Madison County, IL Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

§ 90.16 of the county's Building Regulations chapter adopts nine construction codes by reference "as if appearing in total," and the fourth on that list is the 2005 National Electric Code, which governs electrical installations for construction in unincorporated Madison County. The same section adopts the 2012 International Building Code, the 2012 International Residential Code (with two named exceptions), the 2012 International Fire Code, the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code, the 2012 International Mechanical Code, the Illinois Plumbing Code, the Illinois Private Sewage Code, and the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code, so electrical work sits inside a full adopted-code package rather than a standalone electrical ordinance. § 90.16(B) requires the county to keep three copies of every adopted code on file in the County Clerk's office for visual inspection, which is where a homeowner or contractor can review the actual 2005 NEC text referenced by the ordinance.

The county's authority to adopt these codes for unincorporated construction comes from § 90.15(A), citing 55 ILCS 5/5-6001 et seq. Electrical permitting sits alongside the general building-permit process in this chapter: Madison County's Planning and Development / Building and Zoning Department administers the permits and inspections, and a separate provision, § 93.161(D), requires that where a sign installation needs an electrical permit, it must be obtained at the same time as the sign permit itself.