Baltimore, MD
Baltimore electrical permit fees
Baltimore prices electrical permits from the service's amperage:
$25 for a service up to 100 amperes, climbing through the schedule to $200 above 2,000 amperes, with $100 added for services over 600 volts. New branch circuits are $6 each, and permits for fixtures or devices only are $25 for the first 25 plus $5 per additional 25 or fraction. The default minimum fee is $25.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New branch circuits, feeders and extensions ($6.00 each)Permit fee | $6.00 per circuit | Each circuit on the permit | — |
| Electrical service wiring (by ampere rating, $25.00-$200.00)Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | amperage is provided | — |
| Electrical fixtures or devices only ($25.00 first 25, $5.00 per additional 25)Permit fee | $25.00 flat fee | elec fixtures only is true | — |
| Minimum fee floor ($25.00)Other fee | the shortfall up to the $25.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | Every permit of this type | — |
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 200-ampere residential service upgrade plus 6 new branch circuits on the same permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Service amperage | 200 A |
| Active circuits | 6 |
Example total
$66.00
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 4
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
New branch circuits, feeders and extensions ($6.00 each)Permit fee§109.6.2(b): "For each circuit $6." A 3-wire or 4-wire branch circuit serving single-phase loads counts as 2 or 3 branch circuits respectively; a 3-wire branch serving only three-phase loads or a single appliance counts as 1.Show the working
| $6.00 per circuit | $36.00 |
Electrical service wiring (by ampere rating, $25.00-$200.00)Permit fee§109.6.2(a)1: service wiring and equipment, installed, replaced or relocated, including meter connection — 0-100 A $25; over 100-200 $30; over 200-400 $40; over 400-800 $60; over 800-1,000 $100; over 1,000-2,000 $150; over 2,000 $200. Services over 600 volts add $100. The calculator models the 200-ampere dwelling service at the $30.00 row; other ratings are named in the schedule.Show the working
| $30.00 flat fee | $30.00 |
Minimum fee floor ($25.00)Other fee§109.3: "Unless otherwise specified, the minimum fee or service charge is $25." Applied as the floor on the electrical permit subtotal.Show the working
| $25.00 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $66.00 calculated | $0.00 |
| Total | $66.00 |
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 fixtures or devices only ($25.00 first 25, $5.00 per additional 25) — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
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.
The service row charges $30.00 — §109.6.2(a)1's 'over 100 to 200' amperage band, which includes the meter connection.
The circuit row charges 6 circuits x $6.00 = $36.00.
The total is $66.00, which is above the $25.00 default minimum, so no floor applies. A fixtures-only rewire of up to 25 devices would have been $25.00 flat; a service-only swap with no new circuits would have been $30.00.
What is different in Baltimore
The amperage table is the row most residential permits land on: 0-100 A $25, over 100-200 $30, over 200-400 $40, over 400-800 $60, over 800-1,000 $100, over 1,000-2,000 $150, over 2,000 $200. It includes the meter connection, and sub feeders for additional meters carry a similar table starting $5 higher at the bottom. The 600-volt add-on catches the commercial services that sit above the ordinary 120/208 and 120/240 systems.
The circuit row is where a wiring job adds up: $6 per branch circuit, with counting conventions printed in the code — a 3-wire or 4-wire circuit serving single-phase loads counts as two or three circuits respectively, which prevents a multiwire run from being declared as one. A fixtures-or-devices-only permit is block-priced: $25 for the first 25, then $5 for each additional block of 25 or fraction.
The small rows matter on niche jobs: conduit and duct banks at $25-$100 by length, photovoltaic systems at $25 for 1 to 25 panels plus $5 per additional 10, and temporary wiring for events at $20 or $25 per 5 kilowatts of feeder capacity — with the fee waived entirely for nonprofit events that document their status.
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 §109.6.2's electrical fee and the §109.3 default minimum. It excludes:
- Service ratings the calculator names but does not band: the model charges the $30.00 row that covers a 200-ampere dwelling service; a 400-ampere service is $40.00, an 800-ampere service $60.00, and the larger ratings sit above them in the same table.
- Conduit and duct bank installation at $25, $50 or $100 by length, and sub feeders for additional meters at $30-$200 by amperage.
- Photovoltaic systems at $25 for 1 to 25 panels plus $5 per additional 10 or fraction, and the $100 add for services over 600 volts.
- Temporary electrical wiring for events at $20 or $25 per 5 kilowatts, waived for qualifying nonprofit events.
- Reinspection fees at $50, $100 and $125, and overtime inspections at $50 per hour with a $200 minimum per inspector.
- The application fee under §109.5.7, which attaches to the construction permit application the electrical work rides on where one exists, and is charged on the building page here.
What you need before applying
- Branch-circuit counting conventionsRequired
§109.6.2(b): a 3-wire or 4-wire branch circuit serving single-phase loads counts as 2 or 3 branch circuits respectively; a 3-wire branch circuit serving only three-phase loads, or serving a single appliance, counts as 1. The count the applicant declares is charged at $6 per circuit under those conventions.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit for a 200-amp service upgrade?
$30.00 — the 'over 100 to 200 amperes' row of the service table, which covers installing, replacing or relocating the service wiring and equipment including the meter connection.
How much is each new branch circuit?
$6.00 per circuit. A 3-wire or 4-wire branch circuit serving single-phase loads counts as 2 or 3 circuits respectively; a 3-wire circuit serving only three-phase loads or a single appliance counts as 1.
What does a fixtures-only electrical permit cost?
$25.00 for 1 to 25 fixtures or devices, plus $5.00 for each additional 25 or fraction of 25. Sixty devices would be $25.00 plus two $5.00 blocks — $35.00.
Is there a minimum electrical permit fee?
Yes — §109.3's default $25.00 minimum applies unless a row specifies otherwise, and the lowest electrical rows already sit at or above it.
How much is a large commercial service permit?
$40.00 up to 400 amperes, $60.00 to 800, $100.00 to 1,000, $150.00 to 2,000 and $200.00 above that, with $100.00 added for services over 600 volts.
What about solar panels?
A photovoltaic system of 1 to 25 panels is $25.00, plus $5.00 for each additional 10 panels or fraction of 10 — a separate row from the service table.
Do I need a separate permit for conduit-only work?
Yes — installing conduits and duct banks only is $25.00 up to 200 feet, $50.00 to 1,000 feet and $100.00 above that, independent of the service and circuit rows.
Is the electrical fee included in the building permit?
No. §109.2 provides that paying the building fee does not relieve the applicant of electrical permit fees — a permit for the building work and a permit for the electrical work are charged separately.
What does a failed inspection cost?
A first reinspection is $50.00, a second $100.00 and a third or subsequent $125.00, payable in advance. An inspection scheduled outside normal working hours is $50.00 per hour per inspector with a $200.00 minimum.
Are event permits for temporary wiring available?
Yes — temporary wiring for bazaars, fairs, displays and similar assemblies is $20.00 per 5 kilowatts or fraction of feeder capacity, and the fee is waived entirely where the net proceeds benefit a qualifying tax-exempt nonprofit that documents its status.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-26 from the City's own Law Library codification (American Legal Publishing platform, City-controlled host), HTTP 200. §109.6.1 prices construction work — volumetric new-construction rows, per-square-foot alteration rows with their exception clauses, and the accessory-structure, chimney, retaining-wall, fence, grading, paving, sign, demolition, temporary-structure, moving, pool and occupancy-permit rows. §109.6.2 prices electrical work by service amperage, circuit count and fixture blocks. §109.6.3 prices mechanical work and, in subsection (j), plumbing and on-site utilities fixture by fixture. §109.3 fixes the default $25 minimum and rounds every fee to the nearest dollar; §109.5.7 fixes the nonrefundable application fee; §109.5.9 fixes the no-permit surcharge at the greater of $1,000 or 50% of the permit fee.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.