What a rewire replaces, and what Michigan law counts as wiring
Rewiring replaces the cables inside walls, ceilings and floors that feed your outlets, switches and lights, for one circuit or the whole house. Ask who patches the drywall before you sign.
Michigan's Skilled Trades Regulation Act counts all wiring in or on a building as electrical wiring, energized or not (MCL 339.5701), so a dead run is covered too. Only a licensed individual may install it (MCL 339.5731), with the homeowner exemption described under permits below.
Rewiring cost evidence: wages and permit fees
Our estimate for this job in Michigan is $8,975 to $22,500 per house. It is a model, not a quote, built from national published cost ranges and adjusted by Michigan's wage ratio to the US (1.03), with a typical permit fee added for the work.
The estimate above is modeled from national published ranges, not collected from Michigan companies, so read it as a planning figure. Permit fees go to the city or the state, not to your electrician. The whole-house versus partial rewiring guide explains how scope changes the work.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $8,975 to $22,500 per house | Built from 2 national published ranges, adjusted by the Michigan electrician wage ratio (1.03) plus a typical permit fee ($97). |
| Electrician wage, Michigan mean | $35.50 an hour | What electricians are paid (BLS, May 2025), not what you are charged. |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn mean | $38.10 an hour | Wage paid, not a price. |
| State permit, where the state inspects | $75 application, $5 per circuit | LARA schedule effective April 1, 2024. |
| Troy permit | first circuit $30, then $8 or $10 | Fiscal year 2026-27 city schedule. |
| Grand Rapids permit | $52 application, $10 per branch circuit | Effective July 1, 2026. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes 2 published national ranges for this job (cost guides from third-party sites that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies them by Michigan's electrician wage ratio to the US (1.03, BLS May 2025) and adds a typical permit fee ($97). The wage and permit rows below are what electricians are paid and what the enforcing agency charges, and neither is a price. We have not collected quotes, and too few Michigan electrical companies publish a price we could count to show a range. Full method. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
A few circuits or the whole house
For aluminum wiring, CPSC's options run from connector repairs at the outlets up to complete copper rewiring. We found no Michigan or federal source on a point where partial work stops making sense, so ask for findings in writing with photographs and the code section behind each recommendation.
- The trouble traces to one or two circuits.
- The electrician recommends connector repairs and writes down why.
- Warm plates, flicker or dead circuits appear in several rooms.
- You want the fix CPSC calls the best method available.
Aluminum wiring and the 1965 to mid-1970s window
CPSC says aluminum branch-circuit wiring went into houses between about 1965 and the mid-1970s, and homes built before 1965 are unlikely to have it. Its survey of outlet connections found homes built before 1972 and wired with aluminum were 55 times more likely to have a connection reach fire hazard conditions.
Census figures show how old Michigan housing is, not what hides in your walls. In Detroit 90.1 percent of homes predate 1980, in Saginaw 92.8 percent and in Sterling Heights 57.9 percent (ACS 2023). Take that as a reason to ask an electrician, not a diagnosis.
CPSC's permanent fixes are complete copper rewiring, COPALUM crimp connectors or AlumiConn connectors, and it says not to attempt the repair yourself.
Warning signs, and the duty that falls on the owner
CPSC lists hot face plates, flickering lights, dead circuits and a burning plastic smell. Consumers Energy adds a general rule: call an electrician if an outlet feels warm, fuses blow often or lights flicker.
Michigan puts upkeep on the owner: R 408.30815 requires wiring in good electrical repair, and the enforcing agency may disconnect a premises dangerous to life or property with written notice within 24 hours (R 408.30810). U.S. fire departments reported about 23,700 residential electrical malfunction fires in 2023, a national count that says nothing about old wiring in particular.
Walls open, inspector first
R 408.30818 says work to be hidden from view must not be concealed until inspected, so on a rewire the inspector looks before the drywall goes back. Permits expire 180 days after issuance, with one extension available. In Detroit, Grand Rapids and Saginaw the state's jurisdiction list shows electrical enforcement as local, so the city's own office handles both.
When wiring trouble cannot wait
- Smoke, flames or sparking at an outlet, switch or panel: leave the house and call 911.
- A burning plastic smell from a wall, face plate or the panel.
- Water reaching the panel, outlets or exposed cable.
- A light flickers now and then and nothing is hot or smells. Still book a visit.
What to note before you call
- Write down which outlets, switches or lights are dead, warm or flickering.
- Reset a tripped breaker once. If it trips again, leave it off.
- Photograph the panel with its cover on, and any discolored face plate.
- Do not remove cover plates or touch wiring.
Permits and licensing for a rewire in Michigan
LARA's permit page says no one may equip a building with electrical conductors, or alter or add to them, without a permit. The exempt list in R 408.30818 covers replacing switches and receptacles, worn cords, tightened connections and minor repair, which MCL 339.5703 defines as wiring worth $100 or less. New cable is not on it, as we read it.
A homeowner may do electrical work in a single family home they own and occupy (MCL 339.5737(3)(g)), and LARA still treats that homeowner as a permit applicant. Anyone else needs a license; unlicensed work is a misdemeanor, up to $500 or 90 days for a first offense (MCL 339.5601). Check a license on the LARA lookup under Skilled Trades, Electrician, and see the permit guide.
Ask for the license number and check it with your state's licensing board before any work starts.
- Troy electrical permit fee schedule Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Grand Rapids electrical permit fee schedule Read Oct 19, 2026.
A tool for this job
Do I need a panel upgrade?
Read the label on the panel, note the main breaker size, say what you have noticed and what you plan to add. You get a verdict, the Michigan permit and utility notes that go with it, and what to ask the electrician. It runs in your browser and asks for nothing. It cannot see inside your panel, and every rule it applies has a source behind it.
Open the toolQuestions people ask
How do I know if my Michigan house has aluminum wiring?
Start with the age of the house, then the signs, then an electrician's check. CPSC puts aluminum branch wiring between about 1965 and the mid-1970s. Do not remove covers yourself, and check the electrician's license on the LARA lookup.
Is aluminum wiring dangerous?
CPSC found far more hazardous outlet connections in aluminum-wired homes: 55 times more likely before 1972, in a survey of outlet connections only. Its answer is repair by a qualified electrician.
Does rewiring a house need a permit in Michigan?
It reads that way, since LARA requires a permit to alter or add to conductors. New cable is not on the R 408.30818 exempt list. Your city's electrical office can confirm.
Can I rewire my own house in Michigan?
Only a single family home you own and occupy qualifies, and permit and inspection still apply. Schedule inspections before closing any walls.
Who keeps house wiring in good repair?
The owner does, under R 408.30815. An enforcing agency may disconnect a premises it finds dangerous, with written notice within 24 hours.
How much does house rewiring cost in Michigan?
Our estimate is $8,975 to $22,500 per house, with a typical permit fee of $97 included. It is modeled from national published ranges and adjusted for Michigan electrician wages, so it is a planning figure and not a quote. Ask for the permit and wall repair to be itemized.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025: electricians (SOC 47-2111), Michigan statewide Read Oct 19, 2026.
- BCC Fee Schedule (eff. 4/1/2024) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.5701 Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.5731 Read Oct 19, 2026.
- CPSC Publication 516: Repairing Aluminum Wiring (June 2011) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates (tables B01003, B25034, B25077) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Safety in Your Home Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Mich. Admin. Code R. 408.30807-30820 (Cornell LII) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- USFA: Residential building electrical malfunction fire trends (2014-2023) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Mich. Admin. Code R. 408.30818(f) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- BCC Statewide Jurisdiction List Read Oct 19, 2026.
- LARA BCC: Electrical Permit Information Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.5703(c) and 339.5737(3)(a) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.5737 Read Oct 19, 2026.
- MCL 339.5601 Read Oct 19, 2026.
- LARA: Find / Verify a Licensed Professional or Business Read Oct 19, 2026.
- ElectricianMatch: how we estimate costs (editorial policy) Read Oct 19, 2026.
- DTE Empowering Michigan: Downed Wire Safety Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Report an Issue Read Oct 19, 2026.
- DTE: Electrical Emergency Read Oct 19, 2026.
- Consumers Energy: Safety in Your Home Read Oct 19, 2026.