New Orleans, LA Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

1 sets the technical baseline: components and systems must be designed and built to the 2020 National Electrical Code (NFPA-70), but where Chapter 27's local text conflicts with the NEC, the city's Chapter 27 requirement controls, not the national standard. Licensing sits alongside the technical standard rather than in a separate ordinance. Section 2702 defines a certified electrical contractor or electrician as anyone holding a license from the Electrical Inspection Division of the Department of Safety and Permits, and § 2703 makes it unlawful to undertake work as a Class A Electrical Contractor, Class B Fabrication Contractor, Class C Maintenance Electrician, Class D Journeyman Electrician, or Class E Trainee without registering with that Division and holding the matching license -- performing electrical work without the proper license is itself a code violation.

Section 2704 spells out what each class may do, from a Class A contractor's authority to install service at 49 volts or more down to a Class D journeyman who must work under a Class A contractor's supervision, and § 2705 requires a properly classed electrician to be present and in direct supervision at all times work is being performed under a permit.