Trenton, NJ Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Under Trenton Code § 42-10, no electrical or wiring for light, power, or communication may be installed, altered, or extended in any building or structure until the City issues a permit through the Division of Technical Services' Electrical Subcode Official. The ordinance carves out nine narrow exemptions: minor repair work such as replacing lamps, receptacles, switches, fuses, and fixtures; connecting approved portable appliances to existing receptacles; testing, servicing, or repairing equipment (short of permanent wiring); work on mines, ships, railway cars, or automotive equipment; and installations by municipal utilities, public utilities, railway utilities, and federal agencies acting under their own authority. Commercial radio and television transmission equipment is not exempt for amateur stations or outdoor receiving materials over 20 feet tall.

Beyond the permit itself, § 42-10B requires a heating system to have a clearly identified disconnect switch installed in a readily accessible location at the equipment entrance. § 42-10C requires multifamily residential buildings of four or more stories to provide emergency reserve lighting for every stairway and elevator, sufficient to operate if normal electric supply fails, applying to both new construction and existing buildings. Under § 42-10D, the Electrical Subcode Official may order immediate disconnection of any electrical service in an emergency threatening life, property, or fire operations. § 42-10E bars anyone from energizing wiring or a fixed appliance until it has been inspected and a certificate of approval issued. Finally, § 42-10G makes it the Electrical Subcode Official's duty to have dead or unused poles, service, and apparatus removed at the owner's expense after 10 days' written notice. Permit fees for electrical fixtures, devices, motors, and service panels are set out separately in the Chapter 42 fee schedule at § 42-12C.