Electrical panel upgrades in Dearborn, MI.

A typical Dearborn panel upgrade to 200 amps runs about $1,850 to $3,800, permit included. The low end is a panel swap where the meter base and service cable can stay. The high end adds a new meter base, a new service mast or cable, and moving circuits out of an old fuse box.

Three things move the price. First, whether the service entrance has to change: going from 60 or 100 amps to 200 amps usually means a new meter base and larger service conductors, and on many older Dearborn houses the mast on the side of the house or the cable down the wall is too small for 200 amps. Second, how the old circuits come into the panel. Fuse boxes in East Dearborn bungalows often have short, brittle wires that need splicing or extending to reach a modern panel. Third, grounding. Older homes may need a new grounding electrode system, and water-pipe bonding has to be checked. You hear all of this on the phone, and the number does not change when work starts unless the house shows something nobody could see.

Replace it if it is a fuse box, if it is 60 amps, if breakers trip under normal use, or if it is a brand insurers flag. Warm breakers, a burning smell, rust inside the box and no open spaces for new circuits are also signs. Adding an EV charger or central air often forces the question.

Look at the main breaker or the main fuse block; the number printed on it is the service size. A 60-amp service was normal for a 1930s house and is too small for most families today. Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco panels come up a lot in metro Detroit, and many insurance companies ask about them when you buy or renew a policy. Double-tapped breakers, where two wires share one screw that was made for one, are a common finding after years of past owners adding circuits. Water staining inside the panel matters too. Basements took on water across Dearborn in the June 2021 storm, and any panel or breaker that has been under water should be replaced, not dried out.

The power is off for most of one day while the old panel comes out and the new one goes in. DTE disconnects the service, the electrician swaps the panel and meter base, the city inspects, and DTE reconnects. Plan on a day without power, and keep the fridge closed.

Before the day, the electrician pulls the electrical permit with the City of Dearborn and schedules the DTE disconnect. On the day, every circuit is labeled as it comes off the old panel so the new directory is accurate, and each one lands on the right size breaker. Code calls for AFCI protection on many living-area circuits under NEC 210.12 and GFCI protection in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages and outdoors under NEC 210.8, so some breakers in the new panel will be combination types. When the work passes the city inspection, DTE sets the meter and restores the power. If the inspection or the DTE crew runs late, the electrician should tell you that day, not leave you guessing.

For most Dearborn houses, 200 amps is the right size, and the cost difference from 150 is small. A 200-amp panel has room for an EV charger, a heat pump, a hot tub or a finished basement later without another service change. A load calculation under NEC Article 220 settles it for your house.

The load calculation adds up what the house actually draws: square footage, kitchen appliances, laundry, heating and cooling, water heater, and anything planned, like an electric range or a charger. Small bungalows with gas heat, gas cooking and no plans for an EV can sometimes live on 100 amps with a new panel. But the meter base, mast and service cable cost about the same at 150 and 200 amps, and DTE serves both, so most homeowners choose 200 and stop thinking about it. If the house is a larger West Dearborn colonial with electric heat or two EVs, the electrician may talk about load management devices or a larger service; ask about it on the call.

Yes, whenever the service or the meter changes, because only DTE can disconnect and reconnect power at the meter. The electrician schedules it. DTE restores power after the City of Dearborn inspection clears, so the inspection and the reconnect are the two dates that set your timeline.

On a plain panel swap where the meter and service conductors stay, the meter still has to be pulled to work safely, and DTE controls that. On a full service upgrade, DTE may also need to change the drop from the pole to the house, especially on blocks with older overhead lines running from poles behind the houses. That part is DTE's equipment and DTE's schedule. If the tree in your yard has grown into the service drop, mention it on the call, because DTE may need to trim it before the new service goes live.

Yes, and it usually saves money, because the walls, permit and power shutdown are already happening. Common add-ons are an EV charger circuit, a dedicated kitchen circuit, a basement laundry circuit, a whole-home surge protector and replacing two-prong outlets near the panel.

Adding work to the same permit means one inspection trip instead of two, and the electrician is already in the panel. A whole-home surge protector is a cheap add-on when the panel is new, and newer NEC editions require one when a dwelling service is replaced (NEC 230.67); the electrician confirms which code edition the City of Dearborn is enforcing for your permit. If you plan to finish the basement, run the circuits for it now while the panel is open. Tell the call taker everything on your list so it all lands on one quote.