Security Camera Installation in El Segundo
Innov8av installs security camera systems for El Segundo's 1940s to 1960s houses, its apartment and condo buildings, and the shops, offices and industrial buildings of a small city that sits minutes from LAX. Licensed C-10 electrical contractor and BSIS alarm company operator, our own technicians, same-day response, and most four-to-eight camera homes finished in one day.
What camera work in El Segundo actually involves
The short answer: El Segundo is a small residential town with some of the oldest housing in the South Bay, wrapped in a very large business district, so camera work here splits between careful installs on older homes and apartment buildings and bigger commercial jobs. Innov8av is a Los Angeles contractor holding a California C-10 electrical contractor licence, CSLB #1043428, and a BSIS alarm company operator licence, ACO 7755. We work across the South Bay with our own technicians, respond the same day, and finish most four-to-eight camera homes in one day.
A business city around a small town. The City describes itself as a “5.5 square mile economic powerhouse” “just minutes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)”, home to Los Angeles Air Force Base and to Fortune 500 companies including Boeing, Chevron, L’Oreal, Mattel and Raytheon. Chevron’s own history notes that El Segundo was chosen in 1911 as the site of the second refinery in California, and the City incorporated in 1917. The residential side is compact: about 17,000 people at the 2020 Census.
The houses are old, and that drives the install. The American Community Survey (2020–2024) counts 7,889 housing units with a median year built of 1964. The 1960s is the biggest single decade at about 21 percent, and about 41 percent of all homes went up before 1960, with 1940s and pre-war houses making up more than a fifth of the stock. What that means on the ladder:
- Small attics, plaster and lath walls, and original eaves. We plan cable routes from the attic out to the soffits where the attic allows it, and use colour-matched raceway on the exterior where it does not, rather than opening walls.
- Detached garages behind the house. Common on older lots. A garage camera either gets its own cable run, buried or overhead as the site allows, or a point-to-point wireless bridge back to the recorder.
- Older electrical panels. A recorder and a Power-over-Ethernet switch go on a known circuit. Where a new circuit is needed, that is electrical work we handle as a C-10 contractor.
More than half the homes are in multi-unit buildings. About 56 percent of El Segundo’s homes are in buildings of two or more units, roughly 41 percent in buildings of five or more, and about 57 percent of households rent. Only about 38 percent are detached houses. For building owners and HOAs that means garages, carports, entry gates and mailrooms, with one recorder in a locked room.
Permits and rules that apply in El Segundo
El Segundo has its own police and fire departments. The El Segundo Police Department is at 348 Main Street; its own contact page lists the non-emergency police number as (310) 524-2760. The City also has its own fire department; Fire Station 1 is a short walk away at 314 Main Street.
The alarm rules are in Municipal Code Title 4, Chapter 3, “Burglary and Robbery Alarm Systems.”
1. An alarm needs a permit before it is installed, homes included. Section 4-3-2 says “No person shall have installed on any premises under his control an alarm system without first applying for and receiving an alarm system permit.” The chapter draws no line between homes and businesses.
2. The permit fee is paid once. Section 4-3-8 says the fee for an alarm system permit “shall be a one time fee”. The code does not state the amount; the City sets it, so ask ESPD or check the City’s fee schedule.
3. Three false alarms a fiscal year, then fees. Section 4-3-9 charges a service fee “for each response made by the Police Department to the location of a false alarm after the first three (3) responses are made during the same fiscal year”. The fees are billed monthly and due within 15 days. An activation of one second or less is not counted as a false alarm (Section 4-3-18), and after a false alarm caused by a malfunction the system has to be repaired before it is turned back on (Section 4-3-19). A camera on the zone that tripped is the practical fix: you, or a monitoring centre, look before an officer is sent.
4. Half an hour of siren, at most, and keep your responder list current. Section 4-3-17 requires an audible alarm to stop “within one-half (1/2) hour after it is activated”, bans sounds that imitate a siren, and requires the names and phone numbers of people who can respond to be on file with the Police Chief. We set sirens to cut off well inside that limit.
5. Do cameras need the permit? The chapter is written around alarm systems and never mentions video. Our reading, not a City ruling: cameras that only record and notify you are not an alarm system under Chapter 3. Cameras tied into a monitored intrusion alarm are part of one, and that alarm needs the permit.
6. Two zoning notes. The City’s Coastal Zone is defined as the area “located west of Vista Del Mar”; on our reading, typical homes and businesses inland of it face no coastal-permit question for cameras. The zoning code also has a Historic Preservation chapter and a Smoky Hollow Specific Plan; on a designated historic building we check with Planning before mounting anything on a street-facing facade.
Where cameras go on an El Segundo property
What the numbers say to cover first. The California Department of Justice reports the El Segundo Police Department as its own jurisdiction. For 2025 it shows:
- 151 burglaries: 56 residential and 95 non-residential, down from 268 in 2023.
- 76 thefts “from motor vehicles”, down from 166 in 2023, and 29 of “motor vehicle parts and accessories”, down from 119 (DOJ’s own category names).
- 90 motor vehicle thefts and 82 shoplifting reports.
Property crime fell by roughly half over those two years, but the pattern holds: businesses and parked cars are the main targets. In January 2026, ESPD asked residents about a run of e-bike thefts and vehicle burglaries, writing: “Recognizing that many residents have exterior surveillance cameras, we ask that you review any video footage…” Footage only helps if it can identify a face or a plate, so that is how we aim.
On a house:
- The driveway and the detached garage, with a wide overview plus a dedicated plate camera set low and tuned for headlight glare.
- The front door at eight to nine feet, angled for faces, with a video doorbell for packages.
- Side yards, the side gate and the alley, on infrared rather than floodlights, so neighbours are not lit up.
- The bike and e-bike storage spot, wherever it is: garage door, side yard or patio.
On an apartment or condo building: the garage or carport entry with a plate camera, the parking rows, pedestrian gates, the lobby, the mailroom and package area, and the trash enclosure. Common areas only, never into a unit or a private balcony.
On a shop, office or industrial building: the rear and loading doors, the yard and the parking lot first, then the reception or register and the customer entry. For multi-tenant buildings we keep the recorder in a locked room and give the manager a simple export process.
ESPD camera registration. ESPD runs a Security Camera Registration program that it describes as “completely voluntary”, for residential and business cameras. If something happens nearby, police may contact you “and ask to review the recorded footage”; registering does not give them live access. We show you how to export a clip in under a minute.
Recording. We record locally by default, on a recorder sized for two to four useful weeks, with no mandatory monthly fee. Monitoring is optional, from $24.99 a month, month to month, no contract, and a monitored alarm that can bring an officer out needs the El Segundo alarm permit above.
What security camera installation costs in El Segundo
These are installed prices we see across Los Angeles County, and El Segundo sits inside them. A house with a usable attic is at the efficient end. Pre-war houses with tight attics, detached garages, and garage-level apartment parking move the number up. We do not quote a flat price sight-unseen.
| Scope | Installed price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| 4 cameras, house or townhome | $1,500 – $4,500 | Driveway with plate capture, front door, side gate and rear or alley. Usually done in one day. |
| 8 cameras, larger house or small apartment building | $3,500 – $9,000 | Adds the detached garage, side yards or a small building’s parking and mailboxes. Most still finish in one day. |
| 16 cameras, apartment or condo building | $8,000 – $20,000 | Garage or carport entry, parking rows, gates, lobby, mailroom and trash. Common areas only. |
| Shop, office or industrial building | $4,000 – $30,000+ | Rear and loading doors, yard, parking, reception or register. Larger and multi-tenant sites depend entirely on the building. |
What moves the number: camera count, resolution (4 MP or 4K), dedicated licence-plate cameras, attic access on older houses, a run to a detached garage, distance from the recorder to the furthest camera, low-light specification, recorder storage for the retention you want, and whether a new electrical circuit is needed. Every quote is a written line-item proposal with model numbers, after a free on-site assessment with no obligation. You can pay over time via PayPal.
Checkable facts before you call
Everything below is either verifiable with a public record or a commitment we put in writing on every proposal.
- 1-year parts-and-labor warranty on every installation.
- Installed by Innov8av’s own technicians and installers — the people who quote the job are the people who do it and service it.
- Same-day response. Existing clients get same-day on-site service.
- Most 4–8 camera homes are finished in one day.
- Camera brands we install: Hikvision, Luma, ClareVision, Uniview, DSS, Illumivue, Digital Watchdog, Dahua, Ubiquiti and Verkada — NDAA-compliant options on request for federally funded or government-adjacent sites.
- Service area: all of Los Angeles County (including Long Beach, Torrance and Santa Clarita), plus all of Orange County and Ventura County.
- Authorized Savant, Lutron and Snap One dealer, with distribution accounts at ADI, Wave Electronics, KOA and Unix.
- Pay over time with our financing partner PayPal.
- Licensed and insured: California C-10 Electrical Contractor, CSLB #1043428, and BSIS Alarm Company Operator ACO 7755; insured and bonded; in business since 2016.
- Reviews you can check: 5.0 on Google, 5.0/5 across 22 verified reviews on Reviews.io, BBB A+.
- Hours: Mon–Fri 8 AM–6 PM, Sat 9 AM–3 PM. Call or text (805) 517-4668 — se habla español.
Verify the licences yourself: CSLB License Check and DCA/BSIS search.
Questions people in El Segundo ask us
Do I need an alarm permit for security cameras in El Segundo?
For an alarm system, yes, homes included: Municipal Code Section 4-3-2 requires a permit before an alarm is installed on any premises. Cameras on their own are a different question, because the chapter does not mention video. Our reading, not a City ruling: record-and-notify cameras are not covered, but cameras that are part of a monitored intrusion alarm are.
How much is the El Segundo alarm permit?
The code says it is a one-time fee, not an annual one, but it does not state the amount. The City sets it, so ask the El Segundo Police Department, (310) 524-2760, or check the City’s current fee schedule.
When do false alarms start costing money in El Segundo?
After the first three police responses to false alarms in the same fiscal year (Section 4-3-9). Each response after that is billed, monthly, due within 15 days. An activation of one second or less does not count. Cameras let you check before police are dispatched.
Should I register my cameras with El Segundo police?
It is your choice. ESPD’s Security Camera Registration program is voluntary and open to homes and businesses. Registered owners may be contacted and asked to review footage after an incident nearby; it does not give police live access to your cameras.
My house in El Segundo is from the 1940s. Can you install cameras without opening walls?
Usually, yes. About 41 percent of El Segundo homes were built before 1960. We run cable through the attic to the eaves where the attic allows it, use colour-matched raceway outside where it does not, and reach a detached garage with a buried or overhead run or a wireless bridge.
What brands do you install, and is there a monthly fee?
We install Hikvision, Luma, ClareVision, Uniview, DSS, Illumivue, Digital Watchdog, Dahua, Ubiquiti and Verkada, with NDAA-compliant options on request, which matters to some aerospace and defence suppliers. We are also an authorised Savant, Lutron and Snap One dealer. A local recorder keeps your footage with no mandatory monthly fee. Monitoring is optional, from $24.99 a month, month to month, no contract. Every install carries a one-year parts-and-labour warranty. Se habla español.
The next step
Tell us what you want to see in El Segundo and we will tell you what it takes
Text us a photo of the driveway, garage, side yard, lobby or loading door. We answer the same day with what we would cover and roughly what it costs. Then we come out, walk it with you, and put it in writing with model numbers.
Free. About 10 minutes. No obligation. English and Spanish. Licensed California ACO 7755 and C-10, insured and bonded since 2016. Check it with the State.