Will California insurers cover a Zinsco panel or knob and tube wiring?

Insurers treat it as a fire risk. The Insurance Information Institute, an industry group, says an old electrical system can make a home hard to insure, because it raises the chance of fire.

California's seller notice makes the same link. Since January 1, 2026, Civil Code section 1102.6i has required most sellers to suggest an electrical inspection. The notice also ties faulty wiring to trouble getting insurance.

In August 2024, the San Francisco Chronicle described knob and tube as wiring common until the late 1930s. It was designed for a lighter electrical load and can lead to fires when overpowered, the report said.

The same report quoted an insurance broker: century-old wiring can make it "almost impossible to find coverage." It also said one large insurer had stopped writing new policies for homes built before 1976 with outdated electrical systems.

Each insurer sets its own wiring rules. Since October 8, 2024, a state regulation has required an insurer's rate filing with the Department of Insurance to include its full rulebook. That covers every manual and guideline it uses to accept or turn down a home.

The newest copies posted online, written for agents and dated 2020 to 2024, are not proof of any insurer's current rules. The table below sets out what they said about each older electrical system.

Only one of these manuals names Zinsco. An insurer's January 2020 California homeowners manual listed "Federal Pacific Stab Lok or Zinsco electrical panels" among the things that made a home ineligible.

Another insurer's December 2022 California manual barred "Stab-Lok circuit breakers" without naming Zinsco. The other manuals set rules for fuses, wiring type and amps, and named no panel brand.

Insurers revise these manuals, and the rules on file with the Department may differ. Before you pay for work only to satisfy an insurer, ask for its current rule in writing.

The FAIR Plan generally takes the home, though it may charge more or ask for repairs first. Under its rulebook, approved March 27, 2026, "substandard construction, heating, or wiring" leaves a home eligible but open to a surcharge.

After its inspection, the Plan must spell out the improvements that would end a surcharge, or the ones it needs before it will cover the home. When the work is finished, it reinspects or removes the surcharge.

A FAIR Plan policy is narrow, though. It skips water damage, theft and liability, so check standard and specialty insurers before settling on it.

Old knob and tube wiring can stay in a home, but state code limits the work around it. Berkeley's building department, citing the 2025 California Electrical Code, says an attic with it "may not be insulated" unless a licensed electrical contractor certifies it.

Berkeley's form gives the electrician three findings to choose from. The wiring is in good condition, it needs repair or rewiring before insulation covers it, or it is disconnected or removed.

Keep a copy of that finding for your insurance file, whichever box is checked.

Put the facts on paper first. Have a licensed electrician write up the panel and the wiring, including any knob and tube still in use. That gives an insurer facts instead of guesses.

One 2022 manual's strictest list named "Active Knob and Tube wiring," though its main wiring rule barred knob and tube outright. Even so, ask the electrician to note any runs that are disconnected.

If you replace the panel or rewire, keep the permit, the final inspection and the invoice. A 2024 insurer guide wanted contracts, payment receipts and photographs as proof that an older home's systems were updated.

Then ask more than one insurer, standard insurers first and then specialty insurers, which set their own rules. Insuring a home built before 1960 covers the plumbing, heating and roof questions too.

You are owed the reason in writing. Insurance Code section 791.10 requires an insurer that turns down or non-renews a home to state the specific reasons in writing when it decides.

If the insurer non-renews, its notice is due at least 75 days (90 days beginning January 1, 2028) before the policy ends, mailed or delivered.

On and after January 1, 2028, a fixable problem such as wiring brings an earlier warning. Under SB 1301, the insurer must explain the fix no later than 120 days before the policy ends, then give you at least 90 days to make it. What SB 1301 changes has the rest.