Electrical Permit in New York City, New York

Frequently asked questions

Do you need an electrical permit in New York City?

DOB requires an electrical permit for most electrical work, including handling of electrical wires in a residential home, and only an electrical contractor licensed by DOB may perform it and hold the permit. Homeowners cannot pull their own electrical permit: AC 28-105.5.1 makes the licensed master or special electrician the applicant. ED16A electrical filings are submitted in DOB NOW: Build, with Electrical Plan Review required for equipment of 1000 KVA or more, installations at 1000 volts or higher, or additions bringing an installation to that level. The published exemption is low voltage work under AC 28-105.4.7: wiring designed to operate at less than 50 volts for signaling, communication, alarm and data transmission circuits needs no electrical permit, subject to exceptions for life safety systems, hazardous locations, intrinsically safe systems and control circuits that activate light, heat or power circuits. Working without a permit exposes both the owner and the person who did the work to violations, summonses and fines. Always confirm with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) before starting.

How much does an electrical permit cost in New York City?

Table 28-112.2 item 16, "Permit for electrical work," is "As provided by department rules." Those rules are 1 RCNY 101-03, which sets "Electrical permit initial application (excluding minor work)" at $40.00, plus a per-unit additional fee due before electrical sign-off (each outlet, fixture, horsepower of motor, kilowatt of heater, horsepower of air conditioner or kilovolt-ampere of transformer is one unit; the first 10 units are $0.00 and each unit over 10 is $0.25) with service switch, feeder, panel and other add-ons and a $5,000.00 cap on the total additional fee. A minor work electrical permit is $15.00. AC 28-112.2.2, added by Local Law 128 of 2024 and effective December 21, 2025, requires 50 percent of the total fee, but not less than $130.00, at the time of filing, or the whole fee where it is under $130.00. See the official fee schedule for current amounts.

Where do you apply for an electrical permit in New York City?

You can apply through the New York City permit portal or contact the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) directly. The links are listed on this page.

Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit themselves in New York City?

Under New York law (Inside New York City: NYC Admin. Code 28-104.1, 28-105.1, 28-105.4, 28-105.5.1, 28-401.3 (definition of "general contractor"). Outside New York City: N.Y. Exec. Law 381(2); 19 NYCRR 1203.3(a)(1).): New York State sets no owner-builder rule at all outside New York City. Executive Law 381(2) puts administration and enforcement in the hands of each local government, and 19 NYCRR 1203.3(a)(1) only requires each authority having jurisdiction to make building permits mandatory for work that must conform to the codes, leaving who may apply to local law. The state licenses no general contractors and imposes no owner-builder affidavit, disclosure form or post-permit sale restriction of the kind Florida uses, so whether a homeowner may pull the permit is a question for the specific city, town, village or county. New York City is the genuine outlier. Administrative Code 28-105.1 makes the work itself unlawful without a written permit, and Administrative Code 28-104.1 bars the department from issuing that permit until it approves the required construction documents, which must be prepared by or under the supervision of a registered design professional, meaning a licensed architect or engineer, as required by the code. A homeowner therefore cannot self-prepare and file the plans for permit-requiring work in New York City even though Administrative Code 28-105.5.1 defines the permit applicant as the person who performs the work or retains a subcontractor, and even though the general contractor registration definition in Administrative Code 28-401.3 expressly excludes an individual who constructs a residential structure of no more than three dwelling units for his or her own occupancy. Note that Administrative Code 28-105.4 exempts minor alterations and ordinary repairs from the permit requirement entirely, so the design professional bottleneck applies only to work that needs a permit in the first place. Confirm how New York City applies this before you apply.