There is no national checklist. There is a packet that keeps showing up.

What we can say without inventing a policy

Carriers discover panel brands through applications, 4-point inspections, claims, and renewals. That process is described in contractor insurance pages (Towery Electric in Marin; RG Electric in Los Angeles; AJ Long Electric) and it matches how homeowners describe the letters they receive. The consequence — non-renewal, a 30- to 90-day condition, a surcharge — is set by the carrier on that policy. We will not pretend those deadlines are uniform.

Great American Insurance Group published a loss-control article that tells readers a Zinsco label is a fire concern and that the panel should be replaced with current UL-listed equipment. That is one insurer speaking in public. It is not a promise that every other carrier uses the same words.

Great American, Zinsco loss-control article

The packet electricians say they hand over

The same four items appear on independent contractor pages in California and elsewhere:

1. Closed permit / final inspection. RG Electric writes that in California the closed permit record is what shows the work was inspected. Towery calls it the closed permit from the AHJ showing inspection passed. Unpermitted work is repeatedly described as something underwriters will not accept as proof.
2. Invoice from the licensed contractor showing license number, scope, and date.
3. Photos of the new panel when the carrier asks.
4. Sometimes a letter or spec sheet confirming the new equipment. Towery says some carriers accept an electrician’s letter; AJ Long lists a specification sheet among documents to keep.

RG Electric on California insurance documentation · Towery Electric on what the carrier wants · AJ Long Electric on the document list

What varies by carrier

• Whether Pushmatic or a still-working fuse box is treated like Federal Pacific. Some inspection forms lump them together; some do not.
• Whether a scheduled permit date pauses a non-renewal. Ask in writing.
• Whether they want the city portal printout, the inspector’s card, or both.
• Whether knob-and-tube or aluminum branch wiring is a separate condition on the same letter.

Towery’s 2026 Marin page names State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Travelers, Liberty Mutual, and AAA as carriers that “now require” replacement of FPE, Zinsco/Sylvania, and active knob-and-tube. That is a contractor’s field summary. We are not restating it as an official list from those companies.

Zinsco insurance requirement, in one paragraph

If your letter says “Zinsco,” the public insurer-side explanation is Great American’s: clip-to-bus contact, possible welding, breakers that can remain energized when they look off. The public contractor explanation is the same failure mode plus “we cannot get you a closed permit by installing used breakers.” Replacement of the panelboard — not a breaker swap — is what those pages describe as the path that produces documents.

This is not coverage advice

We do not sell insurance and we do not interpret your policy. If the letter is confusing, call the agent who signed it and ask for the exact documents they will accept. Then hire a licensed electrician who will put their license number on the invoice and pull the permit in their name.