St. Joseph County, IN Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

St. Joseph County incorporates the Indiana Electrical Code, Article 17 of Title 675 of the Indiana Administrative Code, by reference under § 151.02(A)(4), and no one may connect electricity to equipment requiring a permit until the building department issues one, per § 151.20(A). A service change or upgrade forces the whole structure into compliance with whatever version of the electrical code is in effect on the date of that change, under § 151.20(C). The building commissioner appoints an electrical inspector who must have at least five years of wiring experience, or three years plus an engineering degree, under § 151.22(A); that inspector can order unsafe equipment fixed within 72 hours or disconnect power under § 151.22(B)-(C).

Anyone performing electrical installation, alteration, or repair work needs a Class A contractor's license or a Class B industrial license from the county under § 151.24(A), issued by a five-member electrical examining board after a written exam of at least 25 questions, per §§ 151.23 and 151.24(D). A Class A applicant must post a $5,000 surety bond under § 151.24(E). Homeowners doing their own wiring in a single-family home they occupy are exempt from the license requirement under § 151.24(B)(2), but anyone they hire for pay is not.

All permitted work must be inspected by the electrical inspector, who needs at least 24 hours' notice before work is concealed, under § 151.25(A)-(B). Pulling an electrical permit after work has already started costs three times the normal fee under § 150.18(B).