Rock Island County, IL Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Contractor status
- Must register & license with county
- License scope
- Individuals only, not firms
- Compliance bond
- $10,000
- Exam
- Nationally recognized testing agency required
- Homeowner wiring
- Still needs permit & inspection
- Code adopted
- 2011 NFPA 70 (NEC) with local amendments
Summary
Electrical work in unincorporated Rock Island County requires a licensed, registered electrical contractor. Section 150.01(B)(2)(a) makes registration and county licensing mandatory before anyone can engage in electrical contracting, and even a homeowner wiring their own house under § 150.01(B)(3)(b) still has to pull a permit and call for a county inspection.
(2) (a) Except as provided in division (B)(3) below, before any person shall engage in the business of electrical contracting in the county, and before any person now engaged in the business or any class thereof shall continue in the business of electrical contracting, such person shall be required to register and be licensed with the county. ... (3) ... (b) Persons performing electrical work in their own domiciles, with the assistance of any member of said owner-occupant’s family and household, however, the Director of Zoning and Building Safety shall require a sufficient display of electrical experience of a practical and elementary character so as to test the person’s knowledge and qualifications of the electrical work to be done in the interest of safeguarding life and property. The owner-occupant shall obtain a permit for any such work and shall call for inspection by the county.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-1: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 2024-12-A, passed 12-17-2024; and State legislation current through 2024 Illinois Legislative Service, Pamphlet #6).
Full Breakdown
01(B) treats electrical contracting as a licensed trade separate from general building-permit registration. 01(B)(2)(a) requires registering and being "licensed with the county," a license issued only to an individual, never a corporation or firm. 01(B)(4), and the Director of Zoning and Building Safety can test any applicant's practical knowledge before issuing anything. 01(B)(8). 21 adopts the 2011 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code with local amendments, including capping dwelling lighting circuits at 12 outlets and kitchen countertop circuits at 2 receptacles, and requiring service overcurrent protection within 10 feet of raceway from the meter.
Violations & Fines
Working as an unregistered or unlicensed electrical contractor, or wiring beyond what the homeowner exception allows without a permit and inspection, falls under the general building-code penalty scheme the county applies to electrical work: a penalty fee equal to the full permit cost for the project if work starts before the permit issues, plus § 150.99 fines of $25 to $1,000 per day for continued violations, with the Building Official authorized to post stop-work orders on the job.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a licensed contractor to do electrical work in the county?
Can a homeowner wire their own house?
What electrical code applies?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rock Island County
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