What usually doesn’t need a permit
The City’s Electrical Permit page lists maintenance work that may not need one: replacing lamps, circuit breakers and fuses; repairing or replacing switches, lamp sockets, receptacles and bulbs; taping bare joints; and replacing lighting fixtures “to existing conditions.” Plugging approved portable equipment into an existing outlet and low-voltage wiring in one- and two-family homes are also on the list.
The test is whether anything changes. A new fixture in the same box is maintenance. A new outlet, a moved switch, a dedicated circuit for a range or heat pump, a panel or service upgrade, an EV charger, or rewiring a room is installation or alteration, and that needs a permit.
Who has to do the work
The permit page says a licensed electrical contractor must perform all electrical work. That contractor needs an active City license, current City taxes and insurance on file with L&I. Philadelphia’s contractor information page says electricians need a Philadelphia trade license, and Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration doesn’t replace it. L&I’s violation guidance also says that while an owner-occupant of a one- or two-family home can do some work without a licensed contractor, electrical work still requires a licensed trade contractor.
You or your agent can file the application, but if someone other than the electrician applies, it needs a signed statement on the electrical contractor’s letterhead. If a remodeler is running your job, ask who the named electrical contractor is, then look them up in L&I’s licensed contractor tool, which also shows licensing violations. Our contractor hiring checklist covers the rest of the vetting.
Plans or no plans
An EZ permit is still a permit; it just doesn’t require plans. For one- and two-family homes, the no-plans route covers new work, additions and alterations with a connected load under 200 amps and equipment rated 600 volts or less, excluding fire alarm, fire pump and solar wiring. Service conductor work up to 200 amps also qualifies. L&I publishes separate EZ standards for residential service equipment and EV chargers, so your electrician should confirm which one fits.
Two newer rules matter. L&I says all new permit applications must comply with updated codes effective July 1, 2026. And since July 1, 2026, any permit application that includes an EV charger must list a contractor with Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP) certification on file with their license. If you’re getting a charger quote, ask for that certification.
What it costs and what comes with it
The City lists a $100 nonrefundable filing fee that counts toward the permit fee, then $25 per $1,000 of estimated electrical cost, with a $63 minimum, plus a $3 City surcharge and a $4.50 state surcharge. Most electrical work also needs a Building Permit, and L&I won’t issue the Electrical Permit until the Building Permit is issued. If your project doesn’t need one, that has to be explained on the electrical application.
You or your agent must also hire a licensed electrical inspection agency, and L&I says to pick it before you apply. Ask whether the electrician’s quote includes the inspection agency’s fee or whether you’ll pay it separately.
Before work starts and when it ends
The City tells owners to make sure the contractor has the required permits and has posted them on the property before work begins. An application under review isn’t an issued permit. At the end, the inspection agency must submit a certification that the work matches the approved permit documents before the Electrical Permit can close or the Building Permit can get its final inspection, according to L&I’s construction inspections page.
Ask the electrician who will confirm that certification was filed, and check the record yourself with the City’s permit lookup; our guide to looking up a home’s permit history shows how. Plumbing has its own rules, covered in which plumbing jobs need an L&I permit.