Waukegan, IL Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 2020 National Electrical Code, § 6-71
- Local amendments
- § 6-72
- Electrical permit fee
- $125 flat for jobs up to $3,000
- Fee above $3,000
- $150 plus 3% of construction cost
- Administered by
- Waukegan Building Department
- Violation penalty
- $25-$750 fine, up to 30 days jail
Summary
Waukegan wires every building to the 2020 National Electrical Code, adopted by reference at City Code § 6-71 and locally amended at § 6-72. Electrical work needs a permit through the Building Department, and the fee schedule at § 6-47 sets a flat $125 charge for jobs under $3,000 and $150 plus 3 percent of cost above that.
The National Electrical Code, 2020 Edition, three copies of which have been on file in the office of the city clerk, for more than 15 days prior to the adoption of this section, be and is hereby adopted by reference as if fully set forth herein. This code shall be known as the "National Electrical Code" for the control of buildings and structures as provided herein; and each and all of the regulations, provisions, penalties, conditions and terms of said National Electrical Code are hereby referred to, adopted, and made a part hereof, as if fully set out in this section, with the amendments, additions, insertions, deletions and changes prescribed in section 6-72 of this Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 113).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 6-71 adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code by reference for the control of buildings and structures in Waukegan, incorporating every regulation, provision, penalty, condition, and term of that code as though set out in full, subject to the local amendments listed at § 6-72. 00 plus 3 percent of construction cost above that threshold. Section 6-72 rewrites specific NEC definitions and provisions for Waukegan practice while leaving the base 2020 edition intact for everything not expressly changed. As with other building permits under this chapter, work performed under an electrical permit is subject to the general hours-of-work and expiration rules at § 6-27, and any registered electrical contractor working in the city, or a property owner doing the work personally, must hold current general liability insurance before permits will be issued.
Contractors registered as licensed electrical contractors by the city are treated separately from the general Contractor registration requirement at § 117, which applies to trades such as carpentry, masonry, and demolition.
Violations & Fines
Electrical work that violates the adopted National Electrical Code, or that proceeds without a required permit, is enforced the same way as other building code violations under this chapter: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $25.00 to $750.00, up to 30 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation charged separately. The building official can also issue a stop-work order, and continuing work after that order draws the same $25 to $750 fine range.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Waukegan
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