Okaloosa County, FL Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Section 6-135 adopts the Florida Building Code and the 2011 National Electrical Code 'by reference,' along with their associated technical codes, appendices and any local ordinances not superseded by the state-adopted codes; the whole package takes effect countywide on the date the Florida Building Code Commission sets. Section 6-134(b)(2) then triggers the permit requirement itself: a permit is required whenever an owner, agent or contractor wants to erect, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace an electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system that the technical codes regulate.

Underground utility work is singled out for extra review in Section 6-134(b)(3), which routes each underground system through plan review, permitting and inspection by the Growth Management Department together with the county's Water and Sewer Department and Public Works Department. 721, Florida Statutes, plus non-county charges like credit-card fees. Anyone who starts wiring, panel or service work before the permit issues is charged double under Section 6-134(d): a penalty equal to 100 percent of the usual permit fee, on top of the fee itself. The property owner and the permit holder both stay on the hook for compliance with every adopted code under Section 6-134(f), regardless of who pulled the permit.