A lot of homes in Anne Arundel County are still running on the panel they were built with. A 1956 rambler in Glen Burnie, a waterfront cottage off the Magothy, a brick Cape in Brooklyn Park — many of them came with a 60-amp or 100-amp box that was sized for a stove, a furnace, and a few outlets, not a heat pump and an EV in the driveway. David Williams Electric upgrades those service panels to a code-compliant 200-amp service, pulls the county permit, and coordinates the BGE meter disconnect so the whole job is handled by one licensed electrician (MD #11734) with 30-plus years on the tools.
When an Anne Arundel home has outgrown its panel
The tell is usually the same: a breaker that trips every time the microwave and the window AC run together, a fuse box you have to keep spare fuses on hand for, or a home inspector flagging the service before a sale in Severna Park or Arnold. None of those are nuisance problems. They mean the panel is at its limit, and the limit was set decades ago.
We see it most in three pockets of the county. The older Glen Burnie and Pasadena neighborhoods built in the 1950s and 60s, where 100-amp was standard. The Severn and Magothy River cottages that started as summer places and got winterized over time without the service ever catching up. And the newer all-electric builds out toward Crofton and Odenton, where a 100-amp panel runs fine until someone adds a heat pump, a hot tub, and a Level 2 car charger and suddenly there’s no room left on the bus.
What a 200-amp service change actually involves
An upgrade is more than swapping the box. We replace the meter socket, the main panel, the grounding electrode system, and usually the service entrance conductors, then bring the whole thing up to current National Electrical Code. That means proper grounding and bonding, AFCI and GFCI protection where the code now requires it, and a panel with enough open spaces that the next addition doesn’t mean starting over.
Because the meter has to come off, the job is scheduled around BGE. We coordinate the disconnect and reconnect so your power is down for the work and back on the same day. We also pull the electrical permit through the Anne Arundel County Permit Center on Riva Road and meet the inspector ourselves — you don’t chase paperwork. You get a written, up-front price before any of it starts, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee when it’s done.
Old panels we won't just add to
Some of the panels still in service around the county shouldn’t get one more breaker. If you have a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or a Zinsco panel — both common in homes built from the late 50s through the 70s, and both with a documented history of breakers that fail to trip — the right call is to replace it, not extend it. Adding load to a panel that may not protect the circuit is the opposite of an upgrade.
Aluminum branch wiring is the other one we run into in that era of home. We don’t bury it. We correct it at the connections with proper pig-tailing using AlumiConn connectors, so the splices are rated for the job. And on waterfront and near-water homes off the Severn, Magothy, and the South River, we check the meter socket and panel interior for the corrosion that salt air and Chesapeake humidity work into outdoor equipment over the years.
One licensed electrician, start to finish
This isn’t subbed out. David Williams holds Maryland master electrician license #11734 and does the work himself, which is why the answer to “what will this cost” comes before the job, not after. Thirty-plus years of residential service work in this county means we’ve already seen what’s behind your panel cover, whether it’s a Bowie-era subdivision box or an Annapolis cottage that’s been added onto three times.
If your panel is original, your breakers are tripping, or an inspector flagged your service, get a straight answer on what an upgrade takes and what it costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is my power off during a panel upgrade?
Usually a single day. BGE pulls the meter so we can replace the service equipment, and we schedule the reconnect so your power is back on by the end of the same work day. We coordinate the disconnect and reconnect with the utility directly, so you're not making those calls.
Do I need a permit for a service panel change in Anne Arundel County?
Yes. A service change requires an electrical permit and an inspection through the Anne Arundel County Permit Center on Riva Road in Annapolis. We pull the permit, do the work to current code, and meet the inspector ourselves — it's all part of the job, not an extra you have to manage.
Why upgrade from 100 amps to 200 amps if my 100-amp panel still works?
A 100-amp service was sized for the loads of an older home. Add a heat pump, an EV charger, a hot tub, or a kitchen remodel and you can run out of capacity fast — that's when breakers start tripping. A 200-amp panel gives you the headroom for those loads and open spaces for whatever comes next, which matters as more homes around Crofton and Odenton go all-electric.
My panel is a Federal Pacific or Zinsco. Can you just add a breaker?
We won't. Both brands are common in county homes from the late 1950s through the 1970s, and both have a documented history of breakers that don't trip when they should. Adding load to one is a safety risk. The right fix is a full replacement with a modern, properly protected panel.
Do you give a price before the work starts?
Always. You get a written, up-front price before we touch anything, so there are no surprises when the job is done. Every upgrade is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee and performed under Maryland license #11734.
Serving Anne Arundel County
David Williams Electric provides electrical panel upgrades throughout Anne Arundel County, including Annapolis, Glen Burnie, Severna Park, Pasadena, Crofton, Arnold, Odenton. Explore all Anne Arundel County electrical services or learn more about electrical panel upgrades across Maryland. Call (410) 781-4357 for a free, up-front quote.
