Durham, NC Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Sec. 10-107 is the general permit requirement for electrical work in Durham: except as otherwise provided, no electric wiring, device, appliance, or equipment may be installed in or on a building, structure, or premises, and no alteration may be made to existing wiring or equipment, unless a permit has first been secured from the director of inspection services. Two narrow exemptions carve out permit-free work: Sec. 10-108 excuses signal or intelligence-transmission wiring that operates at 50 volts or less and doesn't include generating or transforming equipment capable of supplying more than 1,000 watts, and Sec.

10-109 excuses public service corporations installing equipment needed to generate, transmit, and distribute electrical energy to their own customers. Beyond the permit itself, Sec. 10-112 requires that no permit be issued to anyone who isn't the holder of a state electrical contractor's license, and that licensee must also give the surety bond required under Sec. 10-89. Once work is done, Sec. 10-117 requires the installer to notify the director, who inspects within 24 hours if practicable, and Sec. 10-119 separately bars concealing wiring behind permanent building surfaces until the director has inspected and approved it, a requirement whose violation is also charged as a misdemeanor.

A contractor who doesn't correct a defect within 48 hours of notice from the electrical inspector loses the ability to get further permits until it's fixed (Sec. 10-113), and anyone who fails to pay required fees is likewise cut off from new permits (Sec. 10-116).