Where old wiring turns up in Northeast Ohio
Knob and tube was the standard way to wire houses for decades before cable wiring took over, so it shows up wherever the housing is old. That’s much of this area. Roughly a third of Akron’s homes and two in five of Canton’s date from 1939 or earlier, by Census estimates for 2020-2024. Some of those houses have been partly rewired since, which is its own complication: new circuits in the kitchen, old ones still live in the bedrooms, and nobody sure where one ends.
Signs a house still has old wiring:
- porcelain knobs and tubes along basement joists or in the attic
- a fuse box instead of a breaker panel, or a small panel with few circuits
- two-prong outlets throughout, or three-prong outlets with no ground behind them
- cloth-covered wire at fixtures and switches
None of these means the house is unsafe today. They mean the system is old, its insulation may have broken down, and it was designed for far smaller loads than a modern kitchen and laundry.
What FHA appraisers and home inspectors look for
The appraiser on an FHA loan follows HUD’s Single Family Housing Policy Handbook. It doesn’t mention knob and tube by name. It does require that there be “no visible frayed wiring or exposed wires in the dwelling, including garage and basement areas,” that the electrical system be able to support normal use, and that the appraiser test a sample of switches and outlets.
So the question isn’t whether the wiring is old, but whether it’s visibly damaged or doesn’t work. A clean, intact run of knob and tube in the attic may pass. Brittle insulation, spliced extensions, or wiring buried in insulation where it was meant to be open to air will usually be flagged. The FHA appraisal repair requirements guide covers the rest of the list.
Home inspectors go further. Inspectors commonly note knob and tube as a safety concern and recommend an electrician, and that note is what many buyers react to.
Why buyers and insurers take it seriously
Electrical fires are a real and costly risk. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that in 2023 there were 23,700 residential building electrical fires in the United States, causing 305 deaths, 800 injuries and $1.50 billion in property loss. That figure covers all wiring, not just old systems, but it’s the backdrop for every buyer’s concern.
The buyer’s insurer may ask about the wiring before it writes a policy, and the answer can affect coverage or price. Ask your own agent what your carrier requires, since that’s the same question the buyer will face.
Answering the electrical question on Ohio’s disclosure form
Ohio’s Residential Property Disclosure Form lists the electrical system among the mechanical systems and asks, with Yes, No or N/A boxes, whether you know of previous or current problems or defects. Knob and tube that works isn’t automatically a “defect,” but blown fuses, flickering circuits, scorched outlets or an electrician’s warning are things you know, and they belong on the form.
When in doubt, describe rather than judge. “Original knob and tube in the second-floor bedrooms; kitchen rewired in 2015” gives the buyer facts and protects you better than a bare “no.” Fiduciaries of estates and heirs who never lived in the house are among the sellers exempt from the form; the disclosure form guide has the full list.
Rewiring before you sell: permits and who inspects
Rewiring a house is permitted work. Ohio’s building code law treats one-, two- and three-family houses as residential buildings, and the certified building department for your community issues the permit and inspects. In Summit County, Summit County Building Standards provides residential review and inspection for 25 jurisdictions, with Akron first on its list, along with Cuyahoga Falls, Green, Hudson, Tallmadge and several townships. Canton runs its own building department under the Residential Code of Ohio.
Unpermitted electrical work is its own problem at sale; see selling a house with unpermitted work if a past owner rewired part of the house without a permit.
Rewire, price it in, or sell as-is
Rewiring an occupied, plastered older house means opening walls and ceilings, patching afterward, and living around the electricians. It makes sense when the rest of the house is in good condition and you’re listing. You get a permit, a final inspection and an easy answer for the buyer’s inspector.
If the wiring is one item on a longer list, a full rewire may not pay back. Our page on selling a house that needs work covers repair-or-sell decisions across the whole house. When you want a number that already includes the electrical, tell us about the house.
