Worcester County, MD Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)

Section BR 2-219(a) bars anyone from installing new or used electrical wires, conduits, machinery, apparatus, equipment, fixtures, appliances or devices, or performing service on electrical systems, without a permit and an inspection, or without complying with the registration rules of § BR 2-207. The permit comes from the Department, which § BR 2-202 defines as the Worcester County Department of Development, Review and Permitting or another County department the Commissioners designate by resolution. It must be obtained before work begins. In a bona fide emergency, service can start first, but the permit must be obtained within seven hours of the next time the Department is open for business.

The electrical code itself is adopted by the County Commissioners by resolution after a public hearing on at least fifteen days' notice (§ BR 2-201(a)). The 1975 National Electrical Code as recommended by the National Fire Protection Association remains in effect until amended or changed under that procedure. If the adopted code is inconsistent with the subtitle, the subtitle governs, and the code covers all electrical services whether or not licensed or registered personnel must perform them.

All services are inspected by a duly designated County inspector or inspection agency. Power connection is tied to the inspection: no light or power company can connect current without a permanent or temporary cut-in card from the County inspector or inspection agency, and cut-in cards are issued only on request of a registered electrician, with limited exceptions. Two exceptions remove the permit and inspection entirely under § BR 2-219(f): a feeder or branch circuit of one hundred amperes or less installed where an electrical service currently exists, and decorative outdoor lighting or systems operating at a nominal 50 volts or less in one- and two-family dwelling units. Replacing existing sockets, fixtures, controls, motors or fuses with like material, with no additional wiring, is exempt from inspection under subsection (g).