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Get a fair quoteBy Our research team · Last verified · 12 jobs priced · Methodology
Emergency visit, all-in (call-out + first hour). The full price list is below.
How we get this data$175–$460 for the call-out fee and first after-hours hour, typically $310. After that, expect $100–$260/hr — about 1.5 to 2 times the weekday rate of $50–$130/hr — plus any parts.
Prices verified November 2026 · Cross-referenced against 52+ American pricing sources · See methodology
After-hours work runs $100–$260/hr plus a call-out fee; weekday rates are shown for comparison.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency / after-hours call-out feeper call | $75 | $150 | $200 |
| After-hours hourly rateper hour | $100 | $160 | $260 |
| Emergency visit, all-in (call-out + first hour)per visit | $175 | $310 | $460 |
| Evening rate (about 1.25–1.5× standard)per hour | $65 | $125 | $195 |
| Weekend rate (about 1.5× standard)per hour | $75 | $135 | $195 |
| Night or holiday rate (about 2× standard)per hour | $100 | $180 | $260 |
| Standard weekday rate, for comparisonper hour | $50 | $90 | $130 |
| Troubleshooting visit (weekday)per visit | $150 | $275 | $500 |
| Replace a circuit breakereach | $100 | $180 | $260 |
| Replace the main breakerinstalled | $200 | $350 | $600 |
| Replace a storm-damaged meter boxinstalled | $500 | $1,200 | $2,100 |
| Repair or replace the service mastinstalled | $500 | $1,100 | $1,700 |
US prices, November 2026. Low is a simple job in a low-cost area; high is a bigger job or a high-cost city.
Yes. The same job costs more where labor and rent cost more. Here's how electrician prices in the biggest US metros compare with the US typical of $90/hr.
Labor, rent and demand move every job on this page in the same direction. Open your city's guide for its full local price list.
Call right away for a burning smell, sparks or smoke from an outlet or the panel, a buzzing or hot panel, outlets that are hot to the touch, water near wiring, or no power when your neighbors have it. If a line is down or anything is on fire, call 911 and your utility first.
One dead outlet, a light that won't work or a breaker that holds after you reset it can usually wait for a weekday visit ($150–$500), which saves most of the after-hours premium.
Most shops add a call-out fee ($75–$200) and bill after-hours time at $100–$260/hr, usually with a one- to two-hour minimum. Evenings typically run 1.25 to 1.5 times the standard rate, weekends about 1.5 times, and late nights and holidays about double.
Some companies quote one flat emergency price instead. Ask for the call-out fee, the hourly rate and the minimum on the phone before the electrician drives out.
Check the panel for a tripped breaker and reset any GFCI outlets in kitchens, baths, garages and outdoors. If the whole street is dark, it's a utility outage: report it to the utility, which fixes its own lines at no charge.
In many areas the utility owns the meter and the line to the house, while the meter box and the mast on the house are the homeowner's to fix. Replacing a damaged meter box runs $500–$2,100 and a service mast $500–$1,700, and the utility usually has to reconnect after a licensed electrician makes the repair — ask your utility how it works locally.
A company that won't give any price on the phone, can't show a license, or pushes a full panel replacement at 2 a.m. Get the immediate hazard made safe, then a written quote for anything bigger in daylight.
Find the row that matches what you see. It tells you who to call, and whether it's worth paying after-hours rates.
| What you see | Do this first | Who to call | Pay after-hours rates? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire, smoke or flames | Get everyone out | 911 | Call 911 first |
| Burning smell, sparks, or a hot or buzzing panel | If the floor is dry and the panel isn't sparking, switch off the main breaker | Emergency electrician | Yes |
| Power line down | Stay far away and keep others away | 911 and the utility | No. The utility fixes its own lines. |
| Whole street is dark | Check the utility's outage map | The utility | No |
| Half the house is dead, or lights go very bright and dim | Turn off and unplug electronics | The utility first, then an electrician | Often no. It can be a fault on the utility's side. |
| Water touching outlets, cords or the panel | Stay out of the water | The utility to cut power, then a licensed electrician | Yes, if you need power back soon |
| Outlet or switch plate hot to the touch | Switch off that breaker | Electrician | Only if that circuit can't stay off |
| Breaker trips again right after you reset it | Leave it off. Unplug things on that circuit. | Electrician | Only if it runs your heat, fridge or medical equipment |
| One dead outlet or light | Reset GFCI outlets and check the panel | Electrician | No. Book a weekday visit. |
Say the shop has a two-hour minimum after hours. With typical prices, the bill looks like this.
If the circuit can stay off until Monday, a weekday troubleshooting visit is typically $275. Replacing a breaker on a weekday is typically $180 installed.
Do only what you can do safely. Your safety comes before the house.
Get the price rules on the phone, while you can still say no.
After a storm, the utility fixes its own wires and meter. The parts on your house are usually yours to repair.
| Part | Who usually owns it | Who fixes it | Typical cost to you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wires from the pole to your house | The utility | The utility | Usually nothing |
| Electric meter | The utility | The utility | Usually nothing |
| Weatherhead and mast (the pipe on your roof or wall) | You | A licensed electrician | $500–$1,700 |
| Meter box (the base the meter plugs into) | You | A licensed electrician | $500–$2,100 |
| Main breaker | You | A licensed electrician | $200–$600 |
| Wires from the meter box to the panel, and the panel | You | A licensed electrician | Quoted after a look |
This is how many utilities split it, but rules vary. Some utilities need a local inspection or an electrician's form before they turn your power back on. Call yours to check.
Most after-hours electricians are honest. These signs say slow down.
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Usually not. If the rest of the house works and nothing smells hot, wait for a weekday troubleshooting visit ($150–$500) instead of paying $175–$460 after hours.
Burning smells, sparks, smoke, a hot or buzzing panel, water near wiring, or a full loss of power that isn't a street-wide outage.
The utility fixes outages and its own equipment, usually up to the meter. Wiring, breakers and the panel inside your home are your electrician's job.
Most do — usually one to two hours at the after-hours rate ($100–$260/hr), on top of the call-out fee.
About double the weekday rate: $100–$260/hr against $50–$130/hr standard, plus the call-out fee.
Yes, if you can reach the panel while standing on a dry floor and the panel isn't hot, sparking or buzzing. Flip the large breaker at the top to off. If anything is wet or the panel looks damaged, stay away and call the utility to cut power at the meter.
Most US homes get power on two live wires. If one fails, about half the circuits go dead. The fault is often outside, on the utility's wires or connections, so call the utility first. If they find nothing, call an electrician.
Yes. Switch off that circuit's breaker and unplug anything in the outlet. Don't use it again until an electrician checks it. The CPSC lists hot switch plates and a burning plastic smell as signs of wiring trouble.
Yes, once your side is fixed. A licensed electrician repairs the parts you own, like the mast or meter box. Some utilities also need a local inspection or an electrician's form before they turn the power back on.
It may, if a covered event like a storm, fire or lightning caused the damage. Wear and old age usually aren't covered. Take photos before the repair, keep the invoice and call your insurer.
Many fold the drive into the call-out fee of $75–$200. Some also start the clock when they leave the shop. Ask about both on the phone.