Raleigh, NC
Raleigh electrical permit cost
A City of Raleigh electrical permit is a percentage of the calculated building permit fee rather than a rate of its own:
49% for new residential construction and 100% for new commercial work, each floored at the City's $124.00 Minimum Trade Permit Fee. There is no per-circuit, per-outlet or per-ampere row anywhere in the schedule. A 4% technology surcharge is applied to the result.
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 commercial electrical permit, 100% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 1, $0 to $500,000Permit fee | 0.21% of project valuation | Occupancy is not residential and Work type is new construction and Project valuation up to $500,000.99 and electrical item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| New commercial electrical permit, 100% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 2, $500,001 to $10,000,000Permit fee | 0.06% of project valuation + $1,050.00 | Occupancy is not residential and Work type is new construction and Project valuation at least $500,001 and Project valuation up to $10,000,000.99 and electrical item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| New commercial electrical permit, 100% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 3, $10,000,001 and abovePermit fee | 0.01% of project valuation + $7,250.00 | Occupancy is not residential and Work type is new construction and Project valuation at least $10,000,001 and electrical item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| New residential electrical permit, 49% of the calculated building permit feePermit fee | 0.1862% of project valuation | Occupancy is residential and Work type is new construction and electrical item is not provided | min $124.00 |
| Co-locate a cell on a buildingPermit fee | $300.00 flat fee | electrical item is colocate | min $124.00 |
| Commercial electric generatorPermit fee | $396.00 flat fee | electrical item is generator | min $124.00 |
| Parking lot lightingPermit fee | $320.00 flat fee | electrical item is parking lot lighting | min $124.00 |
| UPS systemPermit fee | $340.00 flat fee | electrical item is ups | min $124.00 |
| Technology surcharge, 4%Technology fee | 4% of fees charged | 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 new single-family house in the City of Raleigh with a calculated construction value of $400,000, permitted for its electrical work.
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Project valuation | $400,000 |
| Occupancy class | Residential |
| Type of work | New construction |
Example total
$774.59
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 2Rules considered 9
| Component | How it is calculated | Amount |
|---|---|---|
New residential electrical permit, 49% of the calculated building permit feePermit feeDevelopment Fee Guide FY27: "New Residential Electrical Permit — 54.00% prior, 49.00% FY27, % Of Calculated Building Permit." The building permit fee for new residential construction is 0.38% of calculated construction value, so this rule charges the two published rates composed — 49% of 0.38% — and floors the result at the guide's "Minimum Trade Permit Fee … $124.00".Show the working
| 0.1862% of project valuation | $744.80 |
Technology surcharge, 4%Technology feeDevelopment Fee Guide FY27, Technology Fee Reference Guide: "A 4% technology surcharge is applied to the following development fees to support the technology resources that allow for permitting in the City of Raleigh. This guide will help you determine the total cost of your fee with the surcharge." The guide then restates each Building and Safety fee as "Fee" and "Fee Total = Fee + Surcharge" — $150.00 becomes $156.00, $124.00 becomes $129.00.Show the working
| 4% of fees charged | $29.79 |
| Total | $774.59 |
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.
- New commercial electrical permit, 100% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 1, $0 to $500,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- New commercial electrical permit, 100% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 2, $500,001 to $10,000,000 — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- New commercial electrical permit, 100% of the calculated building permit fee — Tier 3, $10,000,001 and above — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Co-locate a cell on a building — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Commercial electric generator — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- Parking lot lighting — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
- UPS system — This fee does not apply to the inputs provided.
Assumptions
- Calculated from 2 fee rules in effect on 2026-09-28.
- Amounts are rounded to the nearest cent, once, at the end of each component.
The guide prints the electrical permit as 49% of the calculated building permit fee. The building permit for this project is 0.38% of $400,000, which is $1,520.00, so 49% of it is $744.80 — the rule charges the two published rates composed, 49% of 0.38%, which is 0.1862% of the value, and arrives at the same figure without needing the building permit to be charged on this page. The 4% technology surcharge is $29.79, and the electrical permit is $774.59.
Two variations show the edges. A $10,000 project has a building permit of $38.00, whose 49% is $18.62 — far below the floor — so the permit is the $124.00 Minimum Trade Permit Fee, and $128.96 with the surcharge. That floor is per trade, so the plumbing permit on the same job carries its own $124.00. A commercial generator is not a share at all: the guide's Stand Alone Trade Permits price it flat at $396.00, which is $411.84 with the surcharge.
One caution belongs with the number. The valuation the percentage is taken against is Raleigh's own figure, derived from the ICC Building Valuation Data and reduced by 12.4%, so a builder's estimate may not be the number the City prices from.
What is different in Raleigh
The share is the whole mechanism, and it has a consequence worth seeing before quoting anyone: the electrical permit does not scale with the wiring, it scales with the building. On a $400,000 new house the building permit is 0.38% of the value, $1,520.00, and the electrical permit is 49% of that — $744.80 — plus 4% technology surcharge, $29.79, for $774.59. Rewire the house completely and the figure is the same, because the City prices the share of a permit rather than the work in it.
The $124.00 floor is what stops that from becoming trivially small, and it is where the schedule bites. A project whose calculated value is $10,000 produces a building permit of $38.00 and a 49% share of $18.62 — well under the floor — so the electrical permit is $124.00, and with the surcharge $128.96. The guide is explicit that the floor is per trade per review: "Any fee not specifically listed as an individual fee will be charged at the minimum permit fee … assessed as per trade per review", so an electrical and a plumbing permit on one job are two floors, not one between them.
Four stand-alone permits are the exception to the percentage, because each prices a named piece of equipment rather than a share of a building: a commercial electric generator $396, parking lot lighting $320, a UPS system $340, and co-locating a cell on a building $300. They are alternatives to the percentage rather than additions to it, and the schedule keeps them separate for that reason.
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 estimate is the electrical permit as a percentage of the calculated building permit fee, its $124.00 floor, the four stand-alone electrical permits and the 4% technology surcharge. It excludes:
- The building permit itself, which is priced on the building page and is what this figure is a share of; it is not part of the electrical permit total.
- The alteration shares of 28%, 50% and 75% of the calculated building permit, which the guide prices for Level 1, 2 and 3 alterations against a building permit fee it never prints for an alteration.
- The mechanical permit, which the guide prices at 28% residential and 76% commercial of the calculated building permit; no page of this site prices mechanical work.
- Electrical work priced elsewhere in the guide — the commercial service repair permit at $198, the co-locate site permit at $169, and the fire marshal's own permits, which are a different department's fees in the same document.
- Conditional service fees of $215 per trade per unit commercial and $157 residential, the special projects fee of 0.25% of construction value per trade, and re-inspections at $122 each.
- Water, sewer, stormwater and transportation fees, which are four other departments' schedules inside the same guide.
What you need before applying
- The electrical permit is a percentage of the building permit fee, not a rate of its ownRequired
Development Fee Guide FY27: "New Residential Electrical Permit — 49.00% % Of Calculated Building Permit" and "New Commercial Electrical Permit — 100% % Of Calculated Building Permit". There is no per-circuit, per-outlet or per-ampere row anywhere in the Building and Safety section; the trade does not have its own rate schedule, it has a share of the building permit's.
- A $124.00 minimum applies to every trade permitRequired
"Minimum Trade Permit Fee — Any fee not specifically listed as an individual fee will be charged at the minimum permit fee. This also applies to a minimum building plan review fee. Which are assessed as per trade per review. $124.00." So a small project whose 49% share comes to less than $124 pays $124, and the floor is per trade rather than per project: an electrical and a plumbing permit on one job are two floors.
Common questions
How much is an electrical permit in Raleigh?
It depends on the building permit, because that is what it is a share of. For new residential construction the guide prints "49.00% % Of Calculated Building Permit"; for new commercial work, 100%. On a $400,000 new house, 49% of the $1,520.00 building permit is $744.80, and $774.59 after the 4% technology surcharge. Every permit is floored at $124.00.
Development Fee Guide FY27, New Residential Electrical Permit
Is there a fee per outlet, per circuit or per ampere?
No. The Building and Safety section contains no such row. Raleigh prices the electrical permit as a share of the building permit fee for new construction, and prices four named pieces of equipment flat — a commercial generator $396, parking lot lighting $320, a UPS system $340, co-locating a cell on a building $300. Nothing is priced by a count of devices.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Building and Safety and Stand Alone Trade Permits
What is the $124 minimum and when does it apply?
The guide's "Minimum Trade Permit Fee": "Any fee not specifically listed as an individual fee will be charged at the minimum permit fee. This also applies to a minimum building plan review fee. Which are assessed as per trade per review. $124.00." It bites on small projects — a $10,000 new residential project would otherwise pay $18.62 — and it is assessed per trade, so electrical and plumbing on one job are two separate floors.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Minimum Trade Permit Fee
Does rewiring a house cost more than a service change?
Not under this schedule, for new construction. Both are the same 49% share of the calculated building permit fee, and the guide prints no per-item electrical rate to distinguish them. The four stand-alone permits are the only electrical figures that price a specific thing, and each is a named piece of equipment rather than an amount of wiring.
Development Fee Guide FY27, New Residential Electrical Permit
Is plan review included in the electrical permit?
No. Plan review is priced on the building permit as 57% residential or 65% commercial of the calculated building permit fee, and is a charge of its own. The guide also prints a minimum building plan review fee alongside the $124 trade floor, which is why the two are separate rows on the building page rather than part of this one.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Plan Review Fee rows
What is the 4% technology surcharge?
The last step on any Raleigh permit: "A 4% technology surcharge is applied to the following development fees to support the technology resources that allow for permitting in the City of Raleigh." The City reprints every fee with it applied, so a reader can check $744.80 becoming $774.59 on the guide's own page.
Development Fee Guide FY27, Technology Fee Reference Guide
Source and verification
The documents behind every figure on this page, with the dates that make them checkable.
- Fee schedule (PDF)CityPrimary source
Read 2026-09-25. 993,935 bytes, sha256 beginning b10565b399afaede, linked from raleighnc.gov/permits/services/development-fee-guide-and-calculator. The cover page states the period: "Development Fee Guide — July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027", which is why this schedule has an effective date from its own cover rather than from an inference about when a previous version ended. Every fee row prints two cost columns, Prior Year Cost and FY27 Cost, and both were read: taking the left-hand column would publish last year's schedule throughout, and the differences are not small — the new residential electrical permit went from 54% to 49% and the commercial plan review from an unread prior rate to 65%. The Technology Fee Reference Guide near the end of the document is what carries the 4% surcharge, and it was read there rather than inferred from the difference between the guide's two columns.
Verification
Last verified against the official source in Sep 2026.