La Habra, CA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Section 15.16.010, adopted by Ordinance CC 2025-12 on November 3, 2025 and replacing the repealed Ordinance 1848 chapter, makes the 2025 California Electrical Code, "based on the 2023 National Electrical Code as published by the National Fire Protection Association," the electrical code of the city, "regulating all installation, arrangement, alteration, repair, use and other operation of electrical wiring, connections, fixtures and other electrical appliances on premises within the city of La Habra." Section 15.16.020 directs that administration of electrical permits follows the Building Code's Section 15.04.020 Administrative Provisions rather than a separate electrical administrative chapter, so the same building official and Section 105 permit-issuance and expiration rules that apply to a CBC permit also govern an electrical permit.

The section also amends Article 300, Section 310.3(B), Conductor Material, by adding a second paragraph: copper wire is required for wiring No. 6 and smaller in all installations, though the building official may consider aluminum wiring for feeder lines only, evaluated on an individual basis where adequate safety measures can be ensured. That means a homeowner or electrician cannot default to aluminum branch-circuit wiring at the smaller gauges without building-official sign-off, and any request to use aluminum on a feeder line is reviewed case by case rather than approved as a matter of right.