Lacey, WA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Code name
- Electrical Code of the City of Lacey (LMC 14.13.010)
- Permit authority
- The code official, division of electrical inspection
- Emergency repairs
- Application due the next working business day
- Abandoned application
- One hundred eighty days after filing
- Extensions
- Written request, each not exceeding ninety days
- Exempt wiring
- Under twenty-five volts, no more than fifty watts
- Fees
- Set by the city council fee resolution
Summary
In the City of Lacey, Washington, anyone who installs, alters, repairs, moves or replaces electrical systems or equipment must first apply to the code official and obtain the required permit. The only carve-out for emergency repairs is a permit application filed within the next working business day. Fees are paid before the permit issues, and the permit stays on the premises.
A. Permits Required. Permits required by this code shall be obtained from the code official. Permit fees, if any, shall be paid prior to issuance of the permit. Issued permits shall be kept on the premises designated therein at all times and shall be readily available for inspection by the code official. 1. Types of Permits. An owner, authorized agent or contractor who desires to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace electrical systems or equipment, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause such work to be done, shall first make application to the code official and obtain the required permit for the work. EXCEPTION: Where repair or replacement of electrical systems or equipment must be performed in an emergency situation, the permit application shall be submitted within the next working business day of the department of electrical inspection.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 14.13 of the Lacey Municipal Code adopts the National and State Electrical Codes that RCW 19.28.010 adopts, as modified by the rules of the State Department of Labor and Industries, and names the result the Electrical Code of the City of Lacey. The code official, who heads the division of electrical inspection, receives applications, reviews construction documents and issues the permits. Applications go in on the form and with the plans the code official prescribes. The code official examines each application within a reasonable time, then either rejects it in writing with reasons or issues the permit as soon as practicable. An application is deemed abandoned one hundred eighty days after filing unless it is pursued in good faith or a permit has been issued, and written extension requests can win additional periods not exceeding ninety days each.
Some work needs no permit: listed cord and plug connected temporary decorative lighting, reinstallation of attachment plug receptacles (but not the outlets), repair or replacement of branch circuit overcurrent devices of the required capacity in the same location, temporary wiring for experimental purposes in suitable experimental laboratories, and wiring operating at less than twenty-five volts that cannot supply more than fifty watts. An exemption never authorizes work that violates the code.
Homeowners get a limited path. The inspector can issue a permit to the owner of a building the owner uses and occupies, and a homeowner can receive help from a friend, neighbor or relative as long as none of the people doing the installation hold themselves out as engaged in the electrical trade or business. An owner who is not otherwise qualified to do the wiring cannot get a permit for a place of business, an apartment house, a rental unit, or a new dwelling to be offered for sale within six months of completion.
Fees follow the fee resolution adopted by the city council, and a permit is not valid until they are paid. Starting work before a permit issues triggers a civil penalty on top of the fees. The code official can suspend or revoke a permit issued in error or on false information, and appeals go to the hearings examiner under LMC 14.18.030.
Violations & Fines
Under LMC 14.13.100, it is unlawful to erect, construct, alter, extend, repair, move, remove, demolish or occupy a regulated electrical system in conflict with the code, and anyone who fails to comply with the code, an order or a permit condition is guilty of a misdemeanor. Each day an abatement notice goes unobeyed counts as a new and separate offense. LMC 14.17.080 sets the Title 14 maximum at a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year. The code official can also order work stopped in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to replace a breaker in Lacey?
Can a homeowner pull their own electrical permit in Lacey?
What happens if I start electrical work before getting the permit?
How long does an electrical permit application stay open?
How do I appeal a decision by the Lacey electrical code official?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lacey
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