What Austin exempts, and what it does not
The City's Work Exempt from Building Permits page (read 23 October 2026) lists five residential electrical exemptions, and nothing else:
| Exempt in Austin | Not on the list, so it needs a permit |
|---|---|
| "Reinstallation of attachment plug receptacles but not the outlets" | Adding an outlet, switch or light on a new run of wire |
| "Replacement of branch circuit overcurrent devices of the required capacity in the same location" | A new or replacement panel, a service upgrade, a subpanel |
| Wiring under 25 volts and 50 watts (doorbells, low-voltage controls) | A new circuit for an EV charger, hot tub, range or mini-split |
| Cord-and-plug temporary decorative lighting | Generator transfer switches and battery systems |
| Minor repair such as replacing lamps | Rewiring a room during a remodel |
The test is simple: if new wire, a new device location or a new breaker size is involved, it is permit work. Austin's exemptions apply to one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses up to three stories.
Who can pull it: the electrician, or you on a homestead permit
Most Austin electrical permits are pulled by a licensed electrical contractor, who must also be registered with the City, with the registration matching the state license (Contractor Registration). The contractor assigned to the trade permit is responsible for the work, the payment and "Scheduling any related inspections, including the Final Trade Inspections".
A homeowner can pull it on Austin's homestead permit, with conditions the City spells out (read 23 October 2026):
- You have a homestead exemption filed with the county appraisal district, and the work is in your homestead and principal residence.
- You do the work yourself. The permit can be revoked if it is "performed by anyone other than the person who obtained the permit."
- You have not had a homestead permit for another house in the past 12 months.
- It does not cover "the main electric service". A panel or service upgrade has to go to a licensed contractor.
If your scope grows past what the homestead permit covers, a licensed contractor has to take the permit over, and additional fees apply.
How to apply in Austin
- Stand-alone or tied to a building permit. Electrical work on its own (a new circuit, a panel) is a stand-alone trade permit, which the City says skips formal plan review (Apply for a Stand-Alone Permit). Wiring inside a remodel or addition is issued with the building permit after plan review.
- Apply in Austin Build + Connect. Contractors apply in the AB+C Portal. Homeowners first check the City's Homestead Permit Qualification Guide, then submit the homestead web form linked from the homestead page; staff tell you when the invoice is ready in AB+C under "My Bills".
- Pay, and wait for "Active". Work starts once the permit is paid and active.
- Schedule inspections in AB+C. Austin's electrical checklists are Temporary, Slab, Rough, Ground and Final (Building Inspections). The City says an inspection usually happens about 24 hours after it is scheduled.
What it costs
From the City's residential fee schedule, effective 1 October 2026:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Electrical Base Fee | $183.69 |
| Electrical, 1,001–2,000 sq ft project | $204.53 + $2.58 per sq ft over 1,000 |
| Inspections for stand-alone projects | $73.81 (then $28.01 per inspection after two) |
| Reinspection (work not ready, corrections not done, no access) | $83.85 per inspection |
| Electric Service Application Processing (new or changed service load) | $12.10 |
| Austin Energy electric service application | $200.00 |
The schedule does not spell out which line applies to a given small job, so the invoice AB+C produces is the final word. The reinspection line is the one a homeowner can control: have the work finished and the panel accessible before the inspector comes.
What 24,726 Austin electrical permits show
| Measure | Austin electrical |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 24,726 |
| Firms that pulled them | 1,193 |
| Firms with a permit in the last 12 months of the window | 694 |
| Reached Final (permits a year or more old) | 90.4% |
| Usual days from issue to Final | 76 |
| 10th-percentile firm's finished share (firms with 10+ permits) | 76.3% |
| Busiest month / quietest month | June (index 112) / December (83) |
Austin's electrical permits carry no job value, so the file cannot tell you what the work costs; national figures are in electrical work cost. What it does tell you is that a permit still open after 76 days is slower than usual, and that one firm in ten with a real track record finishes fewer than 76.3% of its permits. The year-by-year counts are on the Austin permit statistics page.
See every Austin electrician by permits finished →
Before you hire
Check the state license on TDLR and ask who the master electrician is (Austin contractor license lookup); then look the firm up on the Austin electrician list for its finished share. The full hiring checklist is in hiring an electrician in Austin, panel rules elsewhere in do I need a permit for an electrical panel upgrade, and other cities' rules in do I need a permit for electrical work. Older permits on your address are in Austin building permit search.
What this does not tell you
Our numbers cover permits the City issued; work done without one is invisible to us. A Final means the City's inspector passed the work, not what it cost. Fees change each 1 October with the City budget.
How we know this
Exemptions, homestead rules and application steps are quoted from City of Austin Development Services pages read 23 October 2026; fees from the City's residential fee schedule effective 1 October 2026 (updated 14 October 2026). Permit counts are City of Austin issued construction permits classified as electrical, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old, and days to Final is the median from issue to completion.
Numbers come from City of Austin issued construction permits, data through October 10, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace an outlet or a breaker in Austin?
Not for a like-for-like swap. Austin's exempt list covers reinstalling plug receptacles 'but not the outlets' and replacing branch-circuit breakers 'of the required capacity in the same location'. A new outlet, a new circuit or a new panel needs a permit.
- Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit in Austin?
Yes, on a homestead permit, if the house is your homestead and principal residence, you do the work yourself and you have not had a homestead permit on another house in the last 12 months. It does not cover the main electric service, so a service upgrade goes to a licensed electrician.
- How much is an electrical permit in Austin?
The City's residential fee schedule effective 1 October 2026 lists an Electrical Base Fee of $183.69, scaled by floor area on bigger projects, and $73.81 for inspections on a stand-alone project. A new or changed electric service adds a $12.10 City processing fee and Austin Energy's $200 electric service application fee.
- How long does an electrical permit take in Austin?
Stand-alone electrical permits skip formal plan review, and the City says inspections usually happen about 24 hours after you schedule them. Closing the permit takes longer: the usual Austin electrical permit in our file reached Final 76 days after issue.
- How do I check that my electrician pulled the permit?
Search the address in Austin Build + Connect's Public Search (abc.austintexas.gov), which needs no account. The permit should name your electrician's company, and its status should read Final once the last inspection passes.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Austin building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Do I need a permit for an electrical panel upgrade? Yes: the rule in 13 cities, and how long it takes
- Do I need a permit for electrical work? The rule in 13 cities, and how many get filed
- What can a homeowner do without a permit? Exempt work in 7 cities, and when you can pull your own
- Do I need an electrical permit in Bernalillo County? The exemptions, the homeowner exam and the fixture-based fee
- Do I need an electrical permit in Bismarck? Yes: a $25 City permit inside city limits, the State Board outside
For one city
- Austin contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Hiring an electrician in Austin: the TDLR license, the permit, and what 24,000 electrical permits show
- Do I need a demolition permit in Austin? The 45-year historic review, the pre-demolition inspection and neighbor notice
- Work Exempt from Building Permits — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Homestead Permit for Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical Work — City of Austin (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Apply for a Stand-Alone Permit — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Contractor Registration — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Residential Building Plan Review & Inspection Permit Fees (effective 1 October 2026) — City of Austin (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Building Inspections — City of Austin Development Services (accessed 2026-10-23)