None of this is about talking anyone out of a house. Most sales close without incident, and most sellers disclose what they know. A permitted service upgrade with a Final inspection on record is strong, specific evidence — better than a walk-through alone can produce. A blank record is weaker evidence, not proof of a problem, and it tells you exactly what to ask about instead.
We wrote this from the buyer's side, but agents use it the same way: run the address before the showing, attach the report link to the offer, and both sides start the inspection period looking at the same record.
What a general home inspector typically covers — and typically doesn't
A typical Arizona home inspection includes a visual review of the electrical system: the inspector checks the service entrance and meter, opens the panel cover for breaker sizing and obvious wiring problems, tests a sample of outlets, and notes GFCI/AFCI protection where visible. That's general scope, not a promise about any specific report — your inspector's own contract says what's included.
- Panel age and permit history — an inspector can usually read the manufacture stamp but generally doesn't pull the permit record to confirm when it was replaced
- Circuit tracing behind finished walls, ceilings, or slab
- Every outlet on every circuit — most inspections sample rather than test all of them
- Whether the service size (100A, 150A, 200A) was ever permitted and finaled, or is adequate for an EV charger, heat pump, or casita you're planning
- Load calculations for anything you intend to add after closing
That gap — age, documented history, and adequacy for what you plan to do — is what the permit record, and where warranted an electrician, can add inside the same ten days.
Before the inspector shows up, run the address
Our property lookup is free, needs no sign-up, and works for any Pima County address. For a City of Tucson parcel it returns the year built where the record supports it, the permit history — PRO reaches back to roughly 2006, GIS layers add categories from 2022 forward — panel and service-upgrade permits, HVAC changeouts, solar, additions, and any open code-enforcement case. Tucson opened between 131 and 232 electrical/wiring cases a year citywide since 2022 (131 in 2022, 232 in 2023, 160 in 2024, 153 in 2025); most have nothing to do with the house you're buying, but it's worth checking.
The tool also gives you an AI "contractor's read" of the record and, where a City permit has plan sets attached, an AI read of those PDFs. Neither replaces the inspection or an electrician's own eyes; it's what you bring to both. Every lookup produces its own permanent report link, so you or your agent can save it, email it, or hand it to the seller's side with the offer.
What to ask the inspector, based on the house's era
Era reasoning below is a typical pattern for houses built in that window, never a diagnosis of the house in front of you — confirm panel brand, wiring type, and grounding rather than assume them from the year built.
- Before 1950 (roughly 15,531 Tucson parcels): ask about knob-and-tube remnants, ungrounded two-prong outlets, and whether the service was ever formally upgraded.
- 1950–1989, broadly: ask whether GFCI has been added at kitchens, bathrooms, and exterior outlets, and AFCI at bedrooms — neither was code when built.
- Roughly 1965–1973: ask about solid-strand aluminum branch wiring, common then; properly terminated, it isn't automatically a rewire — ask the inspector to check terminations, not wire color.
- Roughly 1974–1989: ask the panel brand by name. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco/Sylvania panels from this window carry a documented history of breakers failing to trip; some insurers flag or decline coverage over one.
- Any era, if the house has solar: ask whether the solar permit also included a panel or service upgrade — roughly one in five recent solar permits bundled the two (23.1% in 2024, the high; 14.8–18.8% other years).
- Any era, planning an EV charger, heat pump, or casita: ask what the service is rated for and whether it was ever inspected. Tucson issued 1 EV-charger permit in 2022 and 30 in 2025 — demand is rising.
Citywide, permitted panel and service-upgrade work hasn't kept pace with this housing stock: about 1,908 panel or service-upgrade permits have been pulled since 2022, against roughly 99,861 Tucson parcels built between 1950 and 1989 — a documented-replacement gap of roughly 52 homes for every permitted upgrade. It's a citywide ratio, not a statement about any one house's panel; check the specific address rather than guess from its age.
How to read the permit trail once you have it
A permit that shows up is strong, specific evidence: it names the work, ties it to a contractor of record or an owner-builder, and carries a status. A permit that doesn't show up is weaker evidence — it may mean the work was never done, done without a permit, or falls outside what our tool reaches — but it isn't proof either way; ask the seller.
Status wording differs by system: on the City of Tucson's PRO system, Final, Certificate of Occupancy, and Letter of Compliance mean the work was signed off complete; Expired means the permit opened and never closed; Approved and Fees Paid are steps along the way.
An open permit for in-progress work isn't itself a problem — ask when it's expected to close and to see the final inspection before your transaction closes. Arizona also lets an owner-builder pull a permit and do electrical work on a primary residence, still subject to the same code and final inspection — an owner's-name permit isn't a red flag by itself.
Coverage depends on where the house is. Pima County's online record has real gaps on some parcels even when neighbors show activity — a blank there is weak evidence, not a clean bill. Marana's eTRAKiT portal and Sahuarita's Accela portal aren't searchable by our tool — use the parcel number directly, or call the town's Development Services line.
Arizona sellers complete a Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS) and must disclose known material facts, including unpermitted work; failing to do so can expose a seller to a buyer's claim after closing. The inspection period is your best chance to check the SPDS against the public record.
When to bring in a licensed electrician during the inspection period
A general home inspection is enough for most houses. A few findings are worth a licensed electrician's own look before your contingency expires: an FPE Stab-Lok or Zinsco panel, aluminum branch wiring from the 1965–1973 window, ungrounded outlets the inspector flagged, a marginal service size against a planned EV charger, heat pump, or casita, an open or expired panel/service permit, or an open code case tied to the address.
A documented pre-purchase electrical assessment gives you something a general inspection doesn't: a licensed contractor's written, itemized read of the panel, branch wiring, grounding, and service capacity, tied to the house in front of them — a specific basis for a repair request or price renegotiation, not an appraisal or code-compliance guarantee.
Timing matters. Call early in your inspection period, not on day nine — you need the days left to negotiate anything the assessment turns up. A full service upgrade also needs its own TEP New Service application and equipment-access appointment on its own timeline; the permit step itself has run a median of about 6 days from application to issue recently (1,281 panel/service-upgrade permits), so TEP's scheduling is usually the bottleneck, not the permit.
Arizona Electrical Solutions carries four Dual ROC licenses: CR-11 electrical (ROC 276948), CR-39 HVAC (ROC 326401), KB-1 general building (ROC 329360), and KA general engineering (ROC 312437) — checkable at roc.az.gov. That range covers the panel, wiring, HVAC, and addition questions above in one visit.
A short checklist for the ten days
| What to check | Where the evidence is | Who typically checks it |
|---|---|---|
| Panel age, brand, and condition | Panel label; permit record if replaced | Inspector, plus a permit lookup |
| Branch wiring type (aluminum vs. copper) | Visible at panel and outlets; era is a clue, not proof | Inspector; electrician if aluminum suspected |
| Grounding (grounded vs. two-prong outlets) | Outlet testing; permit record for any rewire | Inspector (sample); electrician for a full check |
| Service size vs. planned use (EV, heat pump, casita) | Meter/panel label; permit record for what was inspected | Licensed electrician |
| Permit history and open code cases | The address lookup, or the jurisdiction's own portal | You, before or during the inspection period |
| A documented basis for negotiation | A licensed electrician's written pre-purchase assessment | Licensed electrician (CR-11) |
Look up the address before you sign your inspection notice
Free, no sign-up. Any Pima County address returns the parcel, year built where the record supports it, panel and service-upgrade history, HVAC and solar permits, open code cases, and an AI contractor's read you can bring to your own inspector or electrician.