# Knob and Tube Replacement in Highland Park & Mount Washington

> Knob and tube replacement in Highland Park, Garvanza and Mount Washington: raised-floor bungalows, HPOZ rules for service work, LADBS permits and LADWP upgrades.

URL: https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/highland-park-mount-washington/

Highland Park & Mount Washington questions

Last Updated: October 25, 2026

**City of Los Angeles** Jurisdiction

**[LADBS](https://dbs.lacity.gov/)** Permits and inspections

**[LADWP](https://www.ladwp.com/)** Electric utility

**90042, 90065** House rewire permits: 169 in 90042 and 119 in 90065, January 2020 to October 2026

## What starts a rewire in Highland Park & Mount Washington

### A bungalow in escrow

The buyer's inspection found porcelain knobs in the attic and the insurer wants to know what is still live.

### Seismic retrofit first

The cripple walls are getting bolted and braced, and the crawlspace is open anyway.

### A 200-amp upgrade in the HPOZ

The new service has to go somewhere the preservation plan allows.

### Hillside access

A Mount Washington house with a shallow crawlspace at the uphill side and a tall one downhill.

## Services in Highland Park & Mount Washington

### Partial replacement

Replace the live circuits that matter now and document exactly where the old system stops.

### Inspection

Find out which circuits are still live, what condition the reachable wiring is in, and what cannot be seen.

### Panel upgrade

Replace a fuse box or undersized panel with capacity for the new circuits, coordinated with the utility and the rewire.

### Plaster-wall rewiring

Route new circuits through the attic and crawlspace, keep openings small and planned, and agree the patching before work starts.

### Attic insulation

Certify the old wiring under California's exception, or replace the attic circuits first and insulate without conditions.

How much plaster a Highland Park rewire opens can come down to what is under the floor. [LA Knob and Tube](https://laknobandtube.com/) replaces knob and tube wiring in Highland Park, Garvanza, Mount Washington and Glassell Park, the hillside and flatland neighborhoods of Northeast Los Angeles, and knob and tube replacement in Highland Park is planned around three spaces: the crawlspace, the attic and, on the upper streets, the slope between them. Since January 2020, LADBS has issued 494 permits in 90042 for cripple-wall bracing and foundation bolting under the city’s standard retrofit plan, more than any other ZIP code, and those permits only exist where there is a crawlspace to work in.

The houses are old, and many owners are already replacing the wiring. The Census Bureau estimates 5,067 owner-occupied houses built before 1940 in ZIP code 90042, more than any other ZIP code in the city, and 40.7% of all its homes date from that era. LADBS records show 169 single-family rewire permits in 90042 between January 2020 and October 2026, the most of any ZIP code in Los Angeles.

## Raised floors and open crawlspaces

Raised wood floors over a crawlspace are a familiar foundation type here, which is what that retrofit count reflects. For a rewire, a crawlspace is the most useful space in the house. First-floor outlets can be fed from below through the floor plate, without opening the wall above the baseboard. Where the crawlspace is tall and clear, most first-floor circuits can be replaced with openings only at the boxes. Where it is shallow, or where ductwork and old plumbing crowd it, a few more routes come down from the attic instead. The [plaster wall rewiring](https://laknobandtube.com/plaster-wall-rewiring/) page explains how those choices are made.

## Hillside houses in Mount Washington

Mount Washington and the upper streets of Highland Park add a slope. A house built into a hill can have a crawlspace that is a few feet tall on the downhill side and barely reachable on the uphill side, and some have a lower floor tucked into the slope. That changes which rooms are easy to rewire from below. The walk-through measures it, because the cost difference between a tall crawlspace and a tight one is real, and the [cost guide](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/knob-and-tube-replacement-cost-los-angeles/) explains how access moves the price.

## From the circuit map to an LADBS express permit

A typical job starts with the circuit map: which outlets and lights still run on knob and tube, which runs are dead, and where later wiring was tied into the old system. Where a kitchen or bathroom has been redone, the map shows a mixed house rather than an untouched one, and a [partial replacement](https://laknobandtube.com/partial-knob-and-tube-replacement/) may be the right scope.

The permit comes from LADBS. Records show nearly every house rewire permit in the city is issued as an express permit, without plan check, and the inspector checks the work before walls are closed and at the end. Work then moves circuit by circuit, so most of the house has power on most days. The [Los Angeles rewiring permit guide](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/los-angeles-rewiring-permit/) covers what the inspections look at.

## The HPOZ and the electrical service

The Highland Park-Garvanza Historic Preservation Overlay Zone covers a large part of the neighborhood. Its preservation plan exempts interior alterations that do not change an exterior feature, so rewiring inside the walls does not need preservation review. The exterior is different. The plan’s guidelines say electrical masts, headers and fuse boxes should be placed at the rear of a structure where possible, and that utilities should go underground where feasible.

That matters when a rewire comes with a service upgrade. Permit descriptions filed in 90042 include old fuses removed and a new panel installed alongside knob and tube work. If the new meter or mast would land on the front of the house, the location is worked out before the permit, with the preservation plan and LADWP both in mind. The [historic homes guide](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/rewiring-historic-homes-los-angeles/) covers HPOZ review and the Mills Act in more detail. Designated contributors in the HPOZ are also eligible for the city’s Mills Act program, which lists electrical system replacement among the rehabilitation work it expects; the city has put new applications on hold while it reassesses the program.

## LADWP and service upgrades

Highland Park and Mount Washington are LADWP territory. If the job includes a new meter panel, LADWP asks that the meter spot be verified with its electric service staff before the panel goes in, and LADWP needs to see the LADBS electrical permit before its inspector can visit. It says a meter set generally follows within about ten working days when no other utility work is needed. The [panel upgrade page](https://laknobandtube.com/electrical-panel-upgrade/) explains when an upgrade belongs in the job and when it does not.

## Seismic retrofit and rewiring together

Because so many houses here are getting cripple-wall retrofits, the two jobs often overlap. Both need the crawlspace, and doing them in the right order saves crawling the same space twice. New plywood bracing can block a route that would have been easy before, and new cable stapled along the sill can get in the way of anchor bolts. The [seismic retrofit guide](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/seismic-retrofit-and-rewiring/) explains how the two are sequenced.

## Attics, summer heat and insulation

Highland Park sits between downtown, where the August average high is 84°F, and Pasadena, where it is 91.3°F, by NOAA’s climate normals. Attics over these houses get hot in late summer, which makes attic wiring work slower and tiring, so attic-heavy work is easier to schedule in the cooler months. Insulation is the other attic question. California allows insulation over knob and tube only after a California-licensed electrical contractor surveys and certifies it, so replacing attic circuits first is often the simpler path. The [attic insulation page](https://laknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-attic-insulation/) covers both options.

## Buying a house in Northeast LA

A buyer’s inspection that names knob and tube is a common starting point in any pre-war neighborhood. A general home inspection can note that it is present but usually cannot say how much is still live. The [knob and tube inspection](https://laknobandtube.com/knob-and-tube-inspection/) maps that before closing, and the [buyer’s guide](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/buying-a-house-with-knob-and-tube/) covers the insurance questions that usually come with it.

Nearby, [Eagle Rock](https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/eagle-rock/) has similar stock without an HPOZ, [Lincoln Heights and El Sereno](https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/lincoln-heights-el-sereno/) share the older Eastside housing, and [Pasadena](https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/pasadena/) has its own permit office and utility.

## Neighborhoods and coverage

- Highland Park
- Garvanza
- Mount Washington
- Glassell Park

1. 1. Eagle Rock
2. 2. Glendale
3. 3. Hancock Park & Windsor Square
4. 4. Highland Park & Mount Washington
5. 5. Leimert Park & Hyde Park
6. 6. Mid-City, Miracle Mile & Carthay
7. 7. Pasadena
8. 8. Silver Lake & Echo Park
9. 9. West Adams & Jefferson Park
10. 10. Lincoln Heights & El Sereno
11. 11. Los Feliz & Atwater Village
12. 12. South Pasadena

## Highland Park & Mount Washington questions

### Does a rewire in the Highland Park-Garvanza HPOZ need preservation review?

Interior work that does not change an exterior feature is exempt from HPOZ review under the preservation plan. Exterior pieces, such as a new service mast, meter or panel on a facade, can need review, and the plan asks that masts and fuse boxes go at the rear where possible.

### What does knob and tube replacement cost in Highland Park?

Whole-house rewiring typically runs $10 to $20 per square foot of living area across the LA area, before panel work and plaster restoration. Circuit count, crawlspace height and how much plaster has to be opened move a house within that range.

### Who issues the electrical permit in Highland Park and Mount Washington?

LADBS, the City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Nearly every house rewire permit in the city is issued as an express permit, without plan check, with inspections during and after the work.

### Can the rewire happen during a seismic retrofit?

It often fits well, because both jobs need the crawlspace. The retrofit has its own permit and inspections, so the order of work is planned so that new bracing does not block cable routes and new cable is not in the way of anchor bolts.

### Does LADWP need to be involved?

Only if the service or meter changes. For a new meter panel, LADWP asks that the meter location be verified with its electric service staff first, and it says a meter set generally follows within about ten working days when no other utility work is needed.

## Related guides

- Learn [How do you rewire a historic home in Los Angeles without losing what makes it historic?](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/rewiring-historic-homes-los-angeles/)Interior rewiring is usually outside preservation review in an HPOZ. The exterior, the finishes and the paperwork are where the care goes.
- Decision Guide [Should you rewire during a seismic retrofit, and which job should go first?](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/seismic-retrofit-and-rewiring/)A cripple-wall retrofit and a knob and tube rewire both happen in the crawlspace. Planned together, one job can make the other easier instead of harder.
- Learn [Do you need an electrical permit for rewiring in Los Angeles, and how does it work?](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/los-angeles-rewiring-permit/)Who issues it, who is allowed to pull it, what the inspector checks, and how Pasadena, Glendale and South Pasadena differ from LADBS.
- Decision Guide [What should you know before buying a house with knob and tube?](https://laknobandtube.com/guide/buying-a-house-with-knob-and-tube/)How to fit an electrical evaluation, an insurance answer and a negotiation into the time escrow gives you.

## Nearby service areas

- [Eagle Rock](https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/eagle-rock/)LADBS permits, LADWP service
- [Lincoln Heights & El Sereno](https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/lincoln-heights-el-sereno/)LADBS permits, LADWP service
- [Pasadena](https://laknobandtube.com/service-areas/pasadena/)City of Pasadena Building & Safety permits, Pasadena Water & Power service