Houston’s older neighborhoods — Oak Forest, the Heights edges, Meyerland, Pasadena, and a long list of 1960s–80s suburbs — still have Federal Pacific and Zinsco load centers that were ordinary when the houses were new. The insurance letter is usually written by an underwriter in another state. The work is governed by the Houston Permitting Center or Harris County, and by CenterPoint Energy’s meter rules.
Those two systems do not match. CenterPoint’s published service standards let a licensed electrician, after calling customer support and giving the job details, cut a seal and pull a self-contained 240-volt meter so they can work the load side. The city, on the other hand, says electrical permits are issued only to registered master electricians. A helper with a van is not the person who can print an iPermits electrical permit.
What CenterPoint actually wrote
The standards PDF is blunt about lock bands: if the ring is gold or brass, CenterPoint wants two business days to remove it before anyone touches the meter. After the electrician’s 48-hour clearance, CenterPoint schedules a visit to inspect and reseal, and that visit can pull the meter again for a short interruption. None of that is a promise that your whole panel swap fits in two hours. It is a promise that the utility expects notice.
Permits inside and outside the Loop
Inside the city limits, start at the Houston Permitting Center. Their electrical-permit page cites Houston Electrical Code Section 301 and Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1305. Outside the city, unincorporated Harris County and the smaller municipalities have their own counters. Avatex’s cost page says the same thing in contractor language: city permit inside the limits, county permit beyond them.
Price, without inventing one
Avatex is the Houston contractor page we found that publishes a clear installed band: most upgrades $2,000–$4,500, with a higher $4,000–$6,500+ line when the mast or service entrance is in the scope. Other Houston shops describe FPE and Zinsco work but do not put numbers on the page. We did not fill that gap with a national average.
Texas license lookup is public. Ask for the TECL number and check it on TDLR before you sign. Avatex is the only Houston shop kept on this page: they write about Federal Pacific / Zinsco insurance flags and print TECL #34162 on the same article. Other Houston firms advertise the job without a license on the cited page, so they are omitted. Avatex is HVAC-and-electrical; they are listed for the panel letter, not as a cooling directory. They are not affiliated with Panel Letter.
Typical replacement cost
$2,000–$4,500 for most Houston upgrades published by a local contractor
$2,000–$4,500
Most Houston panel upgrades, installed
Like-for-like $2,000–$3,500; 100A to 200A commonly $3,000–$4,500+; panel plus service-entrance or mast work $4,000–$6,500+.
Source: Avatex Service Company
Permit
Who pulls it: The City of Houston says electrical permits are issued to registered master electricians. Licensed electrical contractors must register master and contractor licenses with the city before using iPermits.
Unincorporated Harris County is a different office. A quote that only says “we handle the permit” should name Houston vs. the county. Texas statewide licensing is through TDLR; the city registration is an extra step.
Utility coordination
CenterPoint Energy for most Houston-area electric delivery
Who disconnects: CenterPoint’s electric service standards say a licensed electrician who gives prior notice may remove a self-contained meter 240V and below, work the load side, and then have CenterPoint reseal it. A gold or brass lock band needs CenterPoint to remove it first, with two business days’ notice in their document.
Outage window: CenterPoint gives the electrician a 48-hour clearance window after notice. The company’s later reseal visit can cause a brief second interruption. They have not published a guaranteed “power off for X hours” figure for a full panel swap.
Call-ahead is not optional in that document. Unauthorized meter removal is how customers get fees. Confirm the current phone path and form on CenterPoint’s latest service-standards PDF; we used the public standards file they host.
What to hand the insurer
- Closed City of Houston or county electrical permit
- Passed inspection record
- Invoice showing the Texas electrical contractor license (TECL)
- Photos of the new panel if the carrier asks
Ask your agent for the exact list. Carriers do not publish a single national checklist.
Electricians who advertise this job
A shop is listed only if it advertises Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or insurance-driven panel replacement on its own site and prints a license number there. Trade-association locators already exist. We will not pad this list. Verify the license before you hire.
Avatex Service Company
Houston, TX
Published license: TECL #34162 (TDLR)
Houston panel-upgrade costs and Federal Pacific / Zinsco replacements tied to insurance flags.
Their siteHow this page was built
Compiled by Panel Letter on 2026-08-30 from the public pages below. If a fact was not on a cited page, it is marked as unverified in the copy. This is a research guide, not a bid.
- Avatex Service Company, Electrical panel upgrade cost in Houston
$2,000–$4,500 installed range and TECL #34162.
- Houston Permitting Center, Electrical permits
Permits issued to registered master electricians; iPermits path.
- CenterPoint Energy, Electric Service Standards
Licensed-electrician meter-removal notice rules and 48-hour clearance.
- TDLR, License search
Official Texas electrical contractor lookup.