Most homeowners never think about an electrical inspection until something goes wrong. The cadence isn't strict — but there are clear inflection points where it pays off, especially in older Sonoma County homes.
When you buy the home
The general home inspection is not an electrical inspection. It's a visual screening. If the home is 30+ years old, has any signs of older wiring, or has a brand-name panel on the watch list (Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Pushmatic), get a separate electrical inspection before the contingency window closes.
Every 10 years for homes under 40 years old
Modern wiring is durable. A 10-year inspection cadence on a home built after 1985 is a light touch — open the panel, scan for loose connections, test GFCIs and AFCIs, document anything that's drifted out of code.
Every 3–5 years for older homes
Pre-1980 homes — and especially pre-1965 — benefit from more frequent looks. Cloth-jacket wiring degrades. Aluminum branch connections loosen. Knob-and-tube doesn't age well in attics.
After major events
Inspect after:
- A direct-or-near lightning strike
- A house fire on any nearby property where smoke and water reached your panel
- A flood or roof leak that reached electrical
- Any outage where lights got noticeably brighter when power came back (open neutral)
Before an insurance renewal or policy change
California carriers are tightening underwriting on older electrical service. A clean inspection report — or a remediation plan — helps the renewal go through. Some carriers now require it for specific panel brands.
Before any major remodel
If the remodel disturbs walls or adds significant load, the electrical inspection should happen first. Knowing the panel is at capacity changes how you plan the remodel — much cheaper to address it upstream.
Sonoma County · Since 1990
Talk to a licensed electrician about your electrical safety inspection.
Free estimates, same-day response, and a real person on the phone — usually the owner.
