Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) Panel
Also known as: Federal PacificFPEStab-Lok panelStab-Lok
Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) was a panel manufacturer that sold widely in U.S. homes built from the 1950s to the early 1980s. The brand was associated with a specific breaker design called Stab-Lok. Independent testing in the 1980s and a 2002 Consumer Product Safety Commission inquiry found that FPE Stab-Lok breakers fail to trip under overload conditions at rates dramatically higher than other manufacturers — meaning a circuit that should shut off during a fault can stay live and start a fire instead.
FPE was never formally recalled, but the company went out of business in the late 1980s. The panels remained in millions of homes. Insurance companies, real estate inspectors, and electricians treat them as a serious fire hazard regardless of apparent condition.
Santa Cruz homes built between 1955 and 1985 — particularly tract homes in Live Oak, Capitola, Aptos, Soquel, and Scotts Valley — frequently have original FPE panels still in service. Insurance companies are increasingly refusing coverage on homes with active FPE panels. Real estate transactions sometimes condition close on replacement.
We flag FPE panels whenever we see them — whether or not the panel is why you called — and we recommend replacement in every case. If you have an FPE in your home, the question is not whether to replace it — it's when. Replacement is a scheduled project, not an on-the-spot swap. We don’t publish prices on the site. You get the cost in writing after a free inspection. Full story in the FPE panel replacement guide.
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