Colonie, NY Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Chapter 85's § 85-3 adopts the National Electrical Code, described in the chapter as "National Fire Protection Association Pamphlet No. 70," as the governing standard for every electrical installation in the Town outside the corporate limits of the Villages of Colonie and Menands, except where a local law or the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code prescribes something different. Section 85-4 makes approval mandatory before any electrical work for light, heat or power is installed or altered: the property owner must apply to and get approval from a Town Board-approved electrical inspection agency, and no work can start until the application and plans are reviewed and approved.

Once the work is finished, that same approved agency inspects it and, if it conforms to the chapter, issues a certificate of compliance, a copy of which goes to the Town's Superintendent of Buildings. Approved inspectors must hold IAEI certification and apply through the Commissioner of Public Works for the Town Board's approved list under § 85-5. Section 85-6 makes it a separate violation both to start electrical work without an approved application and to connect any wiring to a power source before a certificate of compliance is issued.

Limited exceptions exist under § 85-9 for manufacturing/repair businesses working on their own equipment, vehicle-related electrical work, and portable or emergency generators not physically affixed to the property, though a homeowner doing their own repair work still must meet § 85-3's NEC standard and obtain a certificate of compliance.