Warrick County, IN Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

The Building Commissioner administers Warrick County's electrical permitting under Chapter 150. Section 150.15 sets the trigger: any modification, change, or new installation of electrical work costing more than $750 requires a permit before construction begins, alongside separate thresholds for general construction ($2,500 or 120 square feet). Covered work explicitly includes furnace installation, water heaters, new meter bases, meter base relocation, panel upgrades, load control devices, and reconnecting an electrical meter after a fire. Applicants file a written application under § 150.16 with contact information, detailed plans, and a scaled plot plan showing the structure relative to property lines, streets, and sidewalks; work needing state Design Release under I.C.

22-15-3 must include that release. Fees follow the schedule the County Building Commission adopted March 19, 2003, effective April 7, 2003 (§ 150.17), payable at the Building Commissioner's office or online through the county's designated vendor, with the vendor's card-processing fees passed to the applicant. On the code side, § 150.40(A) incorporates by reference the rules of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission under I.C. 22-13-2-3(b), specifically Article 17 of Title 675 of the Indiana Administrative Code, the Indiana Electrical Code, along with the Building, Residential, Plumbing, Mechanical, Energy Conservation, Swimming Pool, and Fire Codes.

Two copies of the adopted rules sit on file with the clerk of the legislative body for public inspection under I.C. 36-1-5-4. The Building Commissioner and the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission can grant variances, but a Commissioner-issued variance is not effective until the state commission approves it under I.C. 22-13-2-7(b).