Nationwide · Licensed electricians in 47 states + DC
Call now to check electrician availability in your area
Home Rewiring · New York
Rewiring replaces old branch-circuit wiring, such as knob-and-tube, ungrounded cloth-insulated cable or 1960s–70s aluminum branch wiring, with modern grounded copper cable. It can be done room by room, and an electrician will tell you which circuits matter most.
New York City has one of the oldest building stocks in the country, and upstate winters bring ice-storm outages.
Across the Northeast, homes deal with cold winters, nor'easters and ice storms. Permit offices, utilities and housing stock differ by city, which affects how home rewiring is planned and scheduled. These local guides cover the New York cities where we have written specific notes.
Rewiring in New York City is most often triggered by a gut renovation. Opening walls in a prewar apartment or brownstone commonly reveals BX armored cable whose armor no longer provides a dependable ground, cloth-insulated conductors, or circuits shared between rooms in ways no one remembers.
Utility: Con Edison (the Rockaways in Queens: PSEG Long Island)
Albany's 1800s rowhouses in Center Square, Park South and the Mansion District often have knob-and-tube, early cloth-insulated wiring or a patchwork of circuits from decades of conversions into apartments. Rewiring is usually done during renovations, when converting a building back to fewer units, or before insulating.
Utility: National Grid
Syracuse's Victorians and two-family homes in Strathmore, Sedgwick, Tipp Hill and Eastwood were mostly built before 1940, and knob-and-tube is common. Rewiring usually happens during renovations, before insulating or when an insurer asks.
Utility: National Grid
1. Assessment
Wiring type, condition and circuit layout are documented.
2. Plan and permit
Circuits are prioritized and the work is permitted.
3. Rewire
New cable is fished through walls and ceilings with minimal openings.
4. Inspection and patching
Rough-in and final inspections, then wall openings are closed.
Electricians set their own prices; local permit fees and utility requirements add to these factors.
Permits come from the city or county where the home is. For example: New York: Electrical work in New York City is filed with the Department of Buildings by a licensed master electrician. Albany: Electrical work in Albany is permitted through the city's Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance; suburbs such as Colonie and Bethlehem run their own. Syracuse: Electrical permits in Syracuse come from the city's permit office; surrounding towns issue their own.
New York: Con Edison (the Rockaways in Queens: PSEG Long Island). Albany: National Grid. Syracuse: National Grid.
No. Many homeowners rewire in phases, starting with kitchens, baths and bedrooms.
Aluminum branch wiring can overheat at connections. Approved repairs (such as rated connectors) or replacement reduce the risk; an electrician can advise which fits.
Call now, or send a request and a licensed electrician who serves your ZIP code will contact you.
