Electrical Panel Repair: $100 to $200 Breaker Fix (2026)

Electrical panel repair cost at a glance. National figures; each guide shown as published, not averaged. No major cost guide publishes a single price for panel repair, so these are the parts of the panel that usually fail.

Electrical panel warning signs: is it an emergency?

• Leave and call 911: smoke, flame or sparks at the panel, or a burning smell that is getting stronger. Do not open the panel door to look.
• Call an electrician today: the panel door or a breaker is hot to the touch, the panel buzzes or crackles, there are scorch marks or melted plastic, or a breaker trips again as soon as you reset it. ESFI lists sizzling or buzzing sounds and breakers that trip again and again as reasons to call a qualified electrician right away.
• Do not turn it back on: the panel got wet in a flood or a leak. ESFI's list of water-damaged electrical equipment says molded-case circuit breakers must be replaced, and NEMA says to contact the manufacturer before any further action on a panel that has been in water.
• Can wait for a normal visit: a panel with no free spaces, faded labels, or a breaker that tripped once on an obvious overload and held after one reset.

Nights and weekends cost more. HomeAdvisor says after-hours electrical work runs time-and-a-half to double the normal rate, plus a trip charge of $100 or more, and HomeGuide puts emergency rates at $150 to $200 an hour. Whether anyone can come at night or on a weekend varies by company and by area, so if the panel is hot or smoking, get people out and call 911 first; the electrician comes after the fire department.

How to reset a breaker box safely

Most panel calls start with a breaker that has tripped. Resetting one is safe for a homeowner if the panel shows no heat, smell or damage. Work with dry hands while standing on a dry floor, and leave the inner metal cover that hides the wiring in place.

1. Open the panel door and look along both rows. A tripped breaker sits in the middle or points the opposite way from its neighbors. Some have a small red or orange window.
2. Turn off or unplug the big loads on that circuit first: space heaters, hair dryers, window air conditioners, microwaves.
3. Push the handle firmly all the way to OFF. It has to reach OFF to latch again.
4. Push it back to ON. You should feel it click into place.
5. Do this one time. Bob Vila warns that resetting a breaker over and over risks an arc flash.
6. If the house has fuses, replace a blown fuse only with one of the same amp rating. ESFI calls putting in a larger fuse a very dangerous practice.

ESFI's homeowner guide says a tripped breaker is likely the result of too many appliances overloading the circuit, and that if it keeps happening there may be a more serious problem and an electrician should diagnose it. The step-by-step cause hunt is in why a breaker keeps tripping, and if the breaker itself seems worn out, how to tell if a circuit breaker is bad covers the tests an electrician runs.

Electrical panel repair vs replacement

Most panels can be repaired when one part has failed and the rest is sound. NerdWallet says panels typically last 25 to 40 years and that repair may be an option when the system is under 25 years old and in mostly good condition. It also notes that tandem breakers, which fit two circuits into one slot, can solve a lack of space without a new panel, where the panel is rated for them.

Repair usually makes sense when:

• One breaker has failed or will not stay latched, and the bus behind it shows no burning.
• The main breaker has failed but the panel is otherwise in good shape.
• A wire has worked loose at a breaker and caused heat at that one spot, with no damage to the bus.
• The panel is on a recall list and the manufacturer offers a free inspection and repair.

Replacement usually makes sense when:

• The panel got wet. ESFI lists water-damaged molded-case circuit breakers and fuses as parts that must be replaced. It lists the panelboard itself as equipment that may be reconditioned, and NEMA says to contact the manufacturer before any further action, so ask whether reconditioning is possible.
• The bus bars are burned or pitted, so new breakers will not seat well.
• The panel is a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok or Zinsco. HomeGuide says that if you have a Federal Pacific panel you should probably have it replaced.
• The panel is full and you are adding an EV charger, a heat pump or a battery.
• The house still runs on a fuse box.

Replacement prices, amp sizes and the two problem brands are covered in electrical panel upgrade and replacement cost; HomeAdvisor puts Federal Pacific or Zinsco replacement at $1,500 to $4,000.

Electrical panel repair cost by part

The guides price the parts of a panel that fail, not panel repair as a single job. The breaker is the common one. HomeAdvisor's panel guide puts a breaker or fuse replacement at $100 to $200, This Old House puts replacing a breaker at $150 to $250, and HomeGuide's breaker guide gives $100 to $180 for a single-pole breaker and $180 to $260 for a double-pole breaker, installed. AFCI and GFCI breakers cost more as parts: HomeGuide lists them at $20 to $150 each, against $5 to $30 for a standard single-pole breaker.

The main breaker is where the guides disagree most. HomeGuide's breaker guide gives $200 to $600 installed. HomeGuide's panel guide prices the part at $40 to $100 plus $40 to $100 an hour for the electrician. NerdWallet lists $500 to $2,000. The guides do not explain the spread. One thing that changes the price is whether the utility has to disconnect power at the meter before the main breaker can be changed, so ask whether the quote includes that.

Expect a visit fee on top. HomeGuide puts a diagnostic fee at $75 to $125 and a service call that includes the first hour at $100 to $200. If the meter base outside is damaged as well, HomeGuide puts meter box replacement at $200 to $500 on average.

Recalled electrical panels and breakers: the CPSC list

A few panels and breakers have been formally recalled through the Consumer Product Safety Commission. These are the home panel and breaker recalls we confirmed on CPSC recall notices:

Source: CPSC recall notices 22-159, 10-354 and 08-054. Check cpsc.gov for newer recalls before relying on this list.

• Square D QO Plug-On Neutral (2022). CPSC says the catalog number and date code are inside the door of indoor load centers. The firm had one report of a loose wire and no injuries, and the inspection and any repair or replacement are free.
• Siemens and Murray (2010). CPSC says the recalled breakers carry date codes 0610 or 0710 on a side label, and load centers have date codes from June through August 2010 stamped inside the metal box.
• Counterfeit Square D (2007). CPSC describes the real breakers as having the amp rating painted in white on the handle, the Square D insignia molded on the side and a yellow chromate mounting clip. One that does not match may be counterfeit.

Federal Pacific and Zinsco panels are not on that list; we found no CPSC recall notice for either brand. For Federal Pacific, an AmTrust insurance bulletin says CPSC closed its investigation in 1983, citing insufficient data and its limited budget. That is not a clean bill of health, and the testing record is laid out in the panel upgrade guide. Do not try to read date codes yourself if it means taking off the inner cover; the electrician can do it on the visit.

Water in the electrical panel

Water and breakers do not mix, even after things dry out. ESFI, working with NEMA, lists molded-case circuit breakers, fuses, GFCI and AFCI devices, receptacles and surge protective devices as water-damaged equipment that must be replaced. Panelboards are on its list of equipment that may be reconditioned, but NEMA's guide says to contact the manufacturer before any further action when a panel has been exposed to water. NEMA also says air drying and washing should not be attempted on GFCI and AFCI devices.

If the panel sat in flood water, leave the power off and have it checked before it is turned back on. The cleanup side is covered in flood damage restoration and water damage restoration.

What happens on an electrical panel repair visit

The electrician will usually ask about the symptom first, then open the panel with the power to the affected circuits off. Expect them to look for heat marks at breakers and on the bus, loose terminals, breakers from another brand that do not belong in that panel, and wires that are too small for the breaker protecting them. If the main breaker or the service conductors need work, the utility may have to disconnect power at the meter, which can add a day.

Ask for a written repair price before work starts, and ask whether the repair needs a permit where you live. If the electrician recommends a full replacement, ask what specifically rules out repair. Most states license electricians; check the rules in the electrician license guide by state and ask for the license number and proof of insurance.

Questions to ask before you book panel repair

• What is the service call fee, and does it count toward the repair?
• Is this a repair of one part, or are you quoting a full panel?
• Is my panel on a CPSC recall, and if so, is the manufacturer's free inspection the better route?
• Will the utility need to pull the meter, and who schedules that?
• Does this need a permit and an inspection here?
• Are the replacement breakers listed for this panel?

Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary. How calls work. For hourly rates and other common repairs, see electrical repair costs, and for a smoking or hot panel at night, emergency electrician.

Panel buzzing, hot or tripping: what to do now

1. If you see smoke or flame or smell burning that is getting stronger, get everyone out and call 911 from outside.
2. If the panel is only warm or buzzing, turn off the large loads in the house: dryer, oven, air conditioning, space heaters.
3. Do not remove the panel cover, tighten anything or swap breakers yourself.
4. If a breaker tripped, reset it once using the steps above. If it trips again, leave it off.
5. If the panel got wet, leave the power off at the main and keep out of standing water.
6. Write down the panel brand from the label inside the door and take a photo of the breakers.
7. Call an electrician and describe the heat, sound or smell, and which circuits are out.