Electrical work cost by city
| City | Electrical permits | Usual filed value | Middle half of firms' usual job | Usual days, issue to final | Reached final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Paul, MN | 17,041 | $1,100 | $900–$3,500 | 54 | 84.4% |
| Medford, OR | 701 | $2,000 | $1,500–$2,500 | 15 | 95.0% |
| Burlington, VT | 2,192 | $2,000 | $1,500–$4,000 | 84 | 75.1% |
| Naperville, IL | 668 | $2,000 | $1,600–$4,863 | 144 | 64.6% |
| Cary, NC | 1,455 | $2,117 | $1,350–$3,900 | 41 | 72.7% |
| Cape Coral, FL | 2,268 | $2,200 | $1,350–$2,500 | 25 | 94.8% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | 4,618 | $2,700 | $1,690–$4,500 | 43 | 85.9% |
| Boulder, CO | 1,330 | $2,835 | $1,800–$5,358 | 55 | 76.2% |
| Cleveland, OH | 4,049 | $3,000 | $1,900–$6,442 | 146 | 64.3% |
| Honolulu, HI | 8,223 | $3,000 | $1,500–$5,000 | 155 | 77.7% |
| Arlington, VA | 4,143 | $3,000 | $2,000–$5,590 | 99 | 86.5% |
| Somerville, MA | 2,877 | $3,000 | $1,750–$5,750 | 112 | 89.1% |
| Sacramento County, CA | 4,054 | $3,800 | $3,000–$4,650 | 56 | 79.8% |
| Cambridge, MA | 3,820 | $3,800 | $2,050–$8,000 | 104 | 71.5% |
| Marin County, CA (unincorporated) | 1,464 | $4,000 | $3,250–$5,500 | 124 | 65.7% |
| Seattle, WA | 15,130 | $4,067 | $2,250–$8,000 | 44 | 94.6% |
| Elk Grove, CA | 700 | $5,000 | $2,790–$5,300 | 49 | 80.6% |
| Miami, FL | 6,214 | $6,000 | $3,500–$10,000 | 184 | 86.6% |
Each city's own page lists every electrician with its usual job: Seattle, Sacramento County, Miami, Saint Paul, Pittsburgh, Arlington, Cambridge, Cary.
Where your job sits in the range
The middle-half column is the useful one. It takes every electrical firm with three or more permits, finds each firm's usual job, and shows the band the middle 50% sit in. A firm at the bottom of the band mostly files small jobs; one at the top mostly files larger ones. Seattle's band runs from $2,250 to $8,000 across 452 firms; Miami's from $3,500 to $10,000 across 518.
Ask the electrician which part of the band its usual job sits in, and what its last three permitted jobs like yours were filed at. Our EV charger installation cost guide has the filed values for that one job.
What needs a permit, and what the permit costs
Any new circuit or panel change needs one in most places. Bellevue, Washington: "A permit is required for adding or moving electrical circuits and for changes to the service panel" (City of Bellevue, read 21 October 2026). Elk Grove, California exempts "minor repair work, including the replacement of lamps" (City of Elk Grove, Policy B-20-35).
Minnesota is one of the few states that sets electrical inspection fees in statute: $35 per service of up to 400 amps, $12 per circuit or feeder up to 200 amps, a $55 minimum per inspection, and a flat $165 for a dwelling covering up to 30 circuits (Minn. Stat. § 326B.37, 2025). Other cities publish their own schedules on the building department's site.
How long the permit stays open
Medford (15 days), Cape Coral (25) and Cary (41) close electrical permits within about six weeks. Miami (184) and Naperville (144) take months. Cleveland finished 64.3% of its electrical permits a year or more old, against 94.6% in Seattle. An open electrical permit is a resale problem and sometimes an insurance one, so ask the electrician who books the final.
Check an electrical quote in five minutes
- Find your city's row and band above.
- Ask the firm what its last three permitted jobs like yours were filed at, and compare them to the band.
- On the Seattle electrical compare page (or your city's), find the firm and read its permits, finished share and licence status.
- Ask whether the permit fee is in the price and who schedules the final.
See every Seattle electrician by finished share →
What these numbers cannot tell you
The filed value is the electrician's own figure, filed before the work, and some file labour only. Permits do not record amps, circuit count or square footage, so no per-outlet or per-square-foot figure is honest here. Many large cities, including Austin, Columbus, Raleigh and New York, record no value on electrical permits and are left out; Chicago records one on only 46.3% of them. Small repairs below a permit threshold and unpermitted work are not in the record. Our electrician hiring guide covers the licence to check in each state.
How we know this
Electrical permits are those each city files under an electrical work type over its three-year window ending September 2026 (a few cities end earlier; each city page names its window). The usual filed value is the median of permits that carry one; the middle-half range uses firms with three or more electrical permits; "reached final" is the share of permits a year or more old that the city closed with a final; days is the median from issue to final. Permit and fee rules are quoted from the pages under Sources, read 21 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Miami building permits (since 2014); City of Saint Paul approved building permits; City of Pittsburgh permits (Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center); Arlington County, VA building and trade permits; City of Cambridge Inspectional Services permits (the city's per-type open-data permit files); Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much does electrical work cost?
Going by permits, the usual electrical job was filed at $1,100 in Saint Paul, $2,700 in Pittsburgh, $3,000 in Arlington, Virginia, $4,067 in Seattle and $6,000 in Miami. Many electrical permits are small jobs such as a circuit or two; bigger jobs sit higher in each city's range.
- How much does an electrical permit cost?
It depends on the city and the number of circuits. Minnesota sets its electrical inspection fees in statute: $35 per service up to 400 amps, $12 per circuit or feeder up to 200 amps, and a $55 minimum per inspection (Minn. Stat. § 326B.37, 2025). Most cities publish their own schedule; ask whether the quote includes it.
- Do I need a permit to add an outlet or circuit?
A new circuit, yes, almost everywhere. Bellevue, Washington requires a permit for adding or moving electrical circuits and for any change to the service panel. Elk Grove, California exempts minor repair work such as replacing lamps. Swapping a fixture or a switch on an existing circuit usually needs none.
- How long does electrical work take to get inspected?
The usual electrical permit went from issue to final in 25 days in Cape Coral, 41 in Cary, 44 in Seattle and 43 in Pittsburgh, against 184 in Miami. The work is usually a day or less.
- Why is an electrician's quote higher than these figures?
Because the usual permit is a small job. Look at the middle-half range instead: in Seattle the middle half of electrical firms usually file between $2,250 and $8,000. Ask the electrician where its own usual job sits in that band and why yours differs.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
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- HVAC replacement cost in 2026: what furnace and AC permits were filed at in 16 cities
- What's a good completion rate for a contractor? The benchmarks from 12 trades and cities
- Hiring an electrician: 5 red flags and 10 questions, checked against electrical permits in 45 cities
For one city
- Work requiring permits — City of Bellevue, WA (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Minnesota Statutes § 326B.37 Electrical inspection fees (2025) (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Do I need a building permit? (Policy B-20-35) — City of Elk Grove, CA (accessed 2026-10-21)