Wichita, KS
Wichita electrical permit cost
A Wichita electrical permit is Table I — a parts list.
Every row is a count times a price: circuits $2.00 each, outlets added to existing circuits $0.75, light fixtures $0.75, service meters $11.00, generators and photovoltaic systems $29.00, feeders and special power circuits $9.00 — and every permit adds the $25.00 permit issuance fee. One- and two-family dwelling work is different: it rides the building permit and needs no separate electrical permit at all.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Circuits (120 V or 277 V) — $2.00 eachPermit fee | $2.00 per circuit | trade bundled is not provided and circuits over 0 | — |
| Light fixtures or lampholding devices (incl. retrofits) — $0.75 eachPermit fee | $0.75 per lighting fixture | trade bundled is not provided and lighting fixtures over 0 | — |
| Electrical permit issuance fee — $25.00Other fee | $25.00 flat fee | trade bundled is not provided | — |
| Service, 480 V or less (100 A or less), per meter — $11.00Permit fee | $11.00 per meter | trade bundled is not provided and meters over 0 | — |
| Outlets added to existing circuits — $0.75 eachPermit fee | $0.75 per outlet | trade bundled is not provided and outlets over 0 | — |
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 commercial electrical fit-out: 25 circuits, 40 outlets added to existing circuits, 60 light fixtures and 2 service meters — not part of a bundled one/two-family dwelling permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupancy class | Commercial |
| Number of meters | 2 |
| Number of outlets | 40 |
| Active circuits | 25 |
| Number of lighting fixtures | 60 |
Example total
$172.00
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 5Rules considered 5
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Circuits (120 V or 277 V) — $2.00 eachPermit feeTable I items 1–2: "120 volt Circuit — $2.00; 277 volt Circuit — $2.00." One price for either class, so one count.Show the working
| $2.00 per circuit | $50.00 |
Light fixtures or lampholding devices (incl. retrofits) — $0.75 eachPermit feeTable I item 13: "Light Fixture or Lampholding Device (also retrofits of fixtures) — $0.75."Show the working
| $0.75 per lighting fixture | $45.00 |
Service, 480 V or less (100 A or less), per meter — $11.00Permit feeTable I item 17a: "480 volts or less, Per Meter (100 Amps or less) — $11.00." Each additional amp above the meter's first 100 is item 17b at $0.06 — named, not charged (it prices a meter upgrade, not a permit row).Show the working
| $11.00 per meter | $22.00 |
Outlets added to existing circuits — $0.75 eachPermit feeTable I item 11: "Outlets Added to Existing Circuit — $0.75." The count reads the outlets fact the engine keys.Show the working
| $0.75 per outlet | $30.00 |
Electrical permit issuance fee — $25.00Other feeTable I: "Permit Issuance Fee — $25.00."Show the working
| $25.00 flat fee | $25.00 |
| Total | $172.00 |
Assumptions
- Calculated from 5 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
Five lines — $172.00.
Circuits: 25 × $2.00 = $50.00. Outlets added to existing circuits: 40 × $0.75 = $30.00. Light fixtures: 60 × $0.75 = $45.00. Service meters: 2 × $11.00 = $22.00. Permit issuance fee: $25.00.
Total: $50 + $30 + $45 + $22 + $25 = $172.00.
What moves it: the same scope inside a one- or two-family dwelling building permit is $0.00 here — the bundling provision covers it; and the modelled set is the rows a permit counts item-by-item, with the rest of Table I's prices in the research file.
What is different in Wichita
Table I is the oldest kind of fee schedule — a grid of items and prices, no valuation, no area. The permit costs what the count of items says: a fit-out with 25 circuits, 40 new outlets and 60 fixtures prices 25 × $2.00 + 40 × $0.75 + 60 × $0.75 plus the $25.00 issuance fee.
The bundling note is the schedule's own and it is broad: electrical work 'in conjunction with a building project covered by a building permit for a one- or two-family dwelling new construction, repair, remodel or addition is covered and permitted under the authority granted by the building permit.' Only three things pull a separate permit inside that world — a water-well motor, work begun more than 180 days after the building permit, and each building or tenant space with its own meter.
The rows this site models are the ones a permit actually counts: circuits, outlets, fixtures, meters. The rest of Table I — heating appliances, signs, smoke detectors, motors, services — is priced in the research file, row by row, at the same item prices.
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 Table I's electrical permit fee. It excludes:
- The building permit and its 60% plan review — on the building page.
- Unmodelled Table I rows — heating appliances ($3.00–$8.00), pools and spas ($14.00), signs ($7.00 per circuit), smoke detectors ($0.75), motors ($5.00/$7.00), well motors ($7.00), services over 480 V ($71.00), construction services ($14.00/$28.00), transformers ($11.00), miscellaneous ($14.00) — every price in the research file.
- Event fees — the $11.00 reinspection (meter reset) row and the schedule's $50/$140 inspection-penalty rows.
What you need before applying
- One- and two-family dwelling work rides the building permitRequired
Table I's own provision: electrical work in conjunction with a building permit for one- or two-family dwelling new construction, repair, remodel or addition 'is covered and permitted under the authority granted by the building permit and does not require a separate electrical permit.' Exceptions the table names: water-well motors, and work begun more than 180 days after the building permit issued.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in Wichita?
Table I prices each item: circuits $2.00 each, outlets added to existing circuits $0.75, light fixtures $0.75, service meters $11.00, feeders and special power circuits $9.00, generators and solar $29.00 — plus the $25.00 permit issuance fee on every electrical permit.
Does replacing a water heater need a Wichita plumbing permit?
Yes — Table H item 9 prices a new or replacement water heater at $9.00, on top of the $25.00 permit issuance fee, unless the work rides a one- or two-family dwelling building permit.
Do I need an electrical permit for work on my own house?
If the work is part of a project under a one- or two-family dwelling building permit — new construction, repair, remodel or addition — no: Table I covers it under the building permit's authority. Stand-alone electrical work outside such a permit needs its own permit and the $25.00 issuance fee.
How are electrical services priced?
By meters: $11.00 per meter for 480 V or less at 100 A or less (item 17a), with each additional amp at $0.06 (item 17b). Services over 480 V pay $71.00 per service entrance, and construction services $14.00 ($28.00 over 480 V).
Is there a minimum electrical permit fee?
Effectively yes: the $25.00 permit issuance fee applies to every electrical permit, so the smallest permit — one circuit at $2.00 — costs $27.00.
Where do Wichita electrical permits come from?
From MABCD — the joint city/county department — through the MABCD Portal or in person at 271 W 3rd Street N. The permit expires if work does not commence within 180 days.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CountyPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26. Three one-page PDFs linked from the MABCD Fees page: fee-table-b.pdf (Table B: residential new build at 38¢/30¢ per sq ft finished/unfinished, accessory rates, and the eight-band §2 commercial ladder that also prices remodels of both classes by §3; the bands chain exactly at every seam — $40+10×$3=$70, $70+38×$11=$488, $488+60×$9=$1,028, $1,028+400×$7=$3,828, $3,828+500×$5=$6,328, $6,328+4,000×$3=$18,328); fee-table-i.pdf (Table I electrical item list with the $25.00 permit issuance fee and the one/two-family bundling note); fee-table-h.pdf (Table H plumbing item list, same shape). Table K (mechanical), Tables A/C/F/G/J (licensing, inspections, sprinkler, miscellaneous, elevator) are on the same page and recorded in the research file, not modelled.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.