The carrier circled a brand on a basement door. Iowa still inspects the panelboard. MidAmerican still owns the meter on most Des Moines bills.
Start the state permit at iowaelectrical.gov. If the meter socket or the service size is changing, MidAmerican wants its own service-connection form too. Those two systems do not match. A helper with a van cannot print that state permit or open that utility form.
What MidAmerican actually wrote
Start with the electric-service-connection page. MidAmerican owns the electric meter.
The meter box is the customer’s.
If a customer-owned piece of equipment is broken or damaged, that page says you will need a licensed electrician to perform the necessary repairs.
The start-and-stop page is blunt about service work. If you are updating the electric or gas service to an existing property, a new service connection form has to be submitted.
The construction-services page says requesting that installation is generally performed by the professionals building or updating the property. The process needs detailed specifications. Phone is 888-427-5632.
Confirm the logo on the bill. Most Des Moines, West Des Moines, and Ankeny addresses are MidAmerican Energy.
MidAmerican does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count. Custom Electrical’s Iowa panel guide describes four to eight hours off on a standard replacement. That is a contractor field note.
Permits inside Des Moines and in the nearby cities
The state file starts at the Electrical Examining Board, Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, 6200 Park Avenue. Buy the permit at iowaelectrical.gov. Request the inspection from the same account.
Who pulls the permit matters. DIAL keeps a homeowner path, and it is narrow. A license is not required for an owner performing work on the owner’s principal residence that qualifies for the homestead tax exemption, if the residence is an existing dwelling rather than new construction and is not larger than a single-family dwelling. A new house requires a licensed Electrical Contractor or Residential Electrical Contractor. Inspections are required either way. Owning the home does not mean you should pull the permit and then hire someone under your name.
DIAL’s permit FAQ is also blunt about panelboards. Permits and inspections are required for all new installations and alterations unless every listed exception is met. Work that involves a new or existing switchboard or panelboard is not in that exception list.
If you need an inspection so a utility can turn power back on, DIAL’s how-to page says you select a Not Required By Law permit. Inspectors have up to three business days to contact you.
West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, and Waukee can still have a local building official. A quote that only says “we handle the permit” should name the city on the address.
Price, without inventing one
Upfront Electrical’s August 20, 2026 Des Moines pricing guide publishes installed bands and does not hide the spread. Main panel replacement is printed at $2,500 to $6,000. A service update with a new meter socket and panel is printed at $8,000 to $25,000.
Rewired Iowa’s Des Moines page prints $1,800 to $8,000 for a typical 200-amp upgrade. The same table prints $1,200 to $2,500 for Zinsco or Federal Pacific replacement. Those two systems do not match. We will not average them. We are not inventing a third Des Moines midpoint from either shop.
Iowa license lookup is public. Ask for the EL number and check it on DIAL’s records search before you sign. One shop advertises this work on their own site and prints a license number. Wired Solutions’ panel page names Zinsco or Federal Pacific and prints EL094141EC. They write daily work across Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, and Johnston. They are listed for the panel letter, not as a Central Iowa directory.
Directory-only shops are omitted. A page that names these brands and does not print an Iowa electrical-contractor number is not a listing. The listed shop is not affiliated with Panel Letter.
What to hand the carrier
The useful packet is the closed Iowa electrical permit, the passed state inspection, an invoice with the EL number that was on the permit, and photos if the letter asks. If your electrician produces a load calculation or panel schedule, send that too. We did not find a carrier page that publishes a single statewide sticker form. Ask the agent what they will actually open.
Typical replacement cost
Two Central Iowa shops publish bands that do not match. We do not invent a Des Moines midpoint
$2,500 to $6,000
Main panel replacement, printed as a standard starting range
Their August 20, 2026 Des Moines pricing guide. Same page names Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco as common findings once a main panel comes off the wall. Cost source only. We are not inventing a Des Moines midpoint from this band.
Source: Upfront Electrical$8,000 to $25,000
Service update with a new meter socket and panel
Printed on the same 2026 page as a different job. A service update replaces the meter socket, the service entrance, and the panel. It is not the same line as the $2,500 to $6,000 panel swap.
Source: Upfront Electrical$1,800 to $8,000
Typical residential 200-amp upgrade
Their Des Moines panel-upgrade page. The same table prints $1,200 to $2,500 for Zinsco or Federal Pacific replacement. Cost source only. Those two same-page lines do not match each other, and they do not match Upfront’s floors.
Source: Rewired Iowa
Permit
Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, Electrical Examining Board
Who pulls it: Iowa’s Electrical Examining Board sells the permit at iowaelectrical.gov. DIAL’s how-to page tells you to create a Homeowner/Farmer account or a Contractor account, then request a permit. If you need an inspection for a utility company to turn power back on, that page says you select a Not Required By Law permit. DIAL’s licensing FAQ says a license is not required for an owner of property performing work on the owner’s principal residence that qualifies for the homestead tax exemption, if the residence is an existing dwelling rather than new construction and is not larger than a single-family dwelling. A new house requires a licensed Electrical Contractor or Residential Electrical Contractor. Inspections are required for all new electrical installations whether or not a license is required. DIAL’s permit FAQ says permits and inspections are required for all new installations and alterations unless every listed exception is met. Work that involves a new or existing switchboard or panelboard is not in that exception list.
West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Clive, and Waukee can still have a local building official on top of the state file. A quote that only says we handle the permit should name the city on the address. Iowa electrical contracting is the Electrical Examining Board. Ask for the EL number they will put on the state permit.
Utility coordination
MidAmerican Energy on most Des Moines bills
Who disconnects: MidAmerican’s electric-service-connection page assigns the electric meter to MidAmerican. The meter box is the customer’s. If a customer-owned piece of equipment is broken or damaged, that page says you will need a licensed electrician to perform the necessary repairs. MidAmerican’s start-and-stop page says that if you are updating the electric or gas service to an existing property, a new service connection form has to be submitted. The construction-services page says requesting that installation is generally performed by the professionals building or updating the property, because the process needs detailed specifications. Phone is 888-427-5632. That is not a homeowner meter-pull path.
Outage window: MidAmerican does not publish a guaranteed power-off hour count for a residential panel swap.
Confirm the logo on the bill before anyone prices the job. Most Des Moines addresses are MidAmerican Energy. A like-for-like panel swap still needs the state inspection. A service-size change is a MidAmerican service-connection form as well as the Iowa electrical permit.
What to hand the insurer
- Closed Iowa electrical permit
- Passed state electrical inspection (the approval a utility uses before turning power back on)
- Invoice showing the Iowa EL number used on the permit
- Photos of the old and new panel if the carrier’s letter asks for them
- Load calculation or panel schedule if the electrician produced one
Ask your agent for the exact list. Carriers do not publish a single national checklist.
Electricians who advertise this job
A shop is listed only if it advertises Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or insurance-driven panel replacement on its own site and prints a license number there. Trade-association locators already exist. We will not pad this list. Verify the license before you hire.
To get introduced, use the quote form on this page. We do not send you to the shop from here.
Wired Solutions
Des Moines, IA
Published license: EL094141EC (Iowa Electrical Examining Board)
Own Des Moines electrical-panels page that names Zinsco or Federal Pacific as older brands with known design flaws and prints License EL094141EC.
How this page was built
Compiled by Panel Letter on 2026-09-16 from the public pages below. If a fact was not on a cited page, it is marked as unverified in the copy. This is a research guide, not a bid.
- Wired Solutions, Electrical panel upgrades in Des Moines
Names Zinsco or Federal Pacific. Prints License EL094141EC. Public shop email is on this page.
- Upfront Electrical, Electrical pricing guide, Des Moines
Updated August 20, 2026. Prints $2,500 to $6,000 for main panel replacement and $8,000 to $25,000 for a service update. Names Federal Pacific Stab-Lok and Zinsco. Cost source only.
- Rewired Iowa, Electrical panel upgrades in Des Moines
Prints $1,800 to $8,000 for a typical 200-amp upgrade and $1,200 to $2,500 for Zinsco or Federal Pacific replacement. Cost source only.
- Iowa DIAL, How do I apply for electrical permits
Apply at iowaelectrical.gov. Homeowner/Farmer or Contractor account. A utility reconnect inspection uses a Not Required By Law permit. Inspectors have up to three business days to contact you.
- Iowa DIAL, Electrical permits and inspections FAQs
Permits and inspections are required for all new installations and alterations unless every listed exception is met. Work inside a switchboard or panelboard is not in that exception list.
- Iowa DIAL, Electrical licensing FAQs
No license is required for an owner performing work on an existing principal residence that qualifies for the homestead exemption and is not larger than a single-family dwelling. New construction requires a licensed contractor. Inspections are still required.
- Iowa DIAL, Find a record or license
Official Iowa electrical-license and permit record search.
- MidAmerican Energy, Electric service connection
MidAmerican owns the electric meter. The meter box is the customer’s. Damaged customer-owned equipment needs a licensed electrician.
- MidAmerican Energy, Start / stop service
Updating electric service on an existing property requires a new service connection form.
- MidAmerican Energy, Service connection, new construction
Service-upgrade requests are generally filed by the professionals updating the property. Phone 888-427-5632.
- Custom Electrical Services, Electrical panel replacement guide
Contractor field note of four to eight hours off on a standard replacement. Cost source and field note only. No Iowa license number printed on the fetched pages.