Most of what you need to know about an electrical panel is printed on a label you can read in ten seconds without touching anything inside it. The brand matters on an older house: the report engine behind this site asks for the panel brand to be recorded on homes built from 1950 through 1989, because a few brands from those decades get a closer look from inspectors and insurers, and it prices a panel replacement at $1,500 – $4,000.
This is how to find the brand and model on a showing, what each of the names you might see means, and what to get in writing.
Open the door, not the cover
A panel has two layers. The outer door swings open to show the breaker handles. Behind the handles is a flat metal cover held on with screws, and behind that are the live parts. Open the door only. Removing the inner cover is a job for your inspector or an electrician, and the American Society of Home Inspectors Standard of Practice, section 8.1, has the inspector look at the interior components of the panel as part of a home inspection.
Everything you need for identification is on the door side.
Read the label inside the door
Panels usually carry a printed label on the inside of the door: a wiring diagram, the manufacturer's name, a model or catalog number, and the panel's rating. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has used this label to identify affected equipment; a 1988 notice for certain I-T-E load centers told owners to look for a five-digit date code "marked on the top of the wiring diagram label inside the door which is opened to reset the circuit breakers."
Take a clear photo of the label, the main breaker and a few branch breakers. That one photo answers most of the questions an inspector, an electrician or an insurer will ask. If the label is painted over, faded or missing, note that too and ask your inspector to identify the panel.
The names that come up most
Federal Pacific (FPE) and Stab-Lok
The label will say Federal Pacific Electric or FPE, and the breakers may carry the name Stab-Lok. The Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated FPE Stab-Lok breakers from 1980 and closed the investigation in 1983 (release 83-008, revised 2011). Its testing confirmed that the breakers failed certain UL calibration tests, but it closed the matter without deciding whether they pose a safety risk, and its staff ask readers to interpret that release carefully. The Federal Pacific Stab-Lok guide covers what inspectors look for.
Zinsco
The name is on the label and often on the breakers. Zinsco panels have their own page on what happens on a 4-point inspection, an inspection some insurers ask for on older homes.
Challenger
Challenger panels are identified by the name on the label. One specific Challenger product was recalled: in 1988, with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Challenger offered free replacement of its type HAGF-15 and HAGF-20 ground-fault circuit breakers made between February 22 and April 29, 1988, because a part could come loose and stop the ground-fault protection from working. The recall notice says the normal circuit breaker functions were not affected. The breaker type is printed on the breaker itself, which is why the photo of the breakers matters.
Pushmatic, Bulldog and I-T-E
These are the easiest to spot: instead of toggle switches, the breakers are rectangular push buttons. The label may say Pushmatic, Bulldog or I-T-E. Point them out to your inspector by name.
No single main breaker
Look for one large breaker, usually at the top, marked MAIN with the service size, such as 100 or 200. The 100-amp service guide explains what that number means for a house you are buying. Under the same standard, section 8.1, your inspector describes in writing the amperage and voltage rating of the service and the location of the main disconnect or disconnects.
If there is no single main, and instead a group of larger breakers sits in the upper section, you may be looking at a split-bus panel, where several breakers together shut off the house. Ask the inspector to confirm what you are seeing and how the house is shut off. If you find fuses instead of breakers, see what a fuse box means for insurance.
What to get in writing
Section 8.1 has the inspector describe the type of breakers or fuses in writing, but the brand is not on that list. So ask, before the inspection, for the panel brand and model to be recorded in the report, with a photo.
Then:
- Ask the seller whether the panel has been replaced, and for the permit or invoice. If a permit was pulled, the permit lookup guide shows how to find the record.
- Ask your own insurer, in writing and during your inspection period, how it treats the brand you found. Carriers differ, and the answer for one house is the only one that counts.
- If the brand is one of the names above, ask an electrician whether to replace the panel, and use the report engine's $1,500 – $4,000 range as a starting point for the conversation, not as a quote.