What It Costs to Rewire a House in California

If your house still has its original wiring, a buyer’s inspector is likely to flag it, and you may be wondering what a full rewire would cost before you decide whether to sell. This guide covers typical costs for rewiring and panel upgrades, why older houses cost more to rewire, how permits and inspections work and how to weigh the job against selling as-is.

What a whole-house rewire costs

Fixr, in a guide last updated in January 2025, puts a complete rewire at $7,286–$13,257 for a house of about 2,200 square feet, including materials and labor. Per square foot, it puts new wiring at $3 to $6, including outlets and light fixtures.

HomeAdvisor’s guide, updated in June 2026, uses $3 to $5 per square foot:

Home size	Typical cost
500 sq. ft.	$1,500–$2,500
1,000 sq. ft.	$3,000–$5,000
1,500 sq. ft.	$4,500–$7,500
2,000 sq. ft.	$6,000–$10,000
3,000 sq. ft.	$9,000–$15,000

Estimates vary widely. HomeAdvisor’s own panel upgrade guide gives a higher figure for a complete rewire, $6 to $10 per square foot, or $12,000 to $20,000. All of these are national numbers, so get local bids before you budget.

Fixr says rewiring a whole house typically takes about a week and can stretch to three weeks, or longer on a large or complicated job.

Partial rewiring

Not every house needs a complete rewire. HomeAdvisor says rewiring a single room or an addition still runs about $3 to $5 per square foot, which works out to $600–$1,000 for a 200-square-foot bedroom. It also notes that sometimes a new circuit breaker, at $250 to $400, is enough to fix the problem, and suggests adding or replacing wiring only where it’s needed. An electrician’s evaluation is what tells you which case you’re in.

Panel upgrades

A rewire often comes with a new electrical panel, and sometimes the panel is the only thing that needs replacing. HomeAdvisor notes that many older homes have panels as small as 60 amps, which isn’t enough for modern power demands. Fixr calls 100 amps the minimum most households need today.

Panel job	HomeAdvisor	Fixr
Replace or upgrade a panel	$518–$2,193	$1,500–$4,500
Upgrade to 200-amp service	$750–$2,000 from 100 amps	$1,800–$4,500
Replace a fuse box with breakers	$1,500–$2,000	Not listed

Fixr says most homeowners pay around $3,000 to go from 100 to 200 amps when the panel stays in place and no major rewiring is needed. HomeAdvisor adds that replacing a fuse box can reach $4,500 when the wiring needs a complete overhaul.

Why older houses cost more to rewire

Knob-and-tube wiring

Knob-and-tube is the oldest kind of household wiring: single wires run along ceramic knobs and through ceramic tubes, without the ground wire that modern circuits have. Fixr mentions outdated knob-and-tube wiring as one reason owners rewire. Replacing it means running new circuits through walls and ceilings that were never built with modern wiring in mind.

HomeAdvisor says electrical work costs more in older homes because they may need more substantial work to meet modern standards, and that crawl spaces, past renovations and additions make the job harder.

Plaster walls and patching

Rewiring an existing house is more expensive than wiring new construction. Fixr explains why: the job involves opening walls, getting into crawl spaces, removing old wiring and patching everything afterward. HomeAdvisor treats wall repair as a separate cost from the electrical work, at $1.50 to $3 per square foot for drywall.

Many older houses have plaster walls rather than drywall. Before you compare bids, ask each electrician how much wall they expect to open, and whether patching and painting are included or left to you.

Permits and inspections

A whole-house rewire needs electrical permits, which the electrician usually pulls as part of the job. HomeAdvisor puts electrical permits at $250 to $900 and electrical inspections at $100 to $250 each, noting that a final inspection may be needed after the work is done. Fixr describes both as costing a few hundred dollars.

Permits also settle who can do the work. California’s exemption for small jobs by unlicensed workers covers only work under $1,000 in total that doesn’t need a building permit, so anyone you hire for a permitted rewire needs a contractor’s license. Under state law, a contractor also can’t ask for a down payment of more than 10% of the contract price on a home improvement project or $1,000, whichever is less, unless it has a blanket performance and payment bond on file with the Contractors State License Board.

Rewire before selling, or sell as-is?

Rewiring before a sale can make sense when the wiring is the main problem and the rest of the house is in good shape. In an older house, though, the wiring may be one item on a longer list, and our guide to what it costs to renovate a house covers the rest.

If you sell without rewiring, expect a buyer’s inspection to report on the electrical system, and possibly requests for credits or repairs. Our guide to home inspection costs explains what inspectors look at and how sellers can respond.

The other path is selling as-is. We buy houses as-is across Alameda County, old wiring included, and usually make a written cash offer within 24 hours. We charge no fees or commissions, cover typical closing costs and can close in as little as 3 days once title is clear. A cash offer is usually below full market value, so compare it with what you’d net after paying for the rewire and selling on the open market. Our page on selling a house that needs repairs walks through that comparison.

Sources

General information about California rules as of October 3, 2026, not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws change and every situation is different, so check the details with an attorney, CPA or other professional.