TL;DR
An old-work electrical box is a device box designed for installation in finished walls: it slips through a cutout in the drywall and clamps to the panel with swing-out ears or wing tabs instead of nailing to a stud. It makes added outlets, switches, and low-voltage ports possible without opening the wall, rated to hold devices but not heavy fixtures or fans.
What it means
An old-work electrical box is a device box designed for installation in finished walls: it slips through a cutout in the drywall and clamps to the panel with swing-out ears or wing tabs instead of nailing to a stud. It makes added outlets, switches, and low-voltage ports possible without opening the wall, rated to hold devices but not heavy fixtures or fans. Box fill limits and a secure clamp on the cable still apply, which is what separates a clean retrofit from a hazard.
Where it sits in the glossary
Old-work electrical box is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
License: CC-BY-4.0 — quote freely with attribution to ProFix Editorial Team / ProFix Directory.