A whole-house rewire in the Portland metro typically runs $8,000–$25,000 for a 1,000–2,500 sq ft home in 2026, takes 7–14 working days, and requires full compliance with the 2023 Oregon Electrical Specialty Code (AFCI/GFCI protection, tamper-resistant receptacles, whole-home surge protection). If you’re seeing two-prong outlets, warm switch plates, or you just got flagged for knob-and-tube on a home inspection, this is the guide to read before you sign anything.
Below: what a whole-house rewire actually includes, real 2026 Portland cost ranges, when partial rewiring is enough, what Portland BDS and the suburban permit offices charge, and what you should expect during the 2-week disruption.
2026 Portland-Metro Whole-House Rewiring Costs at a Glance
| Home Size | Typical Sq Ft | 2026 Base Electrical Cost (Portland Metro) | What Drives Cost Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bungalow / starter home | 1,000 – 1,500 | $8,000 – $15,000 | Plaster-and-lath walls, knob-and-tube removal |
| Typical ranch / two-story | 1,500 – 2,500 | $12,000 – $25,000 | Finished basement, multi-story fishing, service upgrade |
| Larger home | 2,500 – 4,000 | $20,000 – $40,000 | Vaulted ceilings, high device density, historic overlay |
| Custom / luxury | 4,000+ | $35,000 – $60,000+ | Smart home integration, EV circuits, generator interlock |
A note on the numbers you see online: the “average Portland rewire cost” figures floating around on lead-generation sites (Angi, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor) are not real whole-house numbers. Those platforms conflate single-circuit additions and panel swaps with full rewires, which is why you’ll occasionally see “$1,500 average” quoted — that’s nonsense for this scope. Real 2026 Portland-metro pricing lands between $6 and $10 per square foot for the electrical work alone, before drywall repair and paint.
What Does a Whole-House Rewire Actually Include?
A whole-house rewire means replacing every branch-circuit conductor running from the main panel to every receptacle, switch, light fixture, and hardwired appliance in the home. The old wiring — whether it’s knob-and-tube, early cloth-sheathed NM, aluminum branch, or a mixed-era Frankenstein — gets abandoned in place or pulled out entirely, and the home is rewired with modern copper NM-B cable with a continuous equipment grounding conductor.
What’s included in the base scope:
- All 120V and 240V branch circuits (lighting, receptacles, dedicated appliances)
- Modern code-required protections: AFCI on nearly all 15- and 20-amp circuits, expanded GFCI coverage, tamper-resistant receptacles, whole-home Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device (SPD) at the service
- Dedicated circuits: two 20-amp small-appliance circuits in the kitchen, 20-amp bathroom circuits, dedicated laundry, dedicated dishwasher/microwave/refrigerator as required
- Hardwired interconnected smoke and CO alarms per current fire code
- Permit filing, rough and final inspections, panel labeling
What is usually not included in the base quote:
- Drywall or plaster patching, texturing, or paint — this is a separate trade, budget 15–25% of the electrical cost
- Service entrance / meter base / panel upgrade (very often bundled, but a distinct line item)
- Low-voltage wiring: Cat6 data, coax, smart-home bus wiring, audio/video
- Decorative fixtures — base quote includes contractor-grade white devices and blank lighting boxes only
- EV charger circuits, hot tub circuits, generator transfer switches (distinct upgrades)
Partial Rewire vs. Full Rewire vs. Targeted Remediation
A full rewire is rarely the only option. Three legitimate scopes exist, and the right one depends on what’s actually wrong with the house:
- Full rewire — every branch circuit replaced. Right for widespread knob-and-tube, active aluminum wiring with failed prior “repairs,” or major mixed-era DIY damage.
- Partial rewire — one zone replaced (kitchen, bath, upstairs, basement). Right when a remodel opens specific walls and modern code forces new dedicated circuits in that footprint, but the rest of the home is functional grounded copper.
- Targeted remediation — specific hazard fixed without replacing wire. AlumiConn or COPALUM pigtails at every device for aluminum branch wiring, or a standalone panel swap to eliminate a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel while leaving the branch circuits intact.
How Do I Know If My Home Actually Needs Rewiring?
There are two categories of warning signs — active failures and latent risks tied to the era your home was built.
Active failure signs (call an electrician now)
- Switch plates or outlet covers that feel warm to the touch
- An acrid, fishy burning smell near a receptacle or the panel
- Flickering or dimming lights when the fridge, AC, or dryer kicks on
- Breakers that trip repeatedly on ordinary loads
- Scorched or carbonized outlet faces
- Two-prong ungrounded receptacles throughout the home
Latent risks by era
- Pre-1940 — knob-and-tube wiring. Ungrounded, brittle cloth insulation, originally designed to dissipate heat into open air. Modern blown-in insulation on top of K&T traps heat and accelerates failure. Common across Alberta, Hawthorne, Sellwood, Laurelhurst, Ladd’s Addition, Irvington.
- 1940–1965 — early cloth-sheathed NM cable. Rubberized insulation is now at end of life; it crumbles off conductors in junction boxes on contact. Two-prong ungrounded receptacles standard.
- 1965–1973 — aluminum branch wiring. Expansion/contraction loosens terminations, oxidation adds resistance, heat builds at devices. Widespread across Cedar Hills, Reedville, Lake Grove, Cook Park, Bonita.
- 1973–1985 — grounded copper Romex is generally fine, but this is the Federal Pacific (FPE) Stab-Lok and Zinsco panel era. Wiring may be OK; the panel is the problem.
A lot of rewires get triggered by outside events, not homeowner choice. Home inspection during a sale, a new insurance underwriter refusing to bind coverage because of active knob-and-tube, or a major remodel that exposes wall cavities and triggers localized code upgrades. If you’re seeing any of those, the clock is already running.
What Does the Rewiring Process Actually Look Like?
A whole-house rewire is the most invasive electrical work a home can go through short of a teardown. Here’s the real timeline for a standard 1,500–2,500 sq ft Portland home.
Pre-job (1–3 weeks before work starts)
Load calculation per NEC Article 220, permit application filed with the local jurisdiction (Portland PP&D, Washington County, Clackamas County, or one of the incorporated suburban cities), and coordination with PGE or Pacific Power for a temporary service disconnect if the main panel and mast are being replaced at the same time — which they usually are.
Rough-in (4–8 working days)
This is the destructive phase. Electricians run thousands of linear feet of new copper NM-B cable through wall cavities, ceilings, and floor systems, drilling through top plates, bottom plates, and fire blocking along the way. You cannot rewire a finished home without cutting walls. A typical Portland multi-story with a finished basement will need anywhere from 15 to 40+ drywall or plaster access cuts to fish cable laterally. Nailer plates go on every stud where cable passes within 1¼” of the face — a code requirement that protects the new wiring from future drywall screws.
Rough inspection
Municipal or county inspector verifies wire gauge, routing, box fill, and nail plates before any drywall goes back up. You cannot patch until this inspection passes.
Trim-out (2–4 working days)
New tamper-resistant receptacles, switches, fixtures, and the new panel all get terminated, labeled, and energized. Every circuit gets continuity and polarity tested, AFCI and GFCI function tested.
Final inspection
Inspector verifies devices, AFCI/GFCI operation, surge protective device, and overall code compliance. Approval triggers the final payment.
Drywall and paint (separate contractor, 1–3 weeks)
Patching, taping, mudding, texturing, and painting 20–40 access cuts is its own project. Electricians don’t do this work — you’ll either hire a drywall contractor directly or have a general contractor coordinate it.
Can you live in the house during the rewire? Technically yes, practically no. You’ll lose power intermittently for days, breathe drywall dust, and live around exposed wall cavities for two weeks. Most homeowners move out for the duration.
Portland-Metro Permits, Fees, and Timelines
Whole-house rewiring requires a licensed-electrician permit in every Oregon jurisdiction. Fees and turnaround times vary widely by where the house sits.
| Jurisdiction | Typical Base Fee (up to ~1,000 sq ft) | Plan Review Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| City of Portland (PP&D, formerly BDS) | ~$388 + $88 per additional 500 sq ft | 5–14 business days typical; historically slower on complex alterations |
| Multnomah County (unincorporated) | ~$388 base, $14.78 per additional 500 sq ft | 5–10 business days |
| Washington County (unincorporated) | Calculated per branch circuit | 5–10 business days |
| Clackamas County (unincorporated) | Calculated per branch circuit; base inspection fees $109–$120 | 5–10 business days |
| City of Lake Oswego (Accela ePermitting) | ~$293 base + $59 per additional 500 sq ft; 200A service add ~$175 | 2–3 weeks |
| City of Hillsboro (Building Division) | Per-circuit pricing; $30 minimum inspection fee | Often 24-hour turnaround on simple residential |
| City of Tigard (Community Development Hub) | Per-circuit pricing, council resolution | Often same-day on residential trade permits |
All Oregon jurisdictions add a 12% state surcharge on top of base fees, and projects requiring engineered plan review add another 25%. Any contractor pulling an electrical permit must hold both an active CCB license and a separate BCD Electrical Contractor’s License, and must employ a licensed signing supervisor.
Oregon does technically allow a homeowner to pull a permit for electrical work on their own detached one- or two-family dwelling if they personally do the labor and don’t intend to sell, lease, or rent soon after. In practice, homeowner-permitted whole-house rewires almost always fail rough inspection — the 2023 NEC is not a weekend-warrior code — and they immediately tank the home’s insurability and resale value. For a project of this scope, a licensed electrician is the only defensible path. You can verify any Oregon contractor’s license at the Oregon CCB website.
Partial Rewire or Full Rewire — Which Does My Home Actually Need?
| Condition | Recommended Scope | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1980s grounded copper, kitchen remodel in progress | Partial rewire (kitchen only) | Opens code-required dedicated circuits in the new footprint; no reason to disturb rest of home |
| 1965–1973 aluminum branch, no active melting, modern panel | Targeted remediation (AlumiConn or COPALUM pigtails at every device) | Arrests the fire hazard at the actual failure points; fraction of the cost of full replacement |
| FPE Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel, branch wiring is intact grounded copper | Panel swap only | Eliminates the highest-risk component without touching functional wiring |
| Pre-1940 home, active knob-and-tube, 60A service, insurance cancellation notice | Full rewire + service upgrade | No way to satisfy modern code or insurance underwriters with partial fixes |
| Multi-era DIY splicing, scorched devices, untraceable circuits | Full rewire | Unknown fault locations; only a full replacement is defensible |
Portland Housing Context: Which Neighborhoods Actually Need Rewires
Portland’s neighborhoods map almost perfectly onto electrical eras, which is why quoting blind from square footage alone doesn’t work. A 1,500 sq ft Laurelhurst Craftsman is a completely different rewire than a 1,500 sq ft Beaverton split-level.
Pre-1940 knob-and-tube belt: Alberta, Hawthorne, Sellwood, Mt. Tabor, Laurelhurst, Ladd’s Addition, Irvington, King, Buckman, and the close-in Northeast streetcar neighborhoods. Almost all of these homes that haven’t been documented as “fully rewired” still hide K&T behind plaster somewhere. Rewiring through plaster-and-lath takes significantly longer than modern drywall because of the risk of fracturing plaster keys — electricians use oscillating multi-tools, not reciprocating saws, which adds labor hours.
1940–1965 early NM: Powellhurst-Gilbert, parts of Lents, Montavilla, North Tabor, Maplewood, and first-ring postwar neighborhoods in Beaverton and Milwaukie. Early NM is ungrounded and the insulation is actively falling apart in junction boxes — homeowners usually discover this when a simple receptacle swap turns into an emergency call.
1965–1973 aluminum branch era: Cedar Hills, Five Oaks, Aloha, Reedville, Witch Hazel, Bonita, Cook Park, Lake Grove, Mountain Park, Metzger, Jackson School, Brookwood. Ground zero for aluminum remediation — or full rewire if the aluminum has already been “repaired” with wire nuts.
1973–1985 FPE/Zinsco panel era: Most Portland-metro suburban tract homes from this era still have the original panel. The copper wiring inside the walls is usually fine; the panel is the urgent problem.
Historic overlay complications: If you’re in a Portland historic district like Irvington, any exterior service mast or meter base relocation triggers Historic Resource Review — hardware has to be hidden from street view or screened. Laurelhurst is on the National Register as of 2017 but does not trigger the same local design review hurdles, so rewires there move faster than inside Irvington’s overlay.
PGE Rebates, Federal Credits, and 2026 Incentive Reality
There is no direct rebate for a whole-house rewire by itself. The way to offset cost is to bundle the rewire with the upgrades that do carry incentives — panel upgrade, EV charger, heat pump electrical.
- PGE Empower EV: Up to $2,000 for a panel upgrade combined with an EV charger install for standard residential customers, up to $5,000 for income-qualified households. Free Level 2 charger (~$500 value) for qualifying customers.
- Energy Trust of Oregon: Incentives when rewiring is bundled with qualifying heat pump or solar work. Incentives do not apply to base rewiring alone.
- Federal Section 30C EV charger credit: 30% of cost up to $1,000 for EV charging equipment in eligible census tracts. Expires June 30, 2026 — if you’re claiming it, the install has to be done by then.
- Federal Section 25C: Expired December 31, 2025. Not available for 2026.
- Oregon HOMES / HEAR programs: State target was a Spring 2026 launch, with up to $4,000 for panel upgrades and $2,500 for wiring for income-qualified households. As of April 2026 the program is still pending final U.S. DOE launch approval — do not count on this money for a project that starts in the next 60 days.
Most homeowners doing full rewires in 2026 are paying out of pocket, financing through a HELOC, or using 0% promotional financing offered through contractor partnerships with home improvement lenders.
“The biggest mistake I see on rewires in Portland is the homeowner trying to save money by splitting the job across two contractors or doing ‘just the bad part’ based on what a buddy told them over the fence. Either you’re doing a full rewire or you’re not. Half-rewiring a home with active knob-and-tube and then leaving the rest is how you end up with the worst of both worlds — you spent $10,000 and your insurance still won’t renew. If you’re going in, pull a real load calc, pull a real permit, do it once, and get the inspection card that proves it. That card is what protects the home’s value at resale and keeps the insurance company off your back for the next 50 years.”
— Jack, Licensed Electrician, Electric Avenue PNW
FAQ: Whole-House Rewiring in Portland
Can I legally rewire my own house in Oregon?
Oregon allows an owner of a detached one- or two-family dwelling to pull a homeowner’s electrical permit and do the work themselves, provided they don’t sell, lease, or rent the property soon after. In practice, a whole-house rewire under the 2023 NEC is extraordinarily complex — AFCI logic, box fill calculations, conductor derating, grounding electrode system requirements — and DIY rewires routinely fail rough inspection. Insurance carriers and future buyers also weigh a homeowner-permitted rewire very differently than a licensed-electrician rewire. For a project of this scale, hire a licensed contractor.
Will my drywall be destroyed during a rewire?
Not destroyed, but significantly cut. A 2,000 sq ft multi-story home with no open attic or basement typically requires 15–40 surgical cuts through drywall or plaster to fish cable across top plates and around fire blocking. The cuts are precise, but they still need professional patching, texturing, and painting afterward — budget 15–25% of the electrical cost for drywall restoration as a separate trade.
Can I live in the house during the rewire?
Technically yes, realistically no. You’ll have intermittent power outages for 7–14 working days, continuous drywall dust, open wall cavities, and exposed conductors. Most homeowners relocate for the duration — it’s safer, it speeds up the contractor, and it preserves your sanity.
How long does modern rewiring last?
Copper NM-B cable with modern thermoplastic insulation is rated to 90°C and is not subject to the brittleness that kills 1940s cloth-sheathed cable or the oxidation issues of 1965–1973 aluminum. A properly installed 2026 rewire should operate safely for 50–70 years — effectively a lifetime upgrade for the current owner.
Will a rewire increase my Portland home’s resale value?
It won’t show up on an appraisal the way a kitchen remodel does, but it will absolutely protect it. Buyers in Portland are sophisticated, inspectors flag knob-and-tube and aluminum on every transaction, and a documented, permitted rewire removes the single biggest source of inspection-period price concessions and failed-financing risk. No rewire, no sale — or no sale at asking price.
Does my insurance actually require rewiring?
Increasingly, yes. Major property insurers — including State Farm, Allstate, Farmers, and others — routinely refuse to bind new policies or non-renew existing policies on homes with active knob-and-tube or un-remediated aluminum branch wiring. If you’ve received a non-renewal notice or a new-policy rejection, carriers typically want the work completed within 30–60 days of policy inception, with a licensed-electrician sign-off letter and a closed inspection card.
What’s the difference between a rewire and a panel upgrade?
A panel upgrade replaces the main breaker box and usually the service entrance conductors and meter base — everything from the utility drop to the output side of the panel. A rewire replaces the branch circuits downstream of the panel, which is the wiring inside the walls feeding every outlet, switch, and light. You can do one without the other, but on older Portland homes the two jobs usually go together, because a 60A panel can’t safely support a modern home and aging knob-and-tube behind a new 200A panel is still a fire risk.
Ready to Talk About Your Home’s Wiring?
Every whole-house rewire starts with a real walk-through, a real load calculation, and a real look at what’s behind the walls — not a guess off square footage. We do free site assessments across the Portland metro, file the permit on your behalf, handle the PGE coordination, and produce the paperwork your insurance company needs when the job is done.
Call (503) 816-8821 or see our full service area for every Portland-metro city we cover. Veteran-owned. Licensed. Bonded. Oregon CCB# 248553.