Garage door installation vs electrician

Garage door work often overlaps with electrical — opener wiring, dedicated circuits, and safety sensors. Know when each pro is the right call.

A garage door installer ($800–$3,500 for a new door with opener, $200–$500 for opener only) specializes in the mechanical system: spring replacement (torsion springs store lethal force — never DIY), track alignment, panel replacement, weatherstripping, opener mounting, and safety sensor calibration. Most installers wire the opener to an existing outlet — but that's where their electrical scope ends. An electrician ($75–$150/hour) is needed when: there's no outlet near the opener location ($200–$400 to run a new circuit), the existing circuit is shared and trips breakers when the opener runs ($300–$600 for a dedicated 20A circuit), you're adding a sub-panel in the garage ($800–$2,000), you want EV charger wiring alongside the door project ($500–$2,000), or the opener needs a 240V circuit (commercial doors). Smart garage integration — Wi-Fi openers, security cameras, smart lighting — often requires both: the door installer for the mechanical/opener work and an electrician for the supporting circuits, network wiring, and exterior outlets. For a standard single-door replacement with an existing outlet, the door installer handles everything. For new construction or major electrical upgrades, coordinate both pros — scheduling the electrician first to rough in circuits before the door installer mounts hardware.