

Demand from a decade of rapid growth has outpaced the supply of licensed electricians in the Treasure Valley, and rates have risen accordingly. Electricians in Pocatello, Twin Falls, and Lewiston face less competition for their time and charge $20 to $30 less per hour.