GUIDE · UPDATED MAY 2026 · RE-VERIFIED QUARTERLY
The best electricians in Park Slope, by what you need
Park Slope is mostly century-old buildings, and "licensed electrician" isn't a claim worth taking on faith. Upgrading a 1920s 60-amp fuse box to a 200-amp panel, rewiring a brownstone full of knob-and-tube, adding an EV charger, and swapping a few fixtures are four different scopes, and the right electrician depends on which one you have.
Four picks, one per scenario. Each one a currently-active NYC Licensed Master Electrician, the only kind that can legally pull electrical permits in the city.
Best for panel and service upgrades
Riviera Electric
$$$ · panel & service · EV · violations
A family-run Brooklyn shop (Sunset Park, 579 46th St) that lives on the bread-and-butter big jobs: meter and service upgrades, panel replacements, EV chargers, and DOB violation removal. The license is one of the most active in Brooklyn by permit volume, and owners answer the phone. If your 1920s service needs to go from a 60-amp fuse box to a 200-amp panel, this is the lane they run in.
- Address
- 579 46th St, Brooklyn, NY 11220
- Phone
- (347) 227-8116
Best for brownstone rewiring and EV chargers
Asset Electric
$$$ · rewiring · EV · 24-hr
The broadest service menu of the group: pre-war and brownstone rewiring, panel upgrades (including Federal Pacific, Zinsco, and Pushmatic replacement), EV chargers for Tesla/Rivian/Ford, DOB filings and load letters, and 24-hour emergency coverage. The catch: Asset is a Greenpoint-based, all-five-boroughs operation rather than a Park-Slope-rooted shop, so confirm they're treating your job as a local one.
- Address
- 310 Nassau Ave, Unit 202, Brooklyn, NY 11222
- Phone
- (929) 340-1108
Best for routine and mixed residential work
Antonio Ceriello Electric
$$ · residential · one-hour minimum
A long-running Carroll Gardens shop (15 Carroll St) for the everyday residential mix: 220-volt and induction-cooktop lines, intercoms, outlets, fixtures, and troubleshooting. Quotes by phone with a one-hour minimum. It surfaces on Park Slope Parents and is, by raw permit count, one of the busiest licensed electricians working in Brooklyn. That is a license in constant, current use.
- Address
- 15 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
- Phone
- 718-797-3757
Best for small jobs through full gut-renos
Blaze Electric
$$ · fixtures → gut-reno · local
The most Park-Slope-local pick on the list. A South Slope shop right on Fifth Avenue (681 5th Ave) that handles fixtures, ceiling fans, and quick fixes as readily as full gut-renovation electrical. Reasonable and responsive, with a track record that shows up on both Park Slope Parents and the Brownstoner forum. A genuine neighborhood electrician with an active, permit-pulling license.
- Address
- 681 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
- Phone
- 718-369-0810
| Plumber | Best for | Cost & availability | Verified by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riviera Electric | Best for panel and service upgrades | $$$ · panel & service · EV · violations | DOB license active |
| Asset Electric | Best for brownstone rewiring and EV chargers | $$$ · rewiring · EV · 24-hr | DOB license active |
| Antonio Ceriello Electric | Best for routine and mixed residential work | $$ · residential · one-hour minimum | DOB license active |
| Blaze Electric | Best for small jobs through full gut-renos | $$ · fixtures → gut-reno · local | DOB license active |
In short: Riviera for panel and service upgrades, Asset for brownstone rewires and EV chargers, Antonio Ceriello for routine residential work, Blaze for everything in between (and the only one with a Park Slope storefront).
What should you know about wiring in a Park Slope brownstone?
Most Park Slope brownstones are 100 to 140 years old, and their electrical systems have been patched across generations. Three things turn up again and again, and they're why "just add an outlet" can become a bigger conversation:
| If your house has… | What it means | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Knob-and-tube wiring | Early-1900s ungrounded wiring; brittle, and some insurers won't cover it | Partial or whole-house rewire |
| Cloth-insulated wiring | Insulation degrades and crumbles; a fire risk as it ages | Rewire affected runs |
| A 60-amp fuse panel | Can't safely carry modern loads (AC, induction, EV) | Service + panel upgrade to 100-200 amps |
None of this is cause for panic, but it's cause for a licensed assessment before you renovate, buy, or add a major load. And in a landmarked district (much of Park Slope) exterior service work can involve extra review, so a shop that knows the local permitting saves time.
What does an electrician actually cost in Park Slope?
Here's the going rate, in current Brooklyn and NYC ranges (not quotes from the four shops above, so ask each for theirs). With century-old wiring, the price depends less on the task than on what the walls hide.
- Service call and labor: a diagnostic visit runs about $150 to $300, often credited toward the job; hourly labor is roughly $110 to $260 (HomeGuide). Rates run high here because of IBEW Local 3 scale and permit overhead.
- Panel / service upgrade: a straightforward swap to a 200-amp panel runs about $1,500 to $2,800 (Angi, NYC; Daven Electric, Brooklyn). A full 60-amp-to-200-amp job on an old brownstone, with a new service line, meter, and Con Edison coordination, can reach $8,000. The fuse box is cheap; the service entrance is not.
- EV charger (Level 2 / Tesla Wall Connector): about $1,500 to $3,500 installed for a reasonable run (Handyman NYC, Mar 2026). Budget more if your panel can't take a 240-volt circuit and needs upgrading first, which many older Park Slope homes do.
- Recessed lighting and outlets: roughly $125 to $300 per recessed fixture, and $150 to $350 for a new outlet or GFCI (Daven Electric, Brooklyn).
Rates as of May 2026. In a pre-war house the real cost driver is access and the state of the existing wiring, not the fixture on the box.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to upgrade an electrical panel in Park Slope?
- A residential panel or service upgrade in NYC typically runs roughly $1,500 to $8,000, depending on the target amperage and how much else has to change. A straightforward swap to a 100-amp panel sits at the low end. A full 60-amp-to-200-amp upgrade that also needs a new service line, meter, and Con Edison coordination on an older brownstone lands at the high end. Always get the scope and permit costs in writing.
- Do I need to rewire my old Park Slope brownstone?
- Not always, but it's common in pre-war houses. The triggers are knob-and-tube or cloth-insulated wiring, a 60-amp fuse panel that can't carry modern loads, and ungrounded outlets. Some insurers won't write or renew a policy on active knob-and-tube. A licensed electrician should assess it before you buy or renovate. Rewiring a whole house is a multi-day-to-multi-week job, so it belongs in renovation planning, not an emergency call.
- Can a Park Slope electrician install an EV charger at home?
- Yes. A Level 2 home charger (such as a Tesla Wall Connector) is a standard job, and Riviera, Asset, and most established shops install them. The real question is panel capacity: many older Park Slope homes need a service or panel upgrade first to add a 240-volt circuit safely. Installation alone commonly runs about $1,500 to $3,500. Budget more if a panel upgrade is required.
- How do I verify a NYC electrician's license?
- Electricians in New York City are licensed by the Department of Buildings as Licensed Master Electricians (or Special Electricians). There is no statewide electrician license. Search the DOB NOW: Licensing public portal (or the legacy BIS license lookup) by name, business, or license number. Only a licensed Master Electrician can legally pull electrical permits in the city. Hiring an unlicensed one risks failed work, voided insurance, and code violations.
- What should I ask an electrician before hiring?
- Five questions: Are you a NYC Licensed Master Electrician, and what's your license number? Do you carry general liability and workers' comp insurance? Will you pull DOB permits for this work? Have you done pre-war Park Slope wiring specifically? And what does a diagnostic visit cost, and does it apply to the job if I book? Honest answers to these separate a real licensed shop from a handyman.
- How much does an electrician cost per hour in NYC?
- Expect roughly $110 to $260 per hour for licensed electrical labor in the city, with a typical service-call minimum of about $150 to $300. NYC rates run high because of union (IBEW Local 3) wage scales, insurance loading, and permit overhead. For anything beyond a tiny repair, ask for a job quote rather than an hourly rate so the scope is fixed.
How do you verify a NYC electrician's license?
New York City, not the state, licenses electricians, as Licensed Master Electricians (who run a business and pull permits) or Special Electricians (restricted to one employer). To check one: search the DOB NOW: Licensing public portal, or the legacy DOB BIS license lookup, by last name, business name, or license number, and confirm the license is active.
Why it matters: only a licensed Master Electrician can legally pull electrical permits in NYC. Unpermitted or unlicensed electrical work is a code violation that can fail at inspection, surface during a sale, and void a homeowner's insurance claim after a fire. Every pick on this list was checked against city permit records to confirm an active license.
What should you ask before hiring an electrician?
Five questions separate a licensed shop from a handyman with a van:
- Are you a NYC Licensed Master Electrician, and what's your license number?
- Do you carry general liability and workers' comp insurance?
- Will you pull DOB permits for this work?
- Have you done pre-war Park Slope wiring specifically?
- What does a diagnostic visit cost, and does it apply if I book the job?
How did we vet these electricians?
Two filters. Community signal: every name here turns up where Park Slope neighbors trade recommendations. That means the Park Slope Parents electricians category, the Brownstoner forum, and the shops competing hardest in local search. The license: every name was checked in the NYC DOB NOW electrical permit records, where recent 2025-2026 filings prove a licensed Master or Special Electrician in active use. Only a licensed Master Electrician can legally pull an electrical permit in NYC. Hiring an unlicensed one can fail at inspection, surface in a sale, and void your insurance after a fire.
This isn't a hands-on test, and nobody pays to be on this list. Written by Victor S., founding editor of The Park Sloper. Park Slope is our neighborhood and the only one we cover. Last refreshed May 22, 2026; next refresh August 2026.