Burlington, NC Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Section 7-16 puts electrical qualification in the hands of the city's Electrical Inspector rather than leaving it to state licensing alone. An applicant must first complete four years of training under the supervision of a journeyman electrician, or an equivalent, before the inspector will even accept a written application, submitted with a fee the city council sets. The inspector conducts the exam monthly, or more often when the inspector considers it advisable, and bases it on the applicant's practical experience together with the current edition of the National Electrical Code and the state and local electrical laws and ordinances.

Every exam is written and the inspector must keep it on file for two years afterward. Applicants who show the proper qualifications receive both a certificate and a copy of the local electrical code from the inspector. That certificate is not permanent protection: the chief inspector can suspend or revoke it for just cause after a hearing, though the electrician may appeal the chief inspector's decision to the city manager for a final ruling. Passing the exam earns a permanent journeyman card. Failing does not get the application fee back, but the applicant can sit for a reexamination after a sixty-day wait; after two failures, the inspector requires an entirely new deposit before another attempt.

This exam sits alongside Section 7-15's separate adoption of the North Carolina Electrical Code for all construction activity and Section 7-4's base electrical permit fee.