This covers the city, which is also Orleans Parish. Metairie and Kenner (Jefferson Parish), St. Bernard and St. Tammany have their own permit offices.
The City's rule
From the Department of Safety and Permits' Electrical Permit page (read 24 October 2026):
| What the City says | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Required to install, repair, replace or alter any electrical apparatus or equipment | A new outlet, a fixture swap, a panel, a generator and an EV charger are all permit work |
| Except "the replacement of light bulbs and fuses" | That is the whole exemption list |
| "Can only be obtained by an electrical contractor with a Class 'A' Electrical License from the City of New Orleans" | No homeowner permit; the electrician applies |
| Valid for six months of inactivity, then the contractor must reapply | A stalled job lapses |
| "For some electrical permits, a Building Permit might be required" | Structural work, an addition or a renovation adds a building permit |
The City's Guide to Building Permits says the same for mechanical work: air conditioning, heaters, furnaces and gas lines need a mechanical permit pulled by "the appropriate City-licensed contractor". Starting work before a building permit is issued costs two times the permit price on top of the regular fee.
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Application | $40 |
| Each new circuit | $3 |
| Service, per amp | $0.30 |
| Construction loop | $40 |
| Sign, indoors or outdoors | $40 |
So a 200-amp service change with four new circuits is $40 + $12 + $60 = $112 (Electrical Permit page, read 24 October 2026).
How to apply and get it inspected
- Your electrician applies online in the One Stop App. Permit Intake answers process questions at 504-658-7299.
- Inspections are by the Electrical Inspections Division (504-658-7145 for technical and code questions).
- Final. In the City's records a passed electrical job shows as Finaled, or as Meter Release when power is released. Search the address in the One Stop App to see where yours stands.
What 9,668 electrical permits show
| Measure | New Orleans residential electrical |
|---|---|
| Permits, October 2024 to September 2026 | 9,668 (35% of all residential permits) |
| October 2024–September 2025 / October 2025–September 2026 | 4,916 / 4,752 (−3%) |
| Usual days, issue to final (permits from October 2024 to September 2025) | 47 (middle half 20 to 130) |
| Finished / expired, same permits | 74.2% / 1.6% |
| Usual declared value | $4,625 (middle half $960 to $14,573) |
| Busiest / quietest month | June (123) / November (73) |
| ZIPs with the most | 70115 (1,103), 70118 (1,092), 70122 (914), 70117 (885) |
| City permit type | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical service / circuit / feeder | 4,540 | 47% |
| Electrical vacancy | 1,469 | 15% |
| Construction loop | 894 | 9% |
| Electrical repair / replacement / addition | 856 | 9% |
| Permanent generator | 582 | 6% |
| Accessory structure | 496 | 5% |
| EV charger (electrical and installation) | 71 | under 1% |
Electrical permits run 16% to 23% above an average month from May to August and fall 27% below it in November; 582 of them were for permanent generators. About one in seven is an electrical vacancy permit, the one needed to get power restored to a home that has sat empty. 70115 and 70118 lead, with 11% each. Monthly counts are on New Orleans electrical permits, times for every kind of work on how long a permit takes in New Orleans, counts by year on New Orleans permit statistics, and the rows on browse New Orleans permits.
Before you hire
Search the electrician's name in the One Stop App to see their other permits, as the New Orleans building permit search guide shows, and confirm the Class A license with the City's Department of Safety and Permits. Elsewhere: do I need a permit for electrical work, an electrical panel upgrade, and filed costs in electrical work cost.
What this does not tell you
Our counts cover single-family homes, two-family homes and doubles only. The days to final run from issue, not from application, and permits the City marks Closed count as finished without adding days. The contractor on a permit is usually the licensed person, and we have not matched names to license records, so we do not rank electricians.
How we know this
The permit rule, licence restriction, validity and fees are quoted from the City of New Orleans' Electrical Permit page, and the mechanical and penalty rules from its Guide to Building Permits, both read 24 October 2026. Our figures are the City's NOLA Permits BLDS file, read 18 October 2026: residential electrical permits issued October 2024 to September 2026; time to final uses permits issued October 2024 to September 2025.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace an outlet or light fixture in New Orleans?
Yes. The City says an electrical permit is required to install, repair, replace or alter any electrical apparatus or equipment, except for the replacement of light bulbs and fuses.
- Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit in New Orleans?
No. The City's electrical permit page says it can only be obtained by an electrical contractor with a Class A Electrical License from the City of New Orleans.
- How much is an electrical permit in New Orleans?
$40 to apply, plus $3 per new circuit and $0.30 per amp of service, according to the City's electrical permit page. A 200-amp service with four new circuits works out to $112.
- How long does an electrical permit take to final in New Orleans?
The usual electrical permit issued October 2024 to September 2025 reached the City's final 47 days after it was issued; the middle half took 20 to 130 days. 74.2% of them had finished by October 2026 and 1.6% had expired.
- How long is a New Orleans electrical permit good for?
The City says a permit is valid for 6 months of inactivity; after that the contractor must reapply. In our data 1.6% of permits issued October 2024 to September 2025 had expired.
Build your own list
Pick your city and the kind of work. Every firm with a permit on record, sorted by what you value.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Building a casita in Albuquerque: the 750 sq ft limit, rear-yard rule, parking, free plans, and who builds them
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Do I need a solar permit in Albuquerque? Building and electrical permits, the engineer triggers and the fee
- Electrical Permit — City of New Orleans (2026-10-24)
- Guide to Building Permits — City of New Orleans (2026-10-24)
- One Stop App — City of New Orleans (2026-10-24)
- Permits - BLDS (data.nola.gov, 72f9-bi28) — City of New Orleans (2026-10-18)