Carroll County, MD Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

18(1) amends the National Electrical Code 2023 by adding Chapter 95, Registration Requirements, § 95-1, which states that no person may install, repair, maintain or erect any kind of electrical wiring, conduits, or wiring to or repair of electrical elements or circuits of machinery and fixed or stationary appliances, motors, fixtures, signs, electrically operated heating equipment, elevators, or any other electrically operated apparatus or device in, on, or about any premises in the county without having obtained a State license or County registration and permit as required by the county or the state, or having otherwise complied with these regulations.

Only two exceptions apply: a utility company regulated by the Public Service Commission of Maryland working on its own property or the line side of a meter, and radio or television transmitting stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. 1 adds that manufacturers assembling or repairing their own electrical equipment are not required to hold a registration for that in-house work, but any electrical installation for machinery and equipment inside those factories must still be performed by, or under the direct supervision of, a holder of a master or limited electrician registration.

Section 95-2 then sets up the classes of registration: a master electrician registration authorizes an individual to perform or direct all types of electrical work under the adopted codes, while a limited electrician registration authorizes work only on the premises of the registrant's employer and becomes void once the registrant leaves that employer.