Check One: License, Bond and Insurance
Ask for the license number in writing, then look it up yourself. California licenses electrical contractors through the CSLB under the C-10 classification. Arizona licenses through the Registrar of Contractors. Both databases are free and take about a minute.
The bond sits behind the work. It gives you a claim route when a job is abandoned or fails to meet code and the contractor stops answering the phone.
Insurance covers the rest. You want general liability and workers compensation. An uninsured helper who falls off a ladder in your driveway becomes your homeowners policy's problem.
Rizzo Electric is licensed, bonded and insured, and we hand over the numbers when you ask. Any electrician install Tesla charger quote that arrives without those three items belongs in the bin.
What a handyman price buys
The cheapest bid in your inbox is usually cheap for a reason: no license, no permit, no inspection. The circuit may even work. The problem shows up at resale, during a claim, or the first time a heavy continuous load runs for hours on undersized wire.
Check Two: The Load Calculation Comes Before the Quote
A Tesla Wall Connector draws a heavy continuous load, which calls for a circuit and wire sized for continuous duty. That load lands on a panel already running your AC, oven, dryer and everything else.
So the installer owes you a load calculation before pricing the job. It adds up the existing demand on your service under NEC Article 220 and shows, on paper, whether the panel carries the charger.
A firm price quoted over the phone, sight unseen, with no photo of the panel and no question about your service size, is a guess. Guesses get discovered on installation day, when the price changes.
When the calculation comes up short, there are real options: dial the charger's amperage down in the Tesla app, fit a load management device that shares capacity with the rest of the house, add a subpanel, or upgrade the service. A good electrician walks you through all four and tells you which one your house needs. Our guide on when an EV charger needs a panel upgrade covers how that decision gets made.
Check Three: Who Pulls the Permit
The contractor pulls the permit. That is the short version.
Some installers ask the homeowner to pull an owner-builder permit. That request moves liability onto you: you become the responsible party for the work, the code compliance and the inspection. Say no.
A permitted job gets inspected. An inspector checks the breaker, the conductor size, the grounding, the disconnect and the mounting. Unpermitted work stays invisible until you sell the house, refinance, or file an insurance claim after an electrical fire. Then it surfaces all at once.
Permit fees and timelines vary by city across California, and the process is laid out in our post on EV charger permits in California. Ask the installer which jurisdiction they are filing with and who meets the inspector.
Check Four: Tesla Wall Connector Installer Requirements
Tesla publishes a list of certified installers. A Tesla certified electrician has been trained on the Wall Connector and registered with Tesla, so they know the hardware before they touch it in your garage.
The Tesla Wall Connector installer requirements worth asking about:
- Hardwired, on a dedicated circuit. The Wall Connector is hardwired. It gets its own breaker and no shared neutral.
- Breaker and amperage matched. The installer sets the charger's maximum amperage during commissioning to match the breaker and wire actually installed.
- Correct breaker type. Some panels and some jurisdictions call for GFCI protection. The installer should know which applies to yours.
- Outdoor mounting done properly. Wall Connectors are rated for outdoor use. Direct afternoon sun in Phoenix, Mesa or Scottsdale still pushes the unit to throttle output, so placement and shade matter.
- Commissioning finished. Firmware updated, wi-fi connected, power sharing configured when two cars charge on one circuit.
- Cable run planned. Where you park decides which side of the garage the unit goes on and how long the run has to be.
Ask how many Wall Connectors the crew installed last month. The answer tells you more than a website badge.
Check Five: The Questions To Ask Before You Sign
Read these out loud on the phone. The pauses tell you as much as the answers.
- What is your license number, and which state issued it?
- Are you bonded, and who is the surety?
- Can you send the certificate of insurance?
- Will you do a load calculation on my panel, and do I get a copy?
- Who pulls the permit, and in whose name?
- Who meets the inspector?
- What breaker size and wire gauge are you quoting, and why?
- What happens to the price if the panel has no room?
- Is the crew on the job employed by you or subcontracted?
- What warranty covers the labor, and for how long?
An installer who answers all ten without hedging has done this often. One who answers three has done it once.
Write the answers down. They form the scope of the job, and they are what you hold up when something on site changes. Our post on EV charger installation day sets out what actually happens once the crew arrives, so you can see whether the quote matches the work.
Hiring in California or Arizona
The license databases differ, the permit offices differ and the summer heat in Arizona changes where the unit goes. The checklist above holds in both states.
We install Wall Connectors and every other brand across Orange County, Los Angeles and Arizona. See our Tesla charger installation service for what the job includes, or our EV charger installations page for other vehicles and multi-car garages.
Send Rizzo Electric your address and Tesla model and get a free installer quote back, with the load calculation and permit handled by us. Request your Tesla charger quote and we will take it from there.
