Why do insurers ask about electrical systems?
Old, damaged, or overloaded electrical parts can raise the chance of fire. A carrier may ask about the panel brand, wiring type, amperage, and completed updates.
Key takeaways
- Universal Property & Casualty, Slide Insurance, and a Florida Peninsula agent guide all publish that Federal Pacific (including Stab-Lok), Zinsco, Sylvania, and Challenger electrical panels are ineligible, with no remediation path stated.
- Aluminum wiring is not treated the same everywhere: Universal and People’s Trust both name Alumiconn and Copalum crimp connectors as an acceptable fix, while Slide’s and Florida Peninsula’s guides list aluminum branch wiring as ineligible outright.
- Edison Insurance is the only carrier reviewed with published solar panel eligibility rules; 12 of the 18 carriers have no publicly attributable rule on panels, aluminum wiring, or solar at all.
What carriers look at when underwriting your electrical system
Across the 18 carriers reviewed, only a handful publish anything specific, attributable, and checkable about electrical panel brands, aluminum wiring, knob-and-tube wiring, or solar panels. Most Florida carriers keep this level of underwriting detail behind agent-only portals that are not publicly indexed, so for the majority of carriers on this list the honest answer is that no rule is published where a homeowner or researcher can find it.
Note: This comparison reflects the directory’s original 18 carriers. The 10 carriers added since have not yet been individually reviewed for this specific factor — check each newer carrier’s own profile for the latest available information.
Where documents were found, a consistent pattern emerged on panel brands: Universal Property & Casualty, Slide Insurance, and a Florida Peninsula agent guide all name Federal Pacific (including Stab-Lok), Zinsco, Sylvania, and Challenger panels as ineligible, with no remediation path stated. Aluminum wiring is handled less uniformly — Universal’s guidelines explicitly carve out Alumiconn and Copalum repair connectors as acceptable, People’s Trust sends aluminum and knob-and-tube wiring to underwriter review rather than declining automatically, while Slide’s and Florida Peninsula’s documents list aluminum wiring as ineligible outright. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation confirms on its own inspections page that homes 20 years or older require a four-point inspection and that hazards such as exposed wiring must be repaired before an application is submitted.
Solar panels are addressed by only one carrier in this group: Edison Insurance publishes its own eligibility criteria covering roof age and material, system size tiers, and licensed-installer and permitting requirements. For the other 12 carriers — American Integrity, American Traditions, Core Insurance, GeoVera Specialty, Homeowners Choice, Manatee Insurance Exchange, Monarch National, Orchid, Ovation Home Insurance Exchange, Patriot Select P&C, Safepoint, and Security First — no carrier-attributable published source on any of these electrical topics could be located. That is the expected, correct outcome for most of this list, not a gap in the research.
Electrical panel eligibility by carrier — the 18-carrier table
| Carrier | Panel or wiring rule | Outright restriction? |
|---|---|---|
| American IntegrityNAIC 12841 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| American TraditionsNAIC 12359 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Citizens Property Insurance CorpNAIC 10064 | Citizens’ own inspections page states that homes 20+ years old require a four-point inspection, and that any serious hazards such as exposed wiring should be repaired before an application is submitted. Citizens’ consumer support site also carries dedicated FAQ articles on Federal Pacific panels and aluminum branch wiring, confirming it addresses both directly, though their exact wording could not be retrieved for this review. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Core InsuranceNAIC 17547 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Edison InsuranceNAIC 12482 | Edison has not published rules on electrical panel brands or aluminum/knob-and-tube wiring, but its own site publishes solar panel eligibility criteria: shingle or metal roofs must be 10 years old or less (flat roofs 5 years or less), clay/cement tile roofs are ineligible for solar coverage, installation must be post-2016 by a licensed contractor with an approved permit, and only Tier 1/Tier 2 systems (up to 100 kW) are approved. | No panel/wiring outright restriction is published. Solar coverage is conditional on roof age/type and system size rather than an outright decline. |
| Florida PeninsulaNAIC 10132 | A Florida Peninsula underwriting guide (2018 edition, hosted by an appointed agency) states: ‘No Federal Pacific, Zinsco, Sylvania or Challenger panels,’ ‘No Stab-Lok circuit breakers,’ and ‘No cloth wiring, no aluminum wiring.’ This edition may not reflect current rules. | Yes, per this document — listed panel brands and aluminum/cloth wiring are stated as unacceptable with no remediation path mentioned. |
| GeoVera SpecialtyNAIC 10799 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Homeowners ChoiceNAIC 12944 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Manatee Insurance ExchangeNAIC 17580 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Monarch NationalNAIC 15715 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Orchid | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Ovation Home Insurance ExchangeNAIC 17621 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Patriot Select P&CNAIC 15617 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| People’s TrustNAIC 13125 | People’s Trust’s published underwriting guide states risks with single strand aluminum wiring, knob and tube wiring, fuse panels, and cloth wiring go to ‘Refer to UW’ (underwriter review) rather than an may be unavailable under some programs; confirm current treatment, and lists CO/ALR, Alumiconn, and Copalum crimp connections as acceptable remediation methods. Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels are not named specifically. | No — aluminum wiring, knob-and-tube, and fuse panels are refer-to-underwriter items with named acceptable remediation methods in this document, not an may be unavailable under some programs; confirm current treatment. |
| SafepointNAIC 15341 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Security FirstNAIC 10117 | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. | Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. |
| Slide InsuranceNAIC 17227 | Slide’s published guide states: ‘Risks with fuses, fusible pullouts, Federal Pacific, Stab-Lok, Zinsco, Sylvania, Challenger or any other breaker box subject to a recall are ineligible’ and ‘Risks with aluminum branch wiring are ineligible.’ Knob-and-tube wiring and solar panels are not addressed. | Yes — listed/recalled panel brands and aluminum branch wiring are stated as outright ineligible, with no remediation option mentioned in this guide. |
| Universal Property & CasualtyNAIC 10861 | Universal’s published guidelines state: ‘No Federal Pacific (includes Stab Lok), Zinsco, SylvaniaZinsco, or Challenger-Zinsco Boxes’ and ‘No Aluminum (branch wire), Cloth, Knob Tube or Double Tap Wiring (Alumiconn and Copalum are acceptable).’ | Yes for the listed panel brands, cloth wiring, knob-and-tube, and double-tap wiring — but aluminum branch wiring has a stated remediation path: Alumiconn and Copalum repair connectors. |
How to read this table
Not yet verified — confirm with carrier or agent. means exactly that: we have not seen a published rule from that carrier on this point. It does not mean the carrier has no rule, and it does not mean they may require additional review or a different program you. It means we could not find it stated publicly, so you should confirm directly with the carrier or an independent agent before assuming either way.
Compiled from carrier underwriting guidelines, filed rate and form documents, and carrier-published material on file as of August 2026, cross-checked against the Florida OIR company registry. Where a carrier has not published a rule we say so rather than estimating. Underwriting guidelines change frequently and can vary by county, program and submission, so always confirm with the carrier or an independent agent before relying on anything here.
What to do if your home is flagged for your electrical system
Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and similar recalled panel brands are treated as a may be unavailable under some programs; confirm current treatment at every carrier that publishes a rule on them — the practical fix is replacing the panel, not documenting that it’s “working fine.” Once a panel is replaced, keep the electrician’s permit and final inspection sign-off; that documentation is typically what turns a decline into an approval on reapplication.
Aluminum branch wiring is handled more leniently by some carriers when it’s been treated with an approved connector repair (such as Alumiconn or COPALUM crimps) rather than replaced outright — ask an electrician whether a repair or a full rewire fits your budget and your target carrier’s specific guideline.
How your electrical system connects to other eligibility factors
Electrical issues are one of the two systems (along with the roof) most closely tied to a home’s year built, since panel brands like Federal Pacific and Zinsco were discontinued decades ago and only appear in older housing stock. A four-point inspection covers electrical alongside plumbing and roof condition in a single report, so it’s worth reviewing all three together rather than one at a time.
Frequently asked questions
Will a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel get me declined?
Based on the carriers with published rules — Universal Property & Casualty, Slide Insurance, and a Florida Peninsula agent guide — yes. These panel brands (along with Sylvania and Challenger) are stated as ineligible, with no remediation path mentioned in those documents.
Is aluminum wiring always a may be unavailable under some programs; confirm current treatment?
It depends on the carrier. Universal Property & Casualty and People’s Trust both name Alumiconn and Copalum crimp connectors as an acceptable remediation; People’s Trust sends aluminum wiring to underwriter review rather than declining automatically. Slide’s and Florida Peninsula’s guides, by contrast, list aluminum branch wiring as ineligible outright with no fix mentioned.
Does having solar panels affect my eligibility?
Edison Insurance is the only carrier in this review with published solar eligibility rules: roofs must be 10 years old or less for shingle/metal (5 years or less for flat roofs), installation must be post-2016 by a licensed contractor with an approved permit, and only Tier 1/Tier 2 systems up to 100 kW are approved.
Does Citizens require an inspection for older electrical systems?
Yes — Citizens’ own inspections page states homes 20 years or older require a four-point inspection, and serious hazards such as exposed wiring must be repaired before an application is submitted.
Still have questions about your specific policy? Find a local licensed agent who can walk through your declarations page with you.
Still have questions about your specific policy? Find a local licensed agent who can walk through your declarations page with you.
