Provo, UT Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Provo does not write its own electrical code. Section 9.52.010(1) states that, as required by Section 58-56-4 of the Utah Code, Provo City shall adhere to the building code, National Electrical Code, plumbing code, and mechanical code as promulgated by nationally recognized code authorities and adopted by the Utah Uniform Building Code Commission, together called the 'State Building Code.' Whenever the Utah Legislature adopts a new or revised edition of any of those component codes, by statute or administrative regulation, Provo's ordinance automatically refers to that updated edition, so the applicable National Electrical Code edition tracks the state's adoption cycle rather than a separately timed city update.

Subsection (2) layers a short list of additional technical codes on top of the State Building Code, the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, the Uniform Code for Building Conservation, and the 1987 NCS BCS manufactured home installation standard, but none of the local amendments listed in Subsection (3) touch the National Electrical Code specifically; the electrical component travels through unmodified from the state edition.

Fees for electrical permit work are pulled out of the ordinance text itself. Subsection (4) states that, notwithstanding any contrary provision in the adopted technical codes, the fees applicable to those codes are whatever fees appear on the Consolidated Fee Schedule adopted by the Municipal Council, meaning electrical permit costs are set administratively and can change without a Title 9 ordinance amendment. Subsection (5) ties enforcement to the city's general criminal penalty statute, Section 1.03.010, so violating the adopted National Electrical Code, doing electrical work without the required permit, is punishable the same way as any other misdemeanor code violation, up to a $1,000 fine or six months in jail for a straight misdemeanor, less for lesser classifications.