# A California homeowners insurance non-renewal over knob and tube: what to do before the policy ends

> A California non-renewal notice that cites knob and tube: the 75-day rule, what to ask a broker, the FAIR Plan and the wiring records that help before it ends.

URL: https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/blog/insurance-non-renewal-knob-and-tube/

**In short**

California gives at least 75 days' written notice before a non-renewal. How to use that window when the reason is old wiring.

**Last updated**

October 30, 2026

A non-renewal letter that names knob and tube wiring is how some San Francisco owners first learn the wiring has become an insurance problem. [Fog City SF Knob and Tube](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/) manages knob and tube inspection and replacement in San Francisco and the East Bay, with the electrical work carried out by licensed and insured electrical contractors. This post sets out what California’s rules give you after a notice, and how to use the time.

Nothing here is insurance or legal advice, and no wiring work guarantees that a carrier will write or renew a policy. The insurer decides. What the owner controls is how much the insurer knows about the house, and how quickly.

## What the notice has to tell you

The California Department of Insurance’s residential guide sets the basic rules. An insurer that will not renew a homeowners policy must send written notice at least 75 days before the policy expires, and the notice must state the reason. A cancellation in the middle of a term is narrower: once a policy has been in force for 60 days, an insurer may cancel only for reasons set by law, one of which is physical changes in the insured property that increase a hazard insured against. Both kinds of notice must give the reason.

So the first step is simply to read the letter closely. Does it name knob and tube, or “outdated electrical,” or a fuse box, or an inspection finding? Does it ask for anything, such as an electrician’s report? A reason you can answer with documents is a different situation from a carrier leaving a whole category of older homes.

## Why this keeps happening in the Bay Area

The Department of Insurance’s consumer guidance does not address knob and tube specifically, so the pattern comes from individual carriers’ underwriting. ABC7 quoted a Bay Area broker in 2025: “If we put it on the application, we are going to get declined.” The City of Berkeley’s own BESO measure sheet states that “Many insurance providers will not issue or renew homeowner policies for houses with active knob and tube wiring.” San Francisco’s Fire Department, asked by the same station, said its investigators had not seen trends in knob and tube residential structure fires, a reminder that the pressure is underwriting, not a measured spike in fires.

The permit record shows insurers driving work. Thirty DBI electrical permits filed since 2016 that name knob and tube cite insurance in their description, such as “knob and tube wiring removal for insurance purposes” and “insurance company advised owner to make it redundant and disconnect.” California FAIR Plan residential policies in San Francisco ZIP codes rose from 335 in September 2021 to 1,861 in September 2025, though those figures give no reason for any policy.

## The first two weeks: broker, test, records

Call a broker early, before the expiration date is close. Homeowners report that carriers vary widely: some decline any active knob and tube, some insure on condition that the house is rewired within a short period, often around 60 days, and some ask for an electrician’s written report on what is active. One San Francisco owner reports a carrier sending a third party to photograph the electrical panel during a new application. A broker who knows which carriers are writing older homes can tell you what each one will want to see.

At the same time, get the wiring tested. A test of every circuit shows whether the knob and tube is active, abandoned or mixed with later wiring, and which rooms it serves. That record answers the questions underwriters ask more precisely than “the house is old.” An [electrical inspection for insurance](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/electrical-inspection-for-insurance/) produces the written findings, and a [knob and tube inspection](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-inspection/) covers the same testing when a replacement scope is the next step. The [active vs abandoned guide](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/active-vs-abandoned-knob-and-tube/) explains why the distinction matters to a carrier.

## Choosing a scope you can finish in time

Once you know what is live, the choice is usually between replacing the active circuits and disconnecting runs that no longer serve anything. Disconnecting is faster where it applies, and San Francisco’s code requires unused conductors to be removed or identified and terminated in an approved manner, which is what [knob and tube removal](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-removal/) covers. Where the circuits are still in use, a [partial replacement](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/partial-knob-and-tube-replacement/) or a [whole-house rewire](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/whole-house-rewiring/) replaces them.

Timing depends on the house: how many circuits, how much access from the attic, basement and garage, whether a panel upgrade is needed, and how many units are involved. The [how long it takes guide](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/how-long-does-it-take-to-replace-knob-and-tube/) covers the factors. Permits are part of the timeline too. Every rewire needs a DBI electrical permit with a pre-cover inspection before walls close, and the final inspection and Green Tag are what show an underwriter the work is complete. If PG&E has to change the service, its process runs on its own schedule.

## If the policy ends before the work does

If a new carrier cannot be found in time, the California FAIR Plan exists for that situation. It describes itself as the insurer of last resort, available when no other option is reasonably available, and a broker must first make a diligent search of the traditional market. FAIR Plan policies cover basic fire; other insurers sell Difference in Conditions policies to fill the gaps. Homeowners report using that combination until the knob and tube was replaced, then returning to the traditional market. The Department of Insurance also points people struggling to find coverage to the surplus lines market and its online Home Insurance Finder. The [knob and tube insurance guide](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-insurance-california/) covers the market in more depth.

## Paying for it

For budgeting, the public figures are a typical San Francisco range of $20,000 to $50,000 or more for the electrical scope of a whole-house knob and tube replacement in a single-family home, and DBI permit fees of $305 to $1,289. Income-qualified PG&E customers in homes of four or fewer units may reach BayREN’s EASE Home rebate of up to $2,000 toward fixing active knob and tube, but only as part of a weatherization project; the [BayREN rebate guide](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-rebate-bayren/) has the conditions.

The practical order after a notice holds whatever the house: read the reason, call a broker, test every circuit, choose a scope that answers the reason, and get it permitted and finaled before the policy ends. To start with the test, call (628) 296-7628.

**Questions**

## Questions about this post

### How much notice must a California insurer give before non-renewing a home policy?

At least 75 days before the policy expires, in writing, according to the California Department of Insurance, and the notice must give the reason. That window is the time to talk to a broker, have the wiring tested and documented, and decide whether to replace or disconnect what is still live before the policy ends.

### Can an insurer cancel a homeowners policy partway through the term over old wiring?

Once a policy has been in force for 60 days, California allows cancellation only for reasons set by law, one of which is physical changes in the insured property that increase a hazard insured against. A cancellation notice must state its reason. Whether a given reason applies is a question for your broker or the Department of Insurance.

### Is the California FAIR Plan an option after a non-renewal over knob and tube?

It can be. The FAIR Plan calls itself the insurer of last resort, for when no other option is reasonably available, and a broker must first search the traditional market. Its policies cover basic fire, and other insurers sell Difference in Conditions policies to fill the gaps. The FAIR Plan has published no statement on knob and tube eligibility.

**Related service**

## Electrical inspection for insurance

### Electrical inspection for insurance

Tested, written findings on knob and tube, the panel and circuit protection, shaped to the questions an insurer or broker has asked.

**Read next**

## Keep reading

- [Decision GuideCan you insure a house with knob and tube in California?Getting a carrier to accept the house and getting anyone to pay for the work are separate questions. This guide takes them one at a time.](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-insurance-california/)
- [LearnIs knob and tube wiring dangerous?The danger sits in what has happened to the wiring since it went in. Here is how each failure works, and which signs mean stop using a circuit today.](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/is-knob-and-tube-wiring-dangerous/)
- [LearnHow long does it take to replace knob and tube wiring?The wiring is only one part of the calendar. What sets each stage, which waits come from public rules, and what you can do to keep the job moving.](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/how-long-does-it-take-to-replace-knob-and-tube/)
- [LearnHow can you tell active knob and tube wiring from abandoned runs?Live and dead knob and tube look identical. Insurers, the insulation rule, the BayREN rebate and the real hazard all turn on which one you have.](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/guide/active-vs-abandoned-knob-and-tube/)
- [NewsThe 3R report and knob and tube: what San Francisco sale records show about wiringSale paperwork shows what was permitted, not what is in the walls. How to read the electrical permit record behind a 3R, and what California's new electrical advisory adds.](https://fogcitysfknobandtube.com/blog/3r-report-and-wiring/)