This sort of thing can easily spiral to needing a new main power line due to the increased amp requirements.

Yes. But the price of those combined should still be nearly an order of magnitude cheaper than $20k.

$20k is "gut and rewire everything in an expensive metro area" kind of money.

There's no way you're getting a new box, meter, and service wire for $2k anywhere in the US. Certainly not California.

Plus, lots of places require these to be buried. So you've got trenching costs and that's a pain too. $20k is definitely within the ballpark of a cost.

Did mine last year for $1200... and I had new grounds installed for that price too. But yes, it was above ground.

But my point is, if someone need to do all of these things, it's for a reason. And these tasks aren't "upgrade a circuit", they're, "upgrade my home's electrical service"

Like I said, it's a spiral. You have a moldy bathroom and they make you get a car charger, which is a new circuit, which changes the load calculation, which changes your service needs, which changes your box requirements. Strict adherence to code has a way of making costs explode.

Haha absolutely not. PG&E says that 5% of projects in California cost over $20k just for trenching in new underground service feeder. That doesn't even begin to mention the new main panel and all the branch wiring behind it.

If you need to upgrade your panel it can easily cost $100k.

My point is that trenching your yard up because your electrical system legitimately can't handle the load is not "use of the permitting process to push high-cost climate goals on home owners". The necessity of a higher gauge service line is a legitimate safety regulation.