Mount Prospect, IL Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Section 21.107 adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code and appendices in their entirety, except portions the section expressly deletes, modifies or amends, and the local exceptions control wherever they conflict with the NEC. Aluminum wire is strictly prohibited inside the structure, and all interior conductors must be solid or stranded copper. Aluminum or copper-clad aluminum service entrance conductors are allowed under the NEC only if installed by a qualified electrician to the manufacturer's torque specifications, regularly inspected, and used with a panel and meter socket labeled and listed for them.

The local amendments run to detail. Nonmetallic-sheathed cable, service-entrance cable, electrical nonmetallic tubing, concealed knob and tube and several other wiring methods are prohibited unless the code official specifically approves them. Bracket boxes must be screwed, not nailed, in new work unless space limitations make it impractical, and lay-in fixtures in grid ceilings need at least two (2) independent hanger rods. Furnaces and central air units, through-wall heating or air conditioning units, built-in microwave ovens, and sump and ejector pumps each need a dedicated branch circuit. In commercial work, panels over two hundred (200) amp take bolt-in breakers only, and each parking lot or street lighting pole gets a grounding electrode at least eight feet (8') long and one-half inch (1/2") in diameter.

The permit itself comes from § 21.203(A)(1), which makes it unlawful to change electrical piping before the proper permits are obtained from the Department of Community Development. Section 21.204(A) requires other permits, electrical included, to be approved before a building permit issues. Section 21.304 sets the electrical installation and alteration fee in appendix A, division II. Electrical piping and wiring get an inspection under § 21.215(A)(7) when installed.

Electricians face a licensing check under § 11.601(B): an electrical contractor must submit proof of a current electrical contractor license issued by an Illinois municipality, approved by the building official, that administers a competency exam based on the National Electrical Code or the City of Chicago Electrical Code.