Gaithersburg, MD Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Chapter 7 of the City Code adopts the National Electrical Code, NFPA 70, 2020 Edition, as the governing standard for all electrical work performed within the corporate limits of the city (§ 7-1). Where a local provision conflicts with the NEC, the city's amendments control. The city manager or an appointed designee is the 'authority having jurisdiction' for enforcement (§ 7-2), a role that belongs to the city itself because Gaithersburg administers its own electrical code rather than deferring to the county.

Anyone doing work covered by the chapter must first hold a master electrician's license or master electrician limited license issued by the city manager or designee (§ 7-3). An applicant qualifies by holding a valid county electrician's license or by meeting Section 6-301 et seq. of the Business Occupations and Professions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland (§ 7-4). A license runs for a term of not more than two years and requires a council-set fee plus a bond (§ 7-5). The city manager can suspend a license for up to sixty days for a violation and revoke it after a subsequent violation; the electrician may appeal to the board of appeals, then to the Circuit Court within thirty days of the written decision (§ 7-6). Every electrician must file a $1,000 bond, or carry insurance of at least $300,000 general liability and $100,000 property damage, renewed every two years unless already holding an active state or county master license (§ 7-7).

A separate permit, with its own council-set fee, is required before covered work begins (§ 7-8), and no electric utility may connect power to a property until required permits and inspections are complete (§ 7-9). Wiring may not be concealed before inspection and approval (§ 7-11), and new one- and two-family homes must be pre-wired for a future Level 2 EV charger, with minimum 1 1/4-inch conduit and No. 6 wire (§ 7-14). Local amendments raise the minimum single-family service disconnect to 200 amps and ban copper-clad aluminum wire at terminals (§ 7-15).