How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House in Long Beach? (2026)
Whole-home rewiring is one of the bigger electrical projects a homeowner can take on — and one of the most important ones for safety. If your Long Beach home is more than 30 years old and has never been rewired, there’s a good chance the wiring inside your walls was never designed to handle what modern households demand.
This guide gives you honest, current 2026 pricing for whole-home rewiring in Long Beach, explains what drives the cost up or down, and tells you what the process actually looks like from start to finish.
How Much Does It Cost to Rewire a House in Long Beach in 2026?
Whole-home rewire pricing depends primarily on the size of your home, the age of the wiring, and the type of walls involved. Most Long Beach homes fall into one of these three ranges:
| Home Size | 2026 Price Range |
|---|---|
| Small home (under 1,500 sq ft) | $12,000 – $18,000 |
| Medium home (1,500 – 2,500 sq ft) | $18,000 – $28,000 |
| Large home (2,500+ sq ft, or knob-and-tube) | $28,000 – $45,000 |
These ranges include all new wiring throughout the home, new outlets and switches, panel coordination, City of Long Beach permit and inspection fees, and a 1-year workmanship warranty. Drywall repair and paint are typically quoted separately unless specified otherwise.
What’s Included in a Whole-Home Rewire?
A complete rewire from Karmic Electrical includes:
What Makes a Rewire More or Less Expensive?
Home size is the biggest factor — more square footage means more wire, more outlets, more labor, and more time. The ranges above are sized accordingly.
Wall material is the second biggest factor. Homes with drywall are significantly easier and less expensive to rewire than homes with the original plaster and lath walls common in older Long Beach neighborhoods. Getting wire through plaster walls without damaging them takes more time and skill, and sometimes requires more access points.
Type of existing wiring affects both complexity and urgency. Homes with knob-and-tube wiring — common in Long Beach homes built before the 1950s — require complete removal of the old wiring before new wiring can be installed. This is more involved than replacing standard outdated wiring and typically puts a project in the higher end of the pricing range.
Aluminum branch circuit wiring — found in many Long Beach homes built between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s — needs to be fully replaced with copper. Aluminum wiring connections loosen over time and are a documented fire risk.
Number of circuits and outlets — older homes were built with fewer circuits than modern households need. A rewire is the right time to bring the circuit layout up to modern standards, adding dedicated circuits for the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, and any high-draw appliances.
Panel upgrade at the same time — many homes that need rewiring also have outdated panels. Doing both in one project is more efficient and saves money compared to doing them separately. A 100-amp to 200-amp panel upgrade runs $4,800 – $7,500 and is often scheduled as part of the same project.
Knob-and-Tube Wiring — What Long Beach Homeowners Need to Know
Long Beach has a large number of homes built in the 1920s through 1950s, many of which still have original knob-and-tube wiring. If your home has it, here’s what you need to understand:
Knob-and-tube wiring consists of individual wires run through ceramic knobs and tubes, with no ground wire. The insulation on this wiring becomes brittle over decades and can crack, creating shock and fire hazards. More practically, most California homeowners insurance companies will not cover homes with active knob-and-tube wiring — or charge significantly higher premiums.
If you’re planning to sell your home, a buyer’s home inspector will flag knob-and-tube wiring as a deficiency. Lenders frequently require it to be addressed before financing will be approved.
Rewiring a home with knob-and-tube is more involved than a standard rewire because the old wiring needs to be fully removed rather than simply replaced in place. This is reflected in the higher pricing range for large homes and knob-and-tube replacements.
How Long Does a Whole-Home Rewire Take?
Most whole-home rewiring projects in Long Beach take between 3 and 7 days for a licensed crew to complete, depending on home size and complexity. Here’s a rough timeline:
Power will be shut off to sections of the home during the work. For a full rewire, most homeowners prefer to stay elsewhere during the main work days, though it’s not always necessary depending on the scope.
Can You Live in the House During a Rewire?
For partial rewires or smaller homes, yes — most homeowners stay in the home during the project. Power is typically off to one section at a time rather than the whole house.
For a full rewire of a larger home, it’s more comfortable to stay elsewhere during the main work days since power will be interrupted across multiple areas. Your electrician will give you a clear timeline at the start of the project so you can plan accordingly.
Do You Need a Permit to Rewire a House in Long Beach?
Yes, always. The City of Long Beach requires permits and a final inspection for all rewiring work. This isn’t just a legal requirement — it’s a meaningful safety check. The permit process ensures a city inspector reviews the completed work before walls are closed up, confirming the wiring meets NEC 2023 and California Electrical Code standards.
Karmic Electrical handles the permit application and inspection scheduling for you. You don’t need to deal with the city directly.
Unpermitted rewiring work is a serious problem when you sell your home. It will be flagged during the buyer’s inspection, and you may be required to open walls and have the work re-inspected at your expense before the sale can proceed.
Is Rewiring Worth the Investment?
For homes with outdated, damaged, or undersized wiring — yes, absolutely. Here’s the practical case:
Safety. Outdated wiring is one of the leading causes of house fires in older California homes. A complete rewire eliminates that risk.
Capacity. Modern households need far more electrical capacity than homes built 50+ years ago were designed for. A rewire gives your home the circuits and outlets it needs to run everything comfortably and safely.
Home value. A permitted, professionally completed rewire is a documentable upgrade that buyers and their lenders recognize. It removes one of the biggest red flags a home inspector can flag.
Insurance. Many California insurers require updated wiring as a condition of coverage for older homes. A rewire can open up better coverage options and lower premiums.
Get a Free Written Estimate for Your Long Beach Home Rewire
At Karmic Electrical, whole-home rewire projects start with a free written estimate that gives you three clear options — Basic, Recommended, and Premium — so you can choose the scope that fits your home and budget. Every estimate includes a clear breakdown of what’s included, the timeline, and the permit process.
Our service call is $249 and includes the first hour of diagnostic and assessment work. For rewire projects, the estimate is free.
Ready to schedule? Book directly online or call us at (562) 708-7673. Karmic Electrical serves Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Seal Beach, Torrance, Huntington Beach, Carson, and Cerritos.