New York City, NY
New York City electrical permit cost
A New York City electrical permit is priced by the Department's own rule rather than the fee table:
$40.00 for the initial application, $0 for the first ten units and $0.25 for each outlet, fixture, horsepower, kilowatt or kilovolt-ampere after them. A service switch is priced on its own band — $8.00 at 100 amperes or less, $30.00 to 200, up to $375.00 above 1,200 — and minor work that needs no construction documents is a flat $15.00 instead.
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 — initial application, $40.00Permit fee | $40.00 flat fee | not (minor work is true) | — |
| Electrical permit — minor work, $15.00Permit fee | $15.00 flat fee | minor work is true | — |
| Electrical permit — service switch, 0–100 Amperes, $8.00Permit fee | $8.00 flat fee | service switch amperage is provided and service switch amperage up to 100 | — |
| Electrical permit — service switch, 601–1,200 Amperes, $225.00Permit fee | $225.00 flat fee | service switch amperage is provided and service switch amperage over 600 and service switch amperage up to 1200 | — |
| Electrical permit — service switch, 101–200 Amperes, $30.00Permit fee | $30.00 flat fee | service switch amperage is provided and service switch amperage over 100 and service switch amperage up to 200 | — |
| Electrical permit — service switch, 201–600 Amperes, $105.00Permit fee | $105.00 flat fee | service switch amperage is provided and service switch amperage over 200 and service switch amperage up to 600 | — |
| Electrical permit — service switch, Over 1,200 Amperes, $375.00Permit fee | $375.00 flat fee | service switch amperage is provided and service switch amperage over 1200 | — |
| Electrical permit — outlets, fixtures, motors, heaters and transformers, $0.25 each over tenPermit fee | the first 10 electrical units is included in the permit fee, then $0.25 for each additional electrical unit | not (minor work is true) | — |
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 with a 200-ampere service switch and 30 outlets and fixtures on the filing — an initial application, not minor work.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of electrical units | 30 |
| Service switch amperage | 200 |
Example total
$75.00
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 8
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
Electrical permit — initial application, $40.00Permit fee1 RCNY §101-03: "Electrical permit initial application (excluding minor work): $40". Charged once for the application, before any parts fee, and not charged on a minor work permit — which is a permit of its own at $15.00. Local Law 128 of 2024 repealed the chapter of Title 27 the rule cross-references for minor work, so that cross-reference now points at nothing; the fee itself is unchanged.Show the working
| $40.00 flat fee | $40.00 |
Electrical permit — service switch, 101–200 Amperes, $30.00Permit fee1 RCNY §101-03: "For each service switch installed, altered or repaired: 0-100 Amperes $8.00; 101-200 Amperes $30.00; 201-600 Amperes $105.00; 601-1,200 Amperes $225.00; Over 1,200 Amperes $375.00." This is the 101–200 Amperes band, and it is charged for one switch — the schedule charges each switch on the permit.Show the working
| $30.00 flat fee | $30.00 |
Electrical permit — outlets, fixtures, motors, heaters and transformers, $0.25 each over tenPermit fee1 RCNY §101-03: "Each outlet, each fixture, each horsepower or fraction thereof of a motor or generator, each kilowatt or fraction thereof of a heater, each horsepower or fraction thereof of an air conditioner, each kilovolt-ampere or fraction thereof of a transformer installed, altered or repaired shall be assigned the value of one unit: 1 – 10 units, $0; Over 10 units, $.25." The rule notes that the total additional fee is the sum of the units; this page prices the unit row only, and names the rest of the parts fees.Show the working
| the first 10 electrical units is included in the permit fee, then $0.25 for each additional electrical unit | $5.00 |
| Total | $75.00 |
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 — minor work, $15.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — service switch, 0–100 Amperes, $8.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — service switch, 601–1,200 Amperes, $225.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — service switch, 201–600 Amperes, $105.00 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Electrical permit — service switch, Over 1,200 Amperes, $375.00 — 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 initial application is $40.00. The unit row counts 30 outlets and fixtures against a free allowance of ten, so twenty units are charged at $0.25 — $5.00. The service switch is on the 101–200 ampere band at $30.00, and only one band can apply to one switch. The total is $75.00.
Two changes move it: at 100 amperes or less the band is $8.00 and the permit is $53.00, and a thirty-first outlet would add another quarter to $75.25 — above the allowance every unit counts, one at a time. Filing the same scope as minor work replaces all of it: $15.00 flat, with no $40.00 application and no unit row.
None of this includes the parts fees the same rule publishes — service entrance cables, panels, signs, elevators and boiler controls — each priced per item by a rating this calculator does not ask for.
What is different in New York City
§28-112.2.2 sends electrical fees to department rules, and the rule is 1 RCNY §101-03 — figures that have not moved since the rule took effect on 1 July 2008. A filing with 30 outlets and a 200-ampere service switch is $40.00 to apply, $5.00 for the twenty units above the free ten, and $30.00 for the switch: $75.00 in all.
What counts as a unit is the rule's own list: each outlet, each fixture, each horsepower or fraction of a motor or generator, each kilowatt or fraction of a heater, each horsepower of air conditioning and each kilovolt-ampere or fraction of a transformer installed, altered or repaired. The first ten cost nothing, and every one after them costs a quarter — the allowance is ten units on the permit, not a block per room or per circuit.
Payment follows §28-112.2.2: 50 percent of the total fee — but not less than $130, or the whole fee where it is under $130 — is paid at filing and the rest before any department inspection. DOB's FAQ adds that the permit is valid for a maximum of 12 months and every renewal costs $130. Parts fees for service entrance cables, panels, signs, elevators and boiler controls sit in the same rule and are named here rather than charged, because each is priced per item by a rating this calculator does not collect.
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 1 RCNY §101-03's electrical permit fee — the application, the unit row and one service switch band. It excludes:
- Parts fees by rating. Service entrance cables and feeder conductors at $15 to $75 a set, panels at $15 to $75, signs at $40 in shop and $65 to $115 on site, elevators at $125 plus $83 for each further ten floors, and $12 for wiring or rewiring boiler controls — each priced per item by a rating no input on this site collects.
- The $5,000 aggregate cap. The adopted rule still prints that the total additional fee "shall not exceed five thousand dollars", and DOB's pending DOB-219 rulemaking says Local Law 128 of 2024 repealed the cap and proposes to delete the wording. It caps a permit in aggregate, which a per-rule maximum cannot express, so this model applies none.
- Renewals, Post Approval Amendments and after-hours variances — $130, $130, and $130 to $650 plus $80 a day — which are fees for later acts rather than for the permit being priced.
- Electrical Plan Review, required where the filing answers yes to installing service equipment, transformers, UPS systems, generators, other power sources or energy-storage systems: a review requirement, not a fee this rule charges.
- The other agency's permits. FDNY permits alarm and suppression systems, and §28-112.5 says paying DOB's fee "shall not relieve the applicant or holder of the permit from the payment of other fees that are prescribed by law".
What you need before applying
- A licensed electrician files the permit in DOB NOW: BuildRequired
Electrical filings are made in DOB NOW: Build by the licensed electrician, who is the only person who can create the after-hours variance and the only one who can be superseded. DOB's FAQ states that an electrical permit is valid for a maximum of 12 months and that "A renewal fee of $130 will be required for every renewal", that the expiration date follows the earlier of the insurance and licence expiry dates, and that a permit expired for more than 12 months after issuance is abandoned.
- Half the electrical fee at filing, the rest before any inspectionRequired
§28-112.2.2, as added by Local Law 128 of 2024: fees for electrical work requiring a permit are set by department rules, and "50 percent of the total fee for the work permit, but not less than $130, or the total fee for the work permit where such fee is less than $130, shall be paid at the time of filing, and the remainder of the total fee shall be paid before any department inspection". The two halves always sum to the fee.
- Everything counted is a unit, and the first ten are freeRequired
1 RCNY §101-03 assigns one unit to each outlet, each fixture, each horsepower or fraction of a motor or generator, each kilowatt or fraction of a heater, each horsepower of an air conditioner and each kilovolt-ampere or fraction of a transformer installed, altered or repaired — then charges $0 for the first ten units and $.25 over ten. A service switch, a set of service entrance cables, a panel, a sign, an elevator and boiler controls are priced on their own rows by rating instead, and are named on the page.
- Electrical Plan Review where the scope touches the serviceRequired
DOB's FAQ: Electrical Plan Review is required where the filing answers yes to whether the scope installs service equipment, transformers, UPS systems, generators, other power sources or energy-storage systems — approved plans and an approval letter are uploaded, and the EPR number is entered. EPR filings are not submitted in DOB NOW. This is a review requirement rather than a fee, and nothing on this site charges for it.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in New York City?
$40.00 for the initial application, then $0 for the first ten units and $0.25 for each unit after them — each outlet, fixture, horsepower of motor or air conditioning, kilowatt of heater and kilovolt-ampere of transformer. A service switch is charged by its ampere band, from $8.00 to $375.00, and minor work that needs no construction documents is a flat $15.00 instead of the application.
Why don't electrical permits pay the fee table's rates?
Because §28-112.2.2 says electrical fees are set "in accordance with department rules" — Local Law 128 of 2024 added row 15.1 to Table 28-112.2 for exactly this, and the rule it points to is 1 RCNY §101-03. The table's $2.60-to-$17.75 ladder therefore prices building and plumbing alterations, while the electrical page prices the rule's own figures.
Are the first ten units really free?
Yes: 1 RCNY §101-03 charges "1 – 10 units, $0; Over 10 units, $.25". An eleven-unit filing pays $2.75 on the unit row, the tenth unit costs nothing, and the counting starts above the allowance rather than restarting per room or per circuit — every unit past ten on the permit is $0.25.
What does a service switch cost?
$8.00 from 0 to 100 amperes, $30.00 for 101–200, $105.00 for 201–600, $225.00 for 601–1,200 and $375.00 above 1,200 — charged for each service switch installed, altered or repaired, so a job with two switches pays the band twice. Only one band can apply to one switch.
When is the electrical fee paid?
§28-112.2.2, as added by Local Law 128 of 2024: 50 percent of the total fee for the work permit — but not less than $130, or the total fee where such fee is less than $130 — is paid at the time of filing, and the remainder before any department inspection. The two halves always sum to the fee.
How long does an electrical permit last, and what does a renewal cost?
DOB's Electrical Filings FAQ: an electrical permit is valid for a maximum of 12 months, its expiration follows the earlier of the insurance and licence expiry dates, and "A renewal fee of $130 will be required for every renewal". A permit expired for more than 12 months after issuance is abandoned rather than renewed.
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Municipal codeCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 from the codifier's consolidated rule text. §28-112.2.2 of the Administrative Code sends electrical permit fees here, and this section prints them: $40 for the initial application, $0 for the first ten units and $.25 over, service switches at $8 to $375 by ampere band, service entrance cables at $15 to $75, panels at $15 to $75, signs at $40 to $115, elevators at $125 and $83, boiler controls at $12, minor work at $15 — and the records management fee of $45 or $165 for applications for new buildings and alterations. The section's promulgation details, downloaded from nyc.gov, show the electrical and records figures only in the original rule effective 1 July 2008; the section was last amended effective 13 August 2026 for sidewalk-shed provisions, and a pending DOB-219 rulemaking would amend the electrical rows.
- City websiteCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 for the operational answers the rule does not give: electrical permits are valid for a maximum of 12 months and every renewal costs $130; a Post Approval Amendment costs $130; an After-Hours Variance is $130 to $650 plus $80 a day; the filing status moves to complete only when the job has passed inspection and "all the fees (including parts fees) are paid"; and Electrical Plan Review is required where the scope installs service equipment, transformers, UPS systems, generators, other power sources or energy-storage systems. It is also where the 50% payment rule is seen in practice — the Department says payments are made directly in DOB NOW: Build.
- OrdinanceCityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25 as the City Clerk's PDF: passed 21 November 2024, returned unsigned 23 December 2024, and by §29 effective one year after it became law — the codifier records that as 21 December 2025, so it is in force on this pass's verification date. It rewrote §28-112.2's payment paragraph, added §28-112.2.1 (non-electrical work: 50% and not less than $130 where a certificate of occupancy changes, 100% otherwise) and §28-112.2.2 (electrical work: fees "in accordance with department rules", 50% and not less than $130 at filing), and added row 15.1 to the table. It moved no amount in the table, and it repealed the chapter of Title 27 that carried the electrical fee cap the rule still prints.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.