Saint Paul, MN
Saint Paul electrical permit cost
Saint Paul prices its own electrical permits — unlike Minneapolis
where the State's Electrical Act gives the trade to DLI. DSI's Electrical Inspection Department publishes a table per sub-permit: $85.00 per service and $15.00 per circuit with an $85.00 minimum, $15.00 per appliance installed, $54.00 per capacitor/generator/transformer plus $1.00 per KVA, $85.00 per low-voltage panel and $2.00 per device, $78.00 per fire alarm panel and $1.88 per device, and solar PV at $138.00 to 20 kW, $332.00 to 40 kW and $315.00 plus $3.00 a kW above that.
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 — air conditioning unit installed, $15.00 per unitPermit fee | $15.00 per air conditioning unit | electrical scope is ac furnace boiler | — |
| Electrical permit — boiler installed, $15.00 per unitPermit fee | $15.00 per heater | electrical scope is ac furnace boiler | — |
| Electrical permit — $15.00 per circuit, new, altered or repairedPermit fee | $15.00 per circuit | electrical scope is service circuit | — |
| Electrical permit — fire alarm devices, $1.88 eachPermit fee | $1.88 per low-voltage point | electrical scope is fire alarm | — |
| Electrical permit — fire alarm control panel, $78.00 eachPermit fee | $78.00 per electrical panel | electrical scope is fire alarm | — |
| Electrical permit — furnace installed, $15.00 per unitPermit fee | $15.00 per furnace | electrical scope is ac furnace boiler | — |
| Electrical permit — $1.00 per KVA or KVAR, or fraction thereofPermit fee | $1.00 per kilovolt-ampere | electrical scope is power equipment | — |
| Electrical permit — low voltage devices, $2.00 eachPermit fee | $2.00 per low-voltage point | electrical scope is low voltage | — |
| Electrical permit — low voltage control panel, $85.00 eachPermit fee | $85.00 per electrical panel | electrical scope is low voltage | — |
| Electrical permit — capacitor, generator or transformer, $54.00 per unit installedPermit fee | $54.00 per power device | electrical scope is power equipment | — |
| Electrical permit — $85.00 per service, new, altered or repairedPermit fee | $85.00 per electrical service | electrical scope is service circuit | — |
| Electrical permit — solar PV system, 0 to 20 kW, $138.00Permit fee | $138.00 flat fee | kilowatts is provided and kilowatts up to 20 | — |
| Electrical permit — solar PV system, 21 to 40 kW, $332.00Permit fee | $332.00 flat fee | kilowatts over 20 and up to 40 | — |
| Electrical permit — solar PV system above 40 kW, $315.00 plus $3.00 per kW above 40Permit fee | $315.00 for the first 40 kilowatts, plus $3.00 for each additional kilowatt | kilowatts over 40 | — |
| Electrical permit — fire alarm minimum fee, $78.00Permit fee | the shortfall up to the $78.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | electrical scope is fire alarm | — |
| Electrical permit — $85.00 minimum feePermit fee | the shortfall up to the $85.00 minimum on calculated permit fee | electrical scope is one of service circuit, ac furnace boiler, low voltage, power equipment | — |
| Minnesota state surcharge — one-half mill of the permit fee, $1.00 minimumState surcharge | 0.05% of calculated permit fee | Every permit of this type | min $1.00 |
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 service upgrade with four new circuits — the ordinary electrical permit, one service and one circuit count.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Active circuits | 4 |
| Electrical scope | service_circuit |
| Number of electrical services | 1 |
Example total
$146.00
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 4Rules considered 17
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Electrical permit — $15.00 per circuit, new, altered or repairedPermit feeThe table's second row: "Per Circuit; New, Altered, or Repaired | $15.00". The count is the circuits on the application, and the row stacks with the service row on one permit: a service with four circuits is $85.00 + $60.00.Show the working
| $15.00 per circuit | $60.00 |
Electrical permit — $85.00 per service, new, altered or repairedPermit feeThe service and circuit table's first row: "Per Service; New, Altered, or Repaired | $85.00". Saint Paul prices a service as a flat amount per service rather than by amperage or by circuit count, which is where it parts company with Minneapolis's state worksheets — the same permit, priced by count on one side of the river and by amperage on the other.Show the working
| $85.00 per electrical service | $85.00 |
Electrical permit — $85.00 minimum feePermit feeFour of the electrical tables print the same floor — "Minimum Fee | $85.00" on the service and circuit table and on the appliance, low-voltage and power-equipment tables — so one rule carries them, selected by the scope those tables are priced under. It is a floor on the permit fee, charged as the shortfall: one circuit alone computes $15.00 and pays $85.00. The solar table prints no minimum (its lowest band is $138.00) and the fire alarm table prints $78.00, which has its own rule.Show the working
| $85.00 minimum on calculated permit fee, less the $145.00 calculated | $0.00 |
Minnesota state surcharge — one-half mill of the permit fee, $1.00 minimumState surchargeEvery electrical table ends with the same row, and the word in it is the point: "Minimum State Surcharge | $1.00" on four tables, "State Surcharge (Minimum) | $1.00" on the fifth, "State Surcharge (minimum) | $1.00" on the solar table. A minimum on a surcharge is § 326B.148's own shape — one-half mill of the fee or $1, whichever is greater — so the rule charges 0.0005 of the permit fee with a $1.00 floor rather than a flat dollar, which is what the electrical pages say and what the plumbing page, printing a plain "$1", does not.Show the working
| 0.05% of calculated permit fee | $1.00 |
| Total | $146.00 |
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 — air conditioning unit installed, $15.00 per unit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — boiler installed, $15.00 per unit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — fire alarm devices, $1.88 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — fire alarm control panel, $78.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — furnace installed, $15.00 per unit — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — $1.00 per KVA or KVAR, or fraction thereof — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — low voltage devices, $2.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — low voltage control panel, $85.00 each — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — capacitor, generator or transformer, $54.00 per unit installed — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — solar PV system, 0 to 20 kW, $138.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — solar PV system, 21 to 40 kW, $332.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — solar PV system above 40 kW, $315.00 plus $3.00 per kW above 40 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — fire alarm minimum fee, $78.00 — 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.
"Per Service; New, Altered, or Repaired $85.00" once and "Per Circuit ... $15.00" four times: $85.00 + $60.00 = $145.00, above the $85.00 minimum, so the floor charges nothing. The state surcharge is one-half mill of the $145.00 fee with a $1.00 floor — 7.25 cents, trued up to $1.00 — so the permit is $146.00.
A single circuit with no service would compute $15.00 and pay the $85.00 minimum instead: the floor is a *minimum fee*, charged as the shortfall. And an air conditioner installed under this permit, with the circuits already counted, is $0: the appliance table's own row, "Per Unit Installed, With Other Electrical Work, No New Circuit".
A fire alarm permit is priced separately, under its own scope and its own floor: $78.00 for the control panel plus $1.88 for each device, with the $78.00 minimum behind it and the same $1.00 surcharge. Its devices are not the low-voltage table's devices — the scope is what keeps one count from being charged on two tables.
What is different in Saint Paul
The main permit is two rows and a floor: $85.00 per service, new, altered or repaired, and $15.00 per circuit, new, altered or repaired — so a service with four circuits is $145.00 — with a "Minimum Fee $85.00" that catches a one-circuit job at $85.00 rather than $15.00. The appliance table beside it prices an air conditioner, furnace or boiler installed on its own circuit at $15.00 each, and states the zero that keeps the two from stacking: "Per Unit Installed, With Other Electrical Work, No New Circuit | $0" — an appliance covered by another electrical permit is not charged again.
Three more tables round out the trade. Low voltage is $85.00 for the control panel plus $2.00 a device; the capacitor/generator/transformer table is $54.00 a machine plus $1.00 for each KVA or KVAR; fire alarm is $78.00 for the control panel and $1.88 for each horn, strobe or pull station, against a $78.00 minimum rather than the $85.00 the rest of the trade carries. Solar PV is priced by capacity instead: $138.00 for a system up to 20 kW, $332.00 for 21 to 40 kW — more than twice as much one kilowatt later — and $315.00 plus $3.00 for every kW above 40, which is $17.00 *below* the band beneath it at 40 kW.
Every one of the tables ends with the same row, and the word in it is the point: "Minimum State Surcharge | $1.00". A minimum on a surcharge is Minnesota Statutes § 326B.148's own shape — one-half mill of the fee or $1, whichever is greater — so the calculator charges 0.0005 of the permit fee with a $1.00 floor.
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 DSI's Electrical Inspection Department issues. It excludes:
- The Fire Engineering fire-alarm permit — the second table on the same page ($78.00 flat, $22.00 a control panel, $2.00 a device, 65% plan review over 100 devices): a Fire Department permit the City files beside the electrical one, and the page says "You may also apply for both permits".
- The electrical inspection requirements and checklists — the dwelling-unit rough-in and final checklists, the service-upgrade and garage wiring bulletins, AFCIs, multi-family wiring and temporary construction trailers: requirements, not fees.
- Plan review beyond the fire alarm row — the electrical tables print no plan review percentage; the building schedule's 65% belongs to building permits.
- The State's own electrical fees — Minnesota's § 326B.37 worksheets price state-issued permits where DLI is the authority; in Saint Paul the City is, and its tables are these.
What you need before applying
- Electrical permits are the City's, and the applicants are licensed contractors or homesteading homeownersRequired
The electrical pages price the work through DSI's Electrical Inspection Department and state the applicants: contractor information for commercial work, and homeowner information for residential work with a "Homeowners Affidavit (required)" beside it. The pages also carry the code and licensing boundary — "All work must be performed to the standards of the latest edition of the National Electrical Code adopted by the State of Minnesota" and, from 2026, "The 2026 National Electrical Code will be enforced on all permits obtained on or after August 17th, 2026" — while the fee itself is the City's own table.
- Fire alarm systems need two permits: the electrical one and the Fire Engineering oneRequired
The fire alarm page lists both: "Submit your Electrical Commercial Fire Alarm Permit application in PAULIE" and, under Fire Engineering, a "Fire Alarm Permit for 100 or fewer devices" or "Fire Alarm Permit for over 100 devices" — "You may also apply for both permits in PAULIE." Each has its own table (the electrical one at $78 a panel and $1.88 a device, the Fire Engineering one at $78 flat plus $22 a panel, $2 a device and 65% plan review over 100 devices). This page prices the electrical permit; the Fire Engineering permit is a Fire Department instrument priced beside it.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in Saint Paul?
It depends which table the permit falls under: $85.00 per service and $15.00 per circuit with an $85.00 minimum; $15.00 for each appliance installed on its own circuit; $54.00 per capacitor, generator or transformer plus $1.00 per KVA; $85.00 a low-voltage panel and $2.00 a device; $78.00 a fire alarm panel and $1.88 a device; and solar PV at $138.00 (to 20 kW), $332.00 (21-40 kW) or $315.00 plus $3.00 a kW above 40. Every permit adds the $1.00 minimum state surcharge.
Does Saint Paul or the State of Minnesota issue the electrical permit?
Saint Paul does. DSI's Electrical Inspection Department publishes its own fee tables for six sub-permits and its own inspectors work the area maps. It is the opposite of Minneapolis, where Minnesota's Electrical Act gives the inspection to the Department of Labor and Industry and the City publishes no electrical fee schedule at all — the same trade, priced by the City on one bank of the river and by the State on the other.
What does the electrical minimum fee do?
It is a floor on the permit fee, charged as the shortfall: one circuit computes $15.00 and pays $85.00, while a service with four circuits computes $145.00 and pays it as computed. The tables state "Minimum Fee $85.00" for services, appliances, low voltage and power equipment, and $78.00 for fire alarm — which is why the calculator keeps two minimum rules rather than one.
Why is the state surcharge $1.00 rather than 0.05% of the fee?
Because that is the statute's own shape, and the City's word for it is "minimum": "Minimum State Surcharge $1.00" on four tables and "State Surcharge (minimum)" on the solar one. Minnesota Statutes § 326B.148 charges one-half mill of the fee or $1, whichever is greater. On every fee these tables produce the $1.00 wins, and on a permit fee above $2,000 the millage takes over — which is what a minimum on a surcharge means.
Do I need a second permit for a fire alarm system?
Yes. The fire alarm page lists the electrical permit and, under Fire Engineering, a fire alarm permit for 100 or fewer devices or for over 100 devices — "You may also apply for both permits in PAULIE". Each has its own table; this page prices the electrical one at $78.00 a control panel and $1.88 a device with a $78.00 minimum.
How is a solar permit priced in Saint Paul?
By the system's capacity: $138.00 for 0 to 20 kW, $332.00 for 21 to 40 kW, and above 40 kW $315.00 plus $3.00 for every kW over 40. The bands are flat — a 5 kW and a 20 kW system pay the same $138.00 — and the table's own curious step is that the top band's base is $17.00 below the band beneath it at 40 kW, charged as printed.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 as HTML. Saint Paul prices electrical itself: the trade hub links six fee-bearing subpages, each with its own table — "Per Service; New, Altered, or Repaired $85.00" and "Per Circuit ... $15.00" with an $85.00 minimum; the appliance table ("Per Unit Installed, Per Circuit $15", "Per Unit Installed, With Other Electrical Work, No New Circuit $0"); "Per unit installed $54.00" and "$1.00 for KVA or KVAR; or fraction thereof" for capacitors, generators and transformers; "Per Control Panel $85.00" and "Per Device $2.00" for low voltage; "Per Control Panel $78.00", "Per Device (Horn, Strobe, Pull Station, Etc.) $1.88" for fire alarm, beside a second Fire Engineering table; and the solar PV table ("0-20 kW System $138.00", "21-40 kW System $332.00", "Above 40 kW $315, plus $3.00 for every kW above 40 kW"). Every table ends with a "$1.00 minimum" state surcharge, and the pages carry no date of their own — they sit inside the PAULIE platform that launched September 17, 2025.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.