Hayward, CA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

The City Council adopted the 2025 California Electrical Code, Part 3 of Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations and based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, as the electrical portion of the Building Code of the City of Hayward under Section 9-1.00, together with the 2025 California Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Historical, Existing Building and Green Building Standards Codes. Section 9-1.02 states that the administrative local amendments to Chapter 1 of the Building Code, including fees, timelines and permit expiration rules, also apply to the administration chapters of the California Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Codes, so electrical permit applicants follow the same procedures as building permit applicants.

An application for an electrical permit is deemed abandoned 365 days after filing if plans are never approved, and once plans are approved a permit stays valid for another 180 days before it lapses; the Building Official may grant extensions of up to 90 days each for justifiable cause under amended Section 105.3.2. If an electrical permit expires before work is finished, a completion permit is required under Section 105.5.2, with its fee scaled to the percentage of the job that already passed inspection. The Building Division, part of the Development Services Department created under Section 103.1, administers plan review and inspection for electrical work, and permit and inspection fees are set by City Council resolution under amended Section 109.2.