Medford, MA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice deadline
- Before starting or within 5 days after finishing
- Fine for no notice
- $20 (Sec. 10-66(a))
- No application filed
- Triple the normal fee (Sec. 10-67(b))
- Additional inspection, defective work
- $20 (Appendix A item 19)
Summary
Medford requires anyone installing electrical wiring or fixtures for hire to notify the superintendent of wires before starting, or within five days after finishing, under Sec. 10-66, tied to M.G.L.A. c. 143, § 3L. Skipping that notice draws a $20 fine, and doing electrical work with no application on file triples the normal permit fee under Sec. 10-67.
Sec. 10-66. - Fees. (a)Penalty for violation of article. No person shall install for hire any electrical wiring or fixtures subject to M.G.L.A. c. 143, § 3L, without first, or within five days after completing the work, giving notice to the superintendent of wires. Failure to comply with this section is punishable by a $20.00 fine. ... Sec. 10-67. - Permits not otherwise specified. (a)An additional charge in an amount set by the city and listed in appendix A of these Revised Ordinances will be made by this department and must be paid by the contractor, or other person doing the work, for each additional inspection resulting, in the opinion of this department, from defective work caused, in whole or in part, by the use of improper or unworkmanlike installation or incompletion of work.(b)The fee will be triple the amount of the normal fee for electrical installation for which no application was applied for, prior to the date work was performed. ... (19) Additional inspection for defective work . . 20.00 10-67
Full Breakdown
Sec. 10-66(a) puts a notice duty on anyone who installs electrical wiring or fixtures for hire under the state's electrical licensing statute, M.G.L.A. c. 143, § 3L: notify the superintendent of wires either before starting the job or within five days after finishing it. Failing that notice is punishable by a $20.00 fine under the same subsection. Sec. 10-67 layers on inspection-related charges that fall on the contractor or other person doing the work: an additional charge applies for each extra inspection the department has to make because of defective, improper, or unworkmanlike installation, and Sec.
10-67(b) triples the normal electrical fee outright when work goes forward with no application ever filed. Appendix A's electrical fee schedule prices that additional-inspection charge for defective work at $20.00 under item (19), cross-referenced back to Sec. 10-67, so a botched job can cost both the extra-inspection fee and, if there was never an application, the tripled base fee on top of it. Taken together, the notice deadline, the flat $20 fine for missing it, and the tripled fee for skipping the application entirely push every electrician toward filing paperwork before turning on a single circuit rather than explaining the work afterward.
Violations & Fines
Failing to notify the superintendent of wires before or within five days after wiring work is a $20.00 fine under Sec. 10-66(a). Doing electrical work with no permit application on file draws a tripled fee under Sec. 10-67(b), and defective work that needs a follow-up inspection costs $20.00 more under Appendix A item (19).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to notify the city before doing electrical work in Medford?
What's the penalty for skipping the electrical work notice in Medford?
What if an electrician never files an application for the work?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medford
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