Detroit, MI
Detroit electrical permit cost
Detroit's electrical permit is a base fee plus an itemised price list.
PART A opens with a flat $66 — the schedule's "Base fee", which its own note says does not apply to a permit containing only Part B items — and then prices what is on the permit: $20 for each circuit (new, extended, altered or removed), $1.17 per fixture on residential work or $1.46 on commercial work, and one of eight bands for the service itself. The service band is chosen by two facts the reader declares: the voltage class (six bands at 1,000 volts or less from $59 at 100 amps or under to $820 over 1,200 amps, and two bands above 1,000 volts at $281 and $422) and the amperage within it, so exactly one row can fire. A 200-amp service, four circuits and six fixtures under a $66 base fee is $270.02.
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 Part A base fee, $66Permit fee | $66.00 flat fee | Every permit of this type | — |
| Electrical — each circuit, $20Permit fee | $20.00 per circuit | Each circuit on the permit | — |
| Electrical — fixture, residential, $1.17 eachPermit fee | $1.17 per fixture | Occupancy is residential | — |
| Electrical — fixture, commercial, $1.46 eachPermit fee | $1.46 per fixture | not (Occupancy is residential) | — |
| Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, 100 A or less, $59.00Permit fee | $59.00 flat fee | not (over 1000 volts is true) and amperage up to 100 | — |
| Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 100 to 200 A, $117.00Permit fee | $117.00 flat fee | not (over 1000 volts is true) and amperage over 100 and amperage up to 200 | — |
| Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 200 to 400 A, $176.00Permit fee | $176.00 flat fee | not (over 1000 volts is true) and amperage over 200 and amperage up to 400 | — |
| Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 400 to 800 A, $293.00Permit fee | $293.00 flat fee | not (over 1000 volts is true) and amperage over 400 and amperage up to 800 | — |
| Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 800 to 1,200 A, $527.00Permit fee | $527.00 flat fee | not (over 1000 volts is true) and amperage over 800 and amperage up to 1200 | — |
| Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 1,200 A, $820.00Permit fee | $820.00 flat fee | not (over 1000 volts is true) and amperage over 1200 | — |
| Electrical service — over 1,000 V, 200 A or less, $281.00Permit fee | $281.00 flat fee | over 1000 volts is true and amperage up to 200 | — |
| Electrical service — over 1,000 V, over 200 A, $422.00Permit fee | $422.00 flat fee | over 1000 volts is true and amperage over 200 | — |
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 upgrade to 200 amps at 1,000 volts or less, plus four circuits and six fixtures for a residential remodel, all on one electrical permit.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixtures | 6 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Service amperage | 200 A |
| Active circuits | 4 |
| Over 1000 volts | No |
Example total
$270.02
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 4Rules considered 12
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Electrical permit Part A base fee, $66Permit feeS1 page 19 opens the ELECTRICAL section with "PART A / Base fee / Base / $66", and the section carries its own note: "NOTE: Base Fee does not apply to a permit containing only Part B items." Modelled as one charge per permit — the schedule never says "per year" or "per application", and "Base fee" with no unit means one charge everywhere else in this document (research §6 records the question rather than assuming the answer) — and applied to every estimate here, because the exception it prints describes Part B work, which this page names and does not model.Show the working
| $66.00 flat fee | $66.00 |
Electrical — each circuit, $20Permit feeS1 page 19, "A1: CIRCUITS — Each circuit (New or Extended, Altered or Removed) — Each — $20". Read from custom.circuits: one count prices new, extended, altered and removed circuits alike, because the schedule gives them one price. No condition and no default — a reader who has not declared a circuit count is told the input is missing rather than quoted a fee for zero circuits.Show the working
| $20.00 per circuit | $80.00 |
Electrical — fixture, residential, $1.17 eachPermit feeS1 page 20, "A3: FIXTURES - RESIDENTIAL — Per Fixture — Per fixture — $1.17", with the schedule's own redirect beneath it: "Floodlights or lamps of 1,000 watts or more is under the category of A4-Electrical Units" — A4 is named on this site's page and not modelled. Fires when occupancy is "residential"; the schedule splits the fixture row residential/commercial without defining either term on this page, so the site reads the reader's occupancy and defaults to the commercial figure when it is absent.Show the working
| $1.17 per fixture | $7.02 |
Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 100 to 200 A, $117.00Permit feeS1 page 21, "A5: SERVICE": "1,000 Volts or Less / Over 100 to 200 amperes — Each — $117". The band is chosen by custom.amperage (whole amperes of the service) and the voltage class by custom.over_1000_volts, so exactly one of the eight service rows can fire: the six low-voltage rows each require the flag to be absent or false, the two high-voltage rows require it true. The row is a flat charge per service — the schedule's unit column reads "Each" — and a permit whose service size has not been declared fires none of the eight, so an estimate without custom.amperage says the input is missing rather than inventing a band.Show the working
| $117.00 flat fee | $117.00 |
| Total | $270.02 |
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 — fixture, commercial, $1.46 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, 100 A or less, $59.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 200 to 400 A, $176.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 400 to 800 A, $293.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 800 to 1,200 A, $527.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — 1,000 V or less, over 1,200 A, $820.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — over 1,000 V, 200 A or less, $281.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical service — over 1,000 V, over 200 A, $422.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 4 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The stack is the section read top to bottom: the $66 PART A base fee, four circuits at $20 ($80.00), six residential fixtures at $1.17 ($7.02), and the service — 200 amps at 1,000 volts or less is the schedule's "Over 100 to 200 amperes" band, $117. Total: $270.02. Nothing is prorated or rounded anywhere in this section; every row is a flat published amount times a count.
The two switches move exactly one line each. Declare no occupancy and the six fixtures take the commercial $1.46 row instead — $8.76 rather than $7.02, for $271.76 in total. Set the service above 1,000 volts and the same 200 amps take the high-voltage table at $281 rather than $117. Remove the amperage and no service row fires at all — eight bands are gated and none defaults — while the base fee, circuits and fixtures still compute.
What is different in Detroit
Two declared facts pick the service band and they gate each other: the amperage selects within a voltage class, and custom.over_1000_volts selects the class — the six low-voltage rows each require the flag absent or false, the two high-voltage rows require it true, so one permit can never pay two service rows. Fixture price follows occupancy: residential work is $1.17 a fixture, and everything else — including a permit that declares no occupancy at all — is $1.46, the larger figure being this site's default wherever a schedule splits a row without defining the split.
What the section does not price is named rather than dropped: rough inspections ($59 for one- and two-family dwellings), electrical units by nameplate horsepower ($29 to $254), distribution panel boards and transfer switches, feeders, signs, neon tubing and smoke alarms, and all of Part B — the $176-per-hour repairs and special inspections, service reconnects, fire alarm systems, EV charging, cabling and renewables. Trade permits require a City-licensed electrician, and the published turnaround is 2 days.
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 schedule's PART A rows — base fee, circuits, fixtures and service bands. It excludes:
- Part A rows not modelled: A2 rough inspections ($59 for one- and two-family dwellings), A4 electrical units and equipment replacements by nameplate HP/kW/kVA in seven bands ($29 to $254), A6 interruptible service ($53), A7 distribution panel boards, switchboards and transfer switches by amperage ($51 to $322), A8 hardwired cooking equipment, dryers and water heaters ($45), A9 feeders ($41 per 100 feet or fraction), A10 underfloor headers ($70), A11 motion picture apparatus ($70), A12 sign connections ($22), A13 outline neon ($59 per 25 feet) and A14 residential smoke alarms ($2.81).
- All of Part B — general repairs and special inspections at $176 per hour, service reconnect inspections ($86 up to 200 A, $106 to 400 A, $190 above), multi-family and commercial rough inspections by the hour, the industrial/commercial annual permit, fire alarm systems, EV charging stations, telecommunications cabling and renewable energy installations. This is what the base fee's note carves out: "Base Fee does not apply to a permit containing only Part B items."
- Plan review — electrical plan review is 7% "of Bldg. Permit Fee", prepaid when a review is required, and is not part of any total here.
- The fire alarm carve-out: "No separate building permit is required solely for fire alarm systems when a Fire Marshal permit has been issued … Trade permits (electrical, mechanical, etc.) are still required" — the Fire Marshal's permit is another authority's charge.
- Trade and business licences, certificates, temporary wiring's extra B2 fee, and Parts A–C of the schedule.
What you need before applying
- A City of Detroit licensed ElectricianRequired
The trade permits page's own words: a trade permit requires a "City of Detroit licensed Electrician". An owner may file for their own property with the deed and a photo ID in hand. The published turnaround for electrical trade permits is 2 days, and the trade's inspection team can be reached at 313-224-3228.
- Fire alarm work rides the Fire Marshal's permit, but the trade permit still appliesMay be required
The construction inspection division's own update: "No separate building permit is required solely for fire alarm systems when a Fire Marshal permit has been issued for the building, structure or premises … Trade permits (electrical, mechanical, etc.) are still required for applicable installation work." So the fire alarm system is permitted under the Fire Marshal while the electrical trade permit covers the installation work — a carve-out from the building permit, not from this one.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in Detroit?
PART A starts with a flat $66 base fee, then the work is itemised: $20 per circuit (new, extended, altered or removed), $1.17 per fixture residential or $1.46 commercial, and one service band chosen by the service's voltage class and amperage. Four circuits, six fixtures and a 200-amp service on one permit is $270.02 including the base fee.
BSEED Fee Schedule, ELECTRICAL section, PART A, read in -table mode 2026-09-25.
How much is a 200-amp service upgrade?
$117 at 1,000 volts or less — the schedule's "Over 100 to 200 amperes" band. Above 1,000 volts the same service takes the high-voltage table instead: 200 amps or less is $281, and over 200 amps is $422. The six low-voltage bands run $59, $117, $176, $293, $527 and $820, so a 400-amp service is $176 and an 800-amp one is $293.
BSEED Fee Schedule, "A5: SERVICE", both voltage tables.
How much per circuit and per fixture?
$20 for each circuit — "New or Extended, Altered or Removed" — and $1.17 per fixture on residential work or $1.46 on commercial work. The fixture split is the schedule's own two rows ("A3: FIXTURES - RESIDENTIAL" and "A3: FIXTURES - COMMERCIAL (Luminaires)"), and when no occupancy is declared this site charges the commercial figure, which is the larger one. Floodlights or lamps of 1,000 watts or more are redirected by the schedule to its electrical-units row, which is named on this site's page and not modelled.
BSEED Fee Schedule, rows A1 and A3.
Does the $66 base fee apply to every electrical permit?
Every permit containing Part A items — which is what this page prices. The schedule's own note is precise: "Base Fee does not apply to a permit containing only Part B items", Part B being the hourly repairs, special inspections, reconnects, fire alarm, EV charging and cabling rows. The schedule never says whether $66 is charged per permit or per application, so this site charges it once per permit and says so rather than assuming.
BSEED Fee Schedule, PART A base fee and the Part B note beneath it.
Do I need a licensed electrician to get one?
A trade permit requires a "City of Detroit licensed Electrician", in the trade permits page's own words — and an owner filing for their own property brings the deed and a photo ID instead. The published turnaround for electrical trade permits is 2 days, and the electrical inspection team can be reached at 313-224-3228.
City of Detroit Trade Permits page, read 2026-09-25.
Is a fire alarm system permitted with a separate building permit?
No — but it still needs this permit. The construction inspection division states: "No separate building permit is required solely for fire alarm systems when a Fire Marshal permit has been issued for the building, structure or premises … Trade permits (electrical, mechanical, etc.) are still required for applicable installation work." The fire alarm work rides the Fire Marshal's permit; the electrical trade permit covers the installation.
BSEED Construction Inspection page, fire alarm permitting update.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
BSEED Fee Schedule, effective January 1, 2024, modified July 18, 2025 (51 pages)
Read 2026-09-25 in three pdftotext modes: -layout pushes the fee-amount column into its own stream of numbers with no row to belong to, plain mode separates every label from every amount, and -table pairs them correctly — every figure this site charges is the -table pairing. Parts A–C (licences, certificates, service fees), the building/residential block with the nine-band ladder and the REFUNDS deduction, F: PLAN REVIEW, then the ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING and mechanical trade sections, then property maintenance and the administrative tail. The document page (S2) links this file as the current download; a 2009 "GENERAL FEE SCHEDULE" still on the domain was read only to confirm it is not the linked document — its refund sentence still says 30% where the current one says 35%.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Construction Inspection — BSEED
Read 2026-09-25 (HTTP 200). The six trade teams with their supervisors and phone numbers, the Certificate of Occupancy / Certificate of Acceptance procedure (72-hour turnaround), inspection scheduling, and the fire-alarm permitting update quoted on this site's electrical page: "No separate building permit is required solely for fire alarm systems when a Fire Marshal permit has been issued … Trade permits (electrical, mechanical, etc.) are still required for applicable installation work."
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Trade Permits — City of Detroit
Read 2026-09-25 (HTTP 200). The permit-type matrix for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, elevator, fire alarm, generators and boilers: when a trade permit is needed, the licence each one requires ("City of Detroit licensed Electrician/Plumbing Contractor/Mechanical Contractor"), what an owner must bring to file (deed plus photo ID), and the published turnarounds — 1 day mechanical, 2 days electrical, 1 day plumbing.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.