Property overview — 301 E Benson Hy

301 E Benson Hy, South Tucson — built 1968. Assessor record, recorded sales, sewer and flood zone. Building permits are issued by the City of South Tucson and are not part of this record.

Electrical Property Screening Report · Property

301 E Benson Hy

A screening report for electrical planning, assembled from public-record indicators. It is not an official record and every figure in it should be verified against the issuing agency before it is relied on.

Verify parcel data at official source ↗

Built 1968 — possible aluminum-wiring era — based on year only, not observed · the City of South Tucson issues its own permits, which are not part of this record

Permanent link: Electrical permit history for 301 E Benson Hy (aztucsonelectricalsolutions.com/property/11901035b/301-e-benson-hy-south-tucson-az-85713) · Public records last checked 2026-08-22

Is it time to upgrade?

  • Electrical service & panelNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Nothing permitted on the service shows in the record we read. For a home built in 1968 that leaves the original service era in play — the panel makes and wiring methods of that era are exactly what the era check above flags, and only a look at the panel settles it.
  • Heating & coolingNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Cooling equipment works harder in Tucson than almost anywhere, so 12 to 15 years is a realistic service life rather than the 15 to 20 the industry quotes.
  • Water heaterNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Water heaters are frequently swapped without a permit, so this line is especially weak evidence either way.
  • RoofNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system.
  • Plumbing work on recordNot in this windowNothing in the permit records we read for this parcel that names this system. Unremarkable — plenty of buildings never need a permitted plumbing repair.

A found permit means a lot. A missing one means less. Note: this jurisdiction issues its own building permits, which are not published anywhere we can read — what is shown here comes from the City of Tucson and Pima County records only, and is likely incomplete for this address. A blank line does not say nothing was done: work gets done without permits all the time. The only way to know what is actually installed is to look at it.

What that usually means electrically

  • Era-based check — high priority

    This is the aluminum branch-circuit window (roughly 1965–1973). Solid aluminum on 15/20 A circuits is a recognized fire hazard at the terminations and needs approved repair — COPALUM or AlumiConn, not a wire nut. The permit record does not confirm this; an on-site inspection is required.

  • Era-based check — high priority

    Federal Pacific (Stab-Lok) and Zinsco/Sylvania panels were sold through this period. Stab-Lok breakers have a documented history of failing to trip internally; Zinsco breakers can weld to the bus so the handle moves without breaking the circuit. In both cases a replacement breaker does not resolve it — the panel itself is what gets replaced. The permit record does not confirm this; an on-site inspection is required.

  • Era-based check

    100 A was typical for the era. Adding an EV charger, heat pump or casita requires a load calculation; an upgrade or a load-management device may be needed. The permit record does not confirm this; an on-site inspection is required.

What to check at the panel

Everything above is read off public records. These are the things only someone standing at the panel can settle, and they take about a minute.

  1. The number stamped on the main breaker handle — 100, 125, 150, 175 or 200. That is the service rating, and no record on this page confirms it.
  2. The busbar rating printed on the panel label. It is a different number from the main breaker, and it is the one that decides how much solar a panel can take under the 120% rule.
  3. The manufacturer and catalog number on the label inside the door.
  4. How many full-size spaces are left, how many positions the label permits a tandem breaker in, and the tandem limit the label states. A full panel is a different job from a full service.
  5. The conductor material at the main lugs, and whether the terminations look clean and tight.
  6. Whether there is a separate meter-main outside as well as the panel indoors — that changes where a disconnect and any new feeder would land.
  7. Whether the water heater, dryer and range are gas or electric. No public record carries fuel type, and it is the single biggest variable in a load calculation — it can move the calculated load on the same house by more than 40 A.
  8. The brand on the door or the breaker faces. Federal Pacific panels usually read “Federal Pacific Electric” or “FPE”; Zinsco panels read “Zinsco”, or on later stock “Sylvania” or “Sylvania-Zinsco”. Finding a Square D, Eaton, Cutler-Hammer, Siemens or GE panel here is the ordinary result and is not a finding — those are current, supported lines with breakers on the shelf.
  9. The conductors landing on the 15 and 20 A breakers. Silver-coloured rather than copper is the 1965–1973 solid-aluminum branch-circuit question, and it is repaired at the terminations, not by replacing the panel. The aluminum feeder between meter and panel, and the aluminum service conductors overhead, are normal on houses of every era and are a different thing entirely.
  10. Whether the kitchen counter, bathroom, garage and exterior receptacles have GFCI protection, and whether the test button actually trips them.

With those in hand you can run the numbers yourself. The load calculator does the NEC 220.82 optional-method calculation — the same method a permit application uses — and shows its work. It offers to start from the 1,554 sq ft on the assessor record; every other value is yours to enter.

Open the load calculator →

What these jobs cost here

Estimated ranges for this property, from its age, its size and the South Tucson permit fee and code.

Electrical panel or service upgrade

$3,100

Most jobs like this land between $2,800 and $4,000.

The bottom of this range is a clean, simple job: single storey, framed wall, the panel staying where it is, a short service run, and nothing unexpected once the cover comes off. That job is real and we do book it — but it is the best case, not the average, and the figure above it is what most houses actually come to.

Priced from built 1968 (possible aluminum-wiring era — based on year only, not observed), City of South Tucson permit fee and the 2017 NEC it has adopted and Tucson Electric Power as the serving utility.

What would move this price
  • Only if the panel has to move — a clothes closet, a bathroom, over a stairway, or behind a door +$3,900
  • Only if the mast is undersized or corroded — common at this age +$1,300
  • Only if the metal water and gas piping are not already bonded — usually not, at this age +$600
  • Only if the walls are block or adobe rather than framed — the county record does not say which +$1,100
  • Only if stucco has to be cut and patched +$1,100

If every one of those turned out to apply, this becomes about $11,900. That is the worst realistic case, not a prediction — none of them is a claim about your house.

Before you spend anything
  • South Tucson is still on the 2017 NEC, so the surge device and the outdoor emergency disconnect are not required here — roughly $400 to $1,150 of scope that is mandatory in the jurisdictions next door. The surge device is still worth buying voluntarily in monsoon country.
  • A service upgrade fixes capacity and the safety of the service equipment. It does not fix branch wiring. If the reason you are here is flickering lights, warm outlets or cloth-jacketed wiring, an upgrade is a down payment on a much bigger problem, and it is worth knowing that before you spend in the wrong order. (The report reserves the era-specific wiring checks for the years they actually apply to — read those above.)
  • You may not need the upgrade at all. NEC 220.87 lets an existing dwelling be sized from twelve months of actual metered demand rather than a calculated load, and real houses draw far less than the calculation predicts. Ask your utility for a year of interval data and have it run that way first. Two cautions so this does not backfire: the demand tile in a TEP online account shows on-peak demand only, which is not the annual maximum the code asks for — you want the formal usage-data release — and 220.87 proves CAPACITY and nothing else. It does not create empty breaker spaces, and it does not make an obsolete panel, or one whose breakers have a documented failure history, safe. Those are separate questions with separate answers — and where the era makes a brand worth checking, the report above says so on its own.

Air conditioning or heat pump replacement

$13,900

Most jobs like this land between $11,100 and $17,400.

Priced from 1,554 sq ft → about 3 ton as a starting point (a Manual J is the real answer), no cooling type on the assessor record and City of South Tucson permit fee.

What would move this price
  • Only if the duct has to be replaced — no record carries its condition, and on an attic system at this age it is a real possibility +$7,100
  • Only if it is a foam or built-up roof that has to be re-coated at the patch +$900

If every one of those turned out to apply, this becomes about $25,500. That is the worst realistic case, not a prediction — none of them is a claim about your house.

  • Most Tucson houses carry a packaged unit on the roof, and how easy that roof is to reach is worth more than a thousand dollars of difference on the same equipment.
Before you spend anything
  • If you are told a heat pump means you need a 200 A service, ask which load. It is almost never the compressor — a 5-ton outdoor unit is about a 31 A circuit. It is the electric BACKUP HEAT STRIP, which on a large kit can be a 109 A circuit on its own. In Tucson's mild heating season the strip kit can often be sized far smaller, or left out, and the service question disappears with it.
  • Equipment here lasts ten to fourteen years, not the fifteen to twenty you will read nationally — a rooftop package unit at the short end. Replace rather than repair if the unit is twelve or more and the repair is over $1,500, if the compressor has failed and it is eight or more, or if the repair is over 40% of a new system.
  • The size you will be quoted is probably bigger than the size you need. The square-foot rule every contractor uses runs roughly two to three times oversized against real load calculations — reviews of hot-climate homes commonly land nearer 1,200 sq ft per ton than the 400 to 600 the rule assumes. A correctly sized unit costs less to buy, and in a dry climate an oversized one short-cycles and leaves the house clammy in the monsoon. Ask for the Manual J before you accept the tonnage.
What the record cannot tell us
  • Whether the service is already 200 A. Nothing in the public record says so, and the number is stamped on the main breaker handle.
  • Whether the panel can stay where it is. A panel in a closet, over stairs or behind a door has to move, and that alone adds $1,500 to $5,000.
  • Whether the service comes in overhead or underground. This is priced as overhead; an underground service with an adequate lateral is a few hundred dollars cheaper, and one with an undersized lateral is thousands more.
  • How many storeys, and therefore how hard the roof is to reach. The assessor record is silent for this parcel, so this is priced as a single-storey set — a two-storey or tile roof adds $1,200 to $3,500 on a packaged unit.
  • The roof material. The assessor record does not say, so no re-coating is priced — on a foam or built-up roof, add $300 to $900 and check whether the warranty requires the original roofer.
  • The assessor record carries no cooling type for this parcel, so this is priced as an ordinary change-out. If the house is on an evaporative cooler, the job is a conversion and costs substantially more.
  • The duct. No record carries its condition, and on a Tucson house with duct in an unconditioned attic it is often worth more than a bigger machine.
  • Whether that floor area is all conditioned space. An assessor figure can include a garage, an enclosed porch or an addition that was never cooled, and every square foot of that oversizes the equipment this page priced.

This is an estimate, not a quote. It is built from this property’s public record and current City of South Tucson market rates — nobody has seen your panel, your duct or your roof. A real price comes from a site visit, and the things that move it most are the ones listed above that no record carries.

Price it for your house →

Change the assumptions — the panel’s location, the duct, the tonnage, whether the service is overhead or underground — and watch the number move. That is the point of it.

See the property

Satellite imagery © Google. Imagery can predate recent work and shows nothing about what is inside — context, not evidence.

Google Earth (3D, historical imagery) ↗

Flood and drainage

The federal flood map and the local one are not the same map, and they do not always agree. FEMA’s is the insurance map; the City of South Tucson regulates against its own, and that is the one a permit here is judged against.

The record behind this read

Parcel
11901035B
Year constructed
1968 (assessor record)
Permitting authority
South Tucson
Zoning
SB2
Living area
1,554 sq ft
Estimated electrical service era
approximately 100 A (estimated from the year built, 1968 — not a measurement; verify on site)

The living area above comes from the Pima County Assessor’s record, as we read it on 28 Jan 2026. Each other row names its own source.

No permits shown — but read that narrowly: the City of South Tucson issues its own building permits, which are not part of this record. Ask the City of South Tucson's building desk for the file, with the parcel number below.

This is an inference from public records — the year a structure was built, how it is classified, and what has been permitted. It is not an inspection, and nothing here confirms what is actually installed at this address. The only way to know is to look in the panel. See an error in this public-record report? Report a correction · About this data.

Utility and upgrade pathElectric service here is Tucson Electric Power (TEP). A service or panel upgrade needs a TEP meter release and has to meet TEP’s service requirements — meter height and location, clearances, and the point of attachment. See TEP new-service requirements and the TEP standards notes.

In the public record: All property under construction · Commercial property in 85713 · Commercial & industrial reports · Homes in 85713 · Permit data by neighborhood

Where to go from here

Planning work at this home?

Arizona Electrical Solutions provides electrical, HVAC, underground, design-build, tenant-improvement and general-contracting services in Tucson (four Arizona ROC licenses). Choose what describes you and send us this property’s address and public-record report for review — the address, parcel, report link and permit record travel with the request automatically.

What describes you?
Call (520) 308-6235

The contractor’s read is a plain-English brief of the record above, written by AI — what it shows across electrical, mechanical and the building itself, what is missing for the era, and what to verify on site.

What the flood note is not. The flood zone shown is FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer — the federal insurance map. Local floodplain mapping is not reproduced here; use the authority’s own map, linked above. Nothing here is a floodplain determination, an elevation certificate, or a substitute for one. A parcel can straddle a boundary, and a Letter of Map Amendment can remove a structure the map still covers. For a determination, ask the floodplain administrator for the jurisdiction named above; for a design that has to satisfy one, that is work we do.

How this property compares nearby

Properties on E BENSON HY hold 390 City permits on record, 120 of them since 2022.

Computed from the same public records as this report — counts and years, not an appraisal.

prints this report — permits, comparisons and sources — as a clean document

How this report was built

This is a reading of public records for parcel 11901035B — no City of Tucson permits on file (City records reach back to the mid-1990s) — assembled from the Pima County parcel file and the City of Tucson’s published permit layers together with the City’s own migrated permit archive, whose records reach back to the mid-1990s. Some records were still not read for this snapshot: City permit records before the mid-1990s were never fully digitized, and this parcel’s town issues its own permits, which are not readable from a server — use the portal link on this page. The construction year, living area on this page come from our saved copy of the Assessor’s own published data file (dated 2026-01-28). The sewer connection file and the flood map were not read for this snapshot. Absence of a permit here is NOT evidence work was never permitted — it may predate the digitized record or sit in a system this snapshot did not read. Public records snapshot taken 2026-08-22.

The verdicts are inferences from what was permitted and when, and from the era the building went up; they are not an inspection, and nothing here confirms what is installed. Written and maintained by Arizona Electrical Solutions, LLC, a licensed Tucson contractor (ROC 276948 CR-11 electrical, ROC 326401 CR-39 HVAC, ROC 329360 KB-1, ROC 312437 KA).

Look up a different address: Tucson permit history & electrical upgrade check · see permit data by neighborhood.