South Bend, IN
South Bend electrical permit cost
South Bend prices an electrical permit as a price list, not a table.
One permit carries whatever applies: temporary services at $7.00 each, switchboards and panel boards by amperage ($7.00 at 60 amp up to $50.00 over 2,000 amp), circuits at $5.00 each, machinery at $7.00 for the first horsepower plus $0.25 for each additional, back-up generators at $60.00 or $70.00, pool wiring and bonding, wiring repair, reconnects, solar arrays and electric vehicle devices at $60.00, and reinspections at $60.00 — all under the page's own opening line: "with a minimum permit fee being $60.00".
How this fee is calculated
These are the components the schedule defines for this permit, as they applied on 2026-09-28. A component only applies to your project if its conditions match — read that column before assuming a figure. Want a figure for your own project? Estimate this fee with the permit fee calculator.
| Component | Formula | Applies when | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical permit — circuits, each (new or replaced), $5.00Permit fee | $5.00 per circuit | Each circuit on the permit | — |
| Electrical permit — electric vehicle device, $60.00Permit fee | $60.00 flat fee | ev charger is provided | — |
| Electrical permit — back-up generator, 10 kW or less, $60.00Permit fee | $60.00 flat fee | generator kilowatts is provided and generator kilowatts up to 10 | — |
| Electrical permit — back-up generator, over 10 kW, $70.00Permit fee | $70.00 flat fee | generator kilowatts over 10 | — |
| Electrical permit — machinery: $7.00 for the first horsepower, $0.25 for each additionalPermit fee | $7.00 for the first horsepower, plus $0.25 for each additional horsepower | Each horsepower on the permit | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 100 amp, $9.00 eachPermit fee | $9.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage is 100 | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 200 amp, $12.00 eachPermit fee | $12.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage is 200 | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 400 amp, $15.00 eachPermit fee | $15.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage is 400 | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 60 amp, $7.00 eachPermit fee | $7.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage is 60 | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 600 amp, $20.00 eachPermit fee | $20.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage is 600 | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, over 2,000 amp, $50.00 eachPermit fee | $50.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage over 2000 | — |
| Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, over 600 to 2,000 amp, $25.00 eachPermit fee | $25.00 per electrical panel | panel board amperage over 600 and up to 2000 | — |
| Electrical permit — pool wiring and/or bonding, $60.00Permit fee | $60.00 flat fee | pool wiring is provided | — |
| Electrical permit — reset, relocation and reconnect, $60.00 eachPermit fee | $60.00 per reconnection | Each reconnection on the permit | — |
| Electrical permit — solar array, $60.00 plus a percentage of construction costPermit fee | $60.00 flat fee | solar array is provided | — |
| Electrical permit — temporary services, all amperages, $7.00 eachPermit fee | $7.00 per temporary service | Each temporary service on the permit | — |
| Electrical permit — repair, extension and/or maintenance of wiring, $60.00Permit fee | $60.00 flat fee | wiring repair is provided | — |
| Electrical permit — $60.00 minimum permit feePermit fee | the shortfall up to the $60.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Electrical permit — reinspection or additional final inspection, $60.00 eachInspection fee | $60.00 per inspection | reinspection requested is provided | — |
A real permit fee is these components added together. The department’s final calculation is the one that applies — this is the schedule it will be based on.
A worked example
Follow the arithmetic by hand. Every line is produced by the engine from the rules above, so the total cannot drift away from the schedule behind it.
Worked example
A service change with one 200-amp panel board and four circuits — the ordinary residential electrical permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of electrical panels | 1 |
| Active circuits | 4 |
| Panel board amperage | 200 |
Example total
$60.00
An estimate, not an official fee. It is calculated from the published fee schedule as it applied on 2026-09-28. The permit office’s own calculation is the one that applies, and your project may fall under rules this schedule does not describe.
Fee schedule as of 2026-09-28Rules applied 3Rules considered 19
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Electrical permit — circuits, each (new or replaced), $5.00Permit fee"Circuits, each (new or replaced) ... $ 5.00". The page's closing note keeps the count from being over-stated at application: "If the exact number of circuits or horsepower is unknown at the time of application for a permit, a permit may be taken for the minimum amount known with new permits issued as the intent of the work known."Show the working
| $5.00 per circuit | $20.00 |
Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 200 amp, $12.00 eachPermit feeThe table's own row: "200 amp ... $12.00" — the ordinary residential service size in this jurisdiction, and the class most permits will select.Show the working
| $12.00 per electrical panel | $12.00 |
Electrical permit — $60.00 minimum permit feePermit feeThe electrical page opens by stating the floor: "Electrical permits issued and obtained prior to commencement of the work for which such permit is required, the following fees shall be levied, with a minimum permit fee being $60.00." It is a floor on the permit and not on a row, so it is a `permit_minimum` over the base fee: one temporary service computes $7.00 and pays $60.00, and the shortfall is what the rule emits.Show the working
| $60.00 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $32.00 calculated | $28.00 |
| Total | $60.00 |
Fees that do not apply here
Listed so you can see what was considered and left out, rather than wondering whether something is missing. A rule can also be left out because it is not published for this permit at all, and that is stated where it matters.
- Electrical permit — electric vehicle device, $60.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — back-up generator, 10 kW or less, $60.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — back-up generator, over 10 kW, $70.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — machinery: $7.00 for the first horsepower, $0.25 for each additional — horsepower count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 100 amp, $9.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 400 amp, $15.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 60 amp, $7.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, 600 amp, $20.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, over 2,000 amp, $50.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — switchboards and panel boards, over 600 to 2,000 amp, $25.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — pool wiring and/or bonding, $60.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — reset, relocation and reconnect, $60.00 each — reconnection count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Electrical permit — solar array, $60.00 plus a percentage of construction cost — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — temporary services, all amperages, $7.00 each — temporary service count was not provided, so this component could not be calculated.
- Electrical permit — repair, extension and/or maintenance of wiring, $60.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — reinspection or additional final inspection, $60.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Limits of this estimate
- horsepower count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.horsepower").
- reconnection count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.reconnections").
- temporary service count is required by at least one fee rule and was not provided (input "custom.temporary_services").
Assumptions
- Calculated from 3 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Read down the page: "200 amp ... $12.00" once and "Circuits, each (new or replaced) ... $5.00" four times, $12.00 + $20.00 = $32.00. That is below the page's own opening line — "with a minimum permit fee being $60.00" — so the permit pays $60.00, and $28.00 of it is the shortfall rather than a fee.
Twenty circuits instead of four computes $12.00 + $100.00 = $112.00 and pays it, because the floor no longer governs. And a 2,000-amp service — a board in the "Over 600 to 2,000 amp" class at $25.00 — is $25.00 plus four circuits, $45.00, still under the floor.
Two rows are not on this permit at all. A mechanical permit is a different trade; and the electrical inspector's reinspection visit, if one is needed, is $60.00 on its own, charged when it happens rather than when the permit is issued.
What is different in South Bend
The floor is what shapes the permit. Almost every row on the page is smaller than $60.00 — a temporary service is $7.00, a circuit is $5.00, a 200-amp panel board is $12.00 — so the ordinary small job pays $60.00 and the breakdown shows the shortfall rather than a fee that quietly became a minimum. A service change with a 200-amp board and four circuits computes $12.00 + $20.00 = $32.00 and pays $60.00; the same permit with twenty circuits computes $112.00 and pays it.
The panel board row is seven printed classes — 60 amp $7.00, 100 amp $9.00, 200 amp $12.00, 400 amp $15.00, 600 amp $20.00, "Over 600 to 2,000 amp" $25.00 and "Over 2,000 amp" $50.00 — and the sheet prices a board rather than a class total. The calculator therefore asks for the amperage and the number of boards, which is exact for an ordinary one-board service change; a permit carrying boards of several different sizes is priced at the amperage entered, and the page says so rather than pretending otherwise.
Two rows are worth reading twice. "Horsepower (machinery): First hp $7.00; Each additional hp $0.25" prices motive equipment by its rating rather than its count, so one 20 hp motor is $11.75 and a panel of small motors is priced the same way. And the solar row is the only one on the page the sheet does not finish: "Solar Array $60.00 plus percentage of the construction cost as established by the Departments fee schedule" — the $60.00 is here, the percentage is on an instrument the department does not publish, and the calculator charges the $60.00 and names the percentage as unmodelled.
What this figure does not include
Impact fees, utility connections and other departments’ permits are the usual omissions, and in some jurisdictions they are larger than the permit fee itself.
Not included in these figures
This is the electrical permit the department prices on page 9 of its schedule. It excludes:
- The solar array's percentage of construction cost — the row is "$60.00 plus percentage of the construction cost as established by the Departments fee schedule", and the percentage is not on this instrument. The $60.00 is charged; the percentage is named.
- The heating, ventilating and air-conditioning permit — a separate trade on the same schedule with its own $60.00 minimum and its own price list, not part of an electrical permit.
- The contractor licensing rows — a Class A electrical contractor's licence is $125.00 against a $5,000 bond, a Class B industrial electrical licence $125.00, and the examination filing fee $50.00. A licence is not a permit.
- The temporary-power requirements — the page prices a temporary service and says nothing about how long it may stay energized; that belongs to the code the department enforces, not to the fee table.
- A permit carrying panel boards of several different amperages — priced at the amperage entered, because the sheet prices the board and not a class total. Exact for a one-board service change; named here for a mixed permit.
What you need before applying
- An application may be taken for the minimum known, with the count settled as the work proceedsMay be required
The electrical page closes with a rule about applying rather than about paying: "If the exact number of circuits or horsepower is unknown at the time of application for a permit, a permit may be taken for the minimum amount known with new permits issued as the intent of the work known." It is why the electrical rules read a count the application may raise later, and why a permit with almost nothing on it pays the $60.00 floor rather than nothing.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in South Bend?
It is a price list with a $60.00 minimum: $7.00 a temporary service, panel boards by amperage ($7.00 at 60 amp, $9.00 at 100, $12.00 at 200, $15.00 at 400, $20.00 at 600, $25.00 over 600 to 2,000 and $50.00 over 2,000), $5.00 a circuit, $7.00 for the first horsepower of machinery plus $0.25 each additional, $60.00 or $70.00 for a back-up generator, $60.00 for pool wiring and bonding, wiring repair, a reconnect, a solar array or an electric vehicle device, and $60.00 a reinspection. The page's own opening line sets the floor: "with a minimum permit fee being $60.00".
How are panel boards priced?
By the board's amperage, in seven printed classes: 60 amp $7.00, 100 amp $9.00, 200 amp $12.00, 400 amp $15.00, 600 amp $20.00, "Over 600 to 2,000 amp" $25.00 and "Over 2,000 amp" $50.00, each board counted once. The calculator asks for the amperage and the number of boards, which is exact for a one-board service change; a permit carrying boards of several different amperages is priced at the amperage entered.
How is machinery charged?
By horsepower rather than by machine: "Horsepower (machinery): First hp $7.00; Each additional hp $0.25". The first horsepower is inside the $7.00, so a 20 hp motor is $11.75 whether it is one motor or four 5 hp motors. The page's closing note also allows the count to be settled later: "If the exact number of circuits or horsepower is unknown at the time of application for a permit, a permit may be taken for the minimum amount known with new permits issued as the intent of the work known."
Does the department inspect electrical work itself?
Yes. The St. Joseph County / City of South Bend Building Department's own inspectors cover the city, the unincorporated county and the five towns that handed it their inspections (Indian Village, Lakeville, North Liberty, Osceola and Roseland). There is no state electrical permit in this jurisdiction — the department publishes the fee, the code and the inspection, and a reinspection is $60.00.
Is the solar percentage included?
No, and the sheet is why: the row reads "Solar Array ... $60.00 plus percentage of the construction cost as established by the Departments fee schedule". The $60.00 is on this page and is charged; the percentage is established elsewhere and is not published on this instrument, so the page names it as unmodelled rather than inventing a rate.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
St. Joseph County / City of South Bend Building Department Permit Fee Schedule 2026
Seventeen pages, read 2026-09-26 in two modes. The title page: "ST. JOSEPH COUNTY / CITY OF SOUTH BEND BUILDING DEPARTMENT PERMIT FEE SCHEDULE 2026". The jurisdiction page names the city, the unincorporated county and the five towns served. Page 3 opens the building section with the new-construction formula ("Cost per Square Foot (CSF) times the Total Square Footage (TSF) times the Local Variable Factor (LVF) of $.00098", with the ICC Building Valuation Table as CSF and "d Minimum Fee - $60.00") and begins the 100-row alteration ladder; pages 4 to 6 finish the ladder and print "100,000 and up ... $550.00*" with the two open rates ($0.90 per $1,000 to $1,000,000, then $0.60 per $1,000) and the two inspection rows; page 8 is the Northeast Neighborhood Development Area design review block; page 9 is electrical; page 10 is plumbing; pages 11 and 12 are heating and air conditioning; pages 13 to 15 are the miscellaneous, licensing and registration rows; and page 17 is the residential application checklist. The plumbing page is the reason two modes were used: `pdftotext -layout` shifts its amount column by one row from "Backflow Protection" onward (reading the lawn sprinkler row as $60.00 and the building-water rows as $7.00 and $10.00), while both `-raw` and `-simple` agree on the pairing the sheet prints ($6.00 for the sprinkler row, $12.00 and $25.00 for building water). Both readings are recorded in the research file and the disagreements are named on the page.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.