Electrical Inspection in Chicago

• Buying a Chicago home: Especially older stock — bungalows, two-flats, three-flats, vintage condos
• Selling a Chicago home: A pre-listing inspection catches issues before a buyer does
• After electrical damage: Fire, water intrusion, lightning strike, vehicle impact to a meter or service entrance
• Before major renovation: Understand existing capacity before committing to a [kitchen remodel](/services/chicago/kitchen-electrical-remodel-chicago), [basement finish](/services/chicago/basement-electrical-wiring-chicago), or [home rewire](/services/chicago/home-rewiring-chicago)
• Insurance underwriting: Carriers increasingly require electrical inspection for homes over 40 years old or with problem panels
• New high-load additions: Before an [EV charger](/services/chicago/ev-charger-installation-chicago) or heat pump install
• Safety concerns: Burning smell, tripping breakers, warm outlets, buzzing panels
• Commercial property purchase, lease, or renewal
• Rental property licensing compliance

Chicago's housing stock is skewed older than most U.S. cities. A pre-purchase electrical inspection is especially valuable here.

• Service entrance conductors, weatherhead, meter socket condition
• Service size (amperage), adequacy for current and planned loads
• Main disconnect, main breaker operation
• Panel brand, model, and known failure concerns (Federal Pacific Stab-Lok, Zinsco, Pushmatic, etc.)
• Bus bar condition, breaker condition, terminal torque
• Double-tapped breakers, missing knockouts, proper labeling

• Grounding electrode system (ground rods, water pipe bond)
• Equipment grounding integrity
• Bonding of metal water pipe, gas pipe with CSST, building steel where applicable

• Wiring type (conduit, NM cable, knob-and-tube, aluminum, cloth-wrapped)
• Conductor size match with breaker protection
• Evidence of [aluminum wiring](/services/chicago/aluminum-wiring-repair-chicago), [knob-and-tube wiring](/services/chicago/knob-and-tube-wiring-replacement-chicago), or cloth-insulated wiring
• AFCI and GFCI coverage where required by current code
• Conduit fill, cable routing, mechanical protection

• Receptacle grounding, polarity, TR (tamper-resistant) status
• Switch function and condition
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detector presence and age
• Whole-home surge protection
• Backup generator, transfer switch where present
• EV charger, hot tub, and other large-load circuits

• Feeder sizing and overcurrent protection
• Grounding and neutral-isolation in subpanels
• Detached structure feeders and grounding

You receive a written report within a few business days. The report documents findings in three tiers:

• Safety concerns requiring immediate attention — live hazards, fire risk, code violations with safety implications
• Code compliance issues — items that don't meet current code but aren't emergencies
• Maintenance and upgrade recommendations — aging equipment, capacity constraints, system improvements

For real estate transactions, the report is written so buyer attorneys, sellers, and lenders can use it directly. For insurance underwriting, we provide the specific documentation carriers typically request.

If repairs are needed, you can choose to have us quote them, hire someone else, or defer the work. We don't condition the inspection on hiring us for repairs.

Whole-house evaluation for single-family homes, condos, two-flats, and three-flats. Typically 1.5 to 3 hours on-site, depending on property size and complexity.

Focused on conditions that affect the purchase decision — safety, capacity, code compliance, and upgrade needs.

Identifies issues before buyers find them. Sellers can address issues in advance, price accordingly, or disclose.

After fire, flood, lightning, vehicle impact, or serious overload. Determines whether affected circuits can be returned to service or require replacement.

Scoped to the carrier's specific checklist. Most insurance inspections focus on panel age, service capacity, and presence of known-problem components.

For retail, office, restaurant, and light industrial properties. Evaluates service sizing, panel condition, emergency lighting, and code compliance for the specific occupancy class.

Chicago has specific amendments to NEC, most notably:

• Conduit wiring requirement for most residential circuits
• Specific grounding electrode system requirements
• Panel location and accessibility requirements
• Permit and inspection requirements for most work

Our inspections evaluate compliance against Chicago Electrical Code, not generic NEC, so the report reflects what actually applies to your property. See our [code violation repair page](/services/chicago/electrical-code-violation-repair-chicago) for corrective scope examples.