Modesto, CA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2025 California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3)
- Latest amendment
- Ord. 3810-C.S., effective June 11, 2026
- Enforcing official
- Building Official, Building Safety Division
- Permit lifetime
- Lapses at 180 days unstarted or 730 days unfinished
- Temporary power
- Up to 30 calendar days before final inspection
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor: up to $1,000 and six months in jail
- Appeal deadline
- 30 calendar days from service of the notice
Summary
Modesto adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code (California Code of Regulations Title 24, Part 3, published by the NFPA) as the city's Electrical Code under § 9-3.101. Ordinance 3810-C.S. moved the reference up from the 2022 edition effective June 11, 2026. Electrical work needs a permit from the Building Official unless Chapter 3 exempts it, and violations are misdemeanors.
That certain document, one (1) copy of which is on file in the Office of the Chief Building Official of the City of Modesto, being marked and designated as the 2025 California Electrical Code, California Code of Regulations Title 24, Part 3, as published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), as now existing, or hereafter amended, regulating, governing and providing standards for the erection, installation, repair, relocation, replacement, addition to, use, or maintenance of electrical systems and parts thereof for the protection of public health and safety, providing for the issuance of permits and collection of fees, providing penalties for the violation thereof; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said 2025 California Electrical Code on file in the Office of the Chief Building Official of the City of Modesto is hereby referred to, adopted and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this ordinance, with the additions, deletions, insertions, and changes if any, prescribed in this Chapter, be and hereby is adopted as the Electrical Code of the City of Modesto.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 71).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-3.101 incorporates the 2025 California Electrical Code by reference, "as now existing, or hereafter amended," so Modesto's electrical rules follow the state's Title 24, Part 3 text published by the National Fire Protection Association instead of a separate local rewrite. One copy sits on file in the Office of the Chief Building Official. Ordinance 3810-C.S., effective June 11, 2026, replaced the 2022 edition named in the section and in the Article 1 title. Earlier adoption cycles took effect on January 3, 2008, January 13, 2011, January 3, 2014, January 6, 2017, December 26, 2019 and January 24, 2023. Under § 9-3.204 the code's appendices stay out unless the State Building Standards Commission or the city adopts them.
Anyone who intends to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace a regulated installation must first apply to the Building Official and obtain a permit (§ 9-3.501). The exemptions in § 9-3.502 are narrow: cord-and-plug portable appliances, like-for-like replacement of fixed motors, transformers or overcurrent devices in the same location, taping joints, removing wiring, temporary decorative lighting up to 90 days, wiring below 25 volts that cannot supply more than 50 watts, and Class II and III low-energy circuits. Emergency repairs need the application and permit by the next business day (§ 9-3.503).
Applications must describe the work and the site and state its valuation, and the Building Official can require electrical schematics, load calculations and wire sizes (§ 9-3.603). An application with no permit issued within 180 calendar days expires. An issued permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days, stops for 180 days, or is unfinished after 730 calendar days, with one extension of up to 180 days on written request (§ 9-3.510).
Fees follow a City Council fee schedule (§ 9-3.702). Starting work before the permit adds a fee under § 9-3.703, and an investigation fee equal to the permit fee applies under § 9-3.705. No system can be covered, concealed or put into use before inspection (§ 9-3.804). Utility power waits for the Building Official's release and a passed final inspection, and a temporary connection runs no longer than 30 calendar days (§§ 9-3.901, 9-3.902).
Violations & Fines
Violating the Electrical Code is a misdemeanor under § 9-3.1118: a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in county jail, or both. The City Attorney can charge it as an infraction instead, at up to $250 for a first conviction and up to $500 for a repeat within one year. Each day of violation counts as a separate offense. The Building Official can also issue a notice of violation, a stop work order under § 9-3.1201, and administrative penalties under Title 1, Chapter 6. Defying a final order is itself a misdemeanor (§ 9-3.1115).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which electrical code does Modesto enforce?
Which electrical jobs in Modesto do not need a permit?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Modesto
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