This covers the whole county, from Upper Marlboro and Bowie to Hyattsville, College Park and Fort Washington, except permits a municipality issues itself.
The county's rule
DPIE's FAQ When is an Electrical Permit required? says one is needed for work that involves "installation, relocation, repairing, or maintaining any wiring" or device that carries or uses current. Its When Is a Permit Required? table (read 24 October 2026) is specific:
| Work | Permit | Plans? |
|---|---|---|
| Replace electrical wiring | Electrical | No |
| Relocate switches, outlets, lighting fixtures and sub-panels | Electrical | No |
| Replace circuit breakers | Electrical | No |
| Install smoke detectors connected to house wiring | Electrical | No |
| Install electric air conditioning or a heat pump | Electrical and mechanical | No |
| Install an electric furnace | Electrical | No |
| Replace switch plates; cord-and-plug appliances, window A/C | None | No |
Who can pull it. DPIE's Electrical Permits page says "Master Electricians are required to apply for electrical permits via the DPIE Online Electrical Process", registering in Momentum with a scanned copy of the master electrician's Maryland license. The permit table's footnote says an electrical contractor's license is required for trade permits. For homeowners, DPIE's FAQ answers "Yes, if the work is limited" and the homeowner meets the county electrical code's Section 9-117; ask DPIE what counts as limited before you start.
What it costs
From the DPIE Fee Schedule, effective 16 October 2026:
| Item | Electrical fee |
|---|---|
| Administrative fee (residential), on every permit | $66 |
| Service equipment or heavy-up, up to 300 amps | $90 |
| Service equipment or heavy-up, over 300 amps | $162 |
| Sub-panel, up to 300 amps | $90 |
| A/C equipment unit | $50 |
| Generator | $50 |
| EV charging, per new outlet | $110 |
| New home, up to 400 amps | $198 |
| Technology fee | 10% |
A 200-amp service upgrade comes to $66 plus $90, plus 10%: $171.60. Card payments add a processing fee.
How to apply and get it inspected
- The electrician registers in Momentum (Electronic Signature Acknowledgment form, Momentum profile, then an email to DPIE with the license copies); DPIE says access can take up to two business days. Trade permits have gone through Momentum since 15 July 2024.
- Apply online by scope of work; DPIE's FAQ says the fee is calculated from the scope selected on the application.
- Inspection. DPIE says electrical work "must be inspected", requested at least 24 hours in advance by the county's IVR line, 301-755-9000, or online (FAQ).
- Plumbing and gas are not DPIE's: WSSC Water issues those permits.
What 32,079 electrical permits show
| Measure | Prince George's County electrical |
|---|---|
| Permits, May 2021 to April 2023 | 32,079 (41% of all DPIE permits) |
| May 2021–April 2022 / May 2022–April 2023 | 16,125 / 15,954 (about the same) |
| Residential (DPIE ER) / commercial (DPIE EC) | 25,186 (79%) / 6,887 (21%) |
| Busiest / quietest month | January and September (115) / July (86) |
| ZIPs with the most | 20740 (3,275), 20772 (2,239), 20706 (2,150), 20774 (2,142) |
20740 (College Park) leads by a wide margin, ahead of 20772 (Upper Marlboro), 20706 (Lanham) and 20774. Unusually, filing peaks in January and September and dips in July. Electrical permits filed for solar installs are counted under solar, not here. Monthly counts are on Prince George's County electrical permits; every kind of work on Prince George's County permit statistics and the rows on browse Prince George's County permits.
Before you hire
Look up past permits on your address in Permit LookSee and the legacy ePermit search, as the Prince George's County building permit search guide shows, and ask for the master electrician's Maryland license number. Next door, see the Montgomery County electrical permit rules. 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 window ends in April 2023: when DPIE moved to Momentum the county's open data thinned out, and no current public file covers electrical permits. The file names no electrician, has no status or final date, and carries no job value on most electrical permits, so we show no firms, no finished share and no costs.
How we know this
Rules are from Prince George's County DPIE's electrical FAQs, Electrical Permits page and When Is a Permit Required table, and fees from the DPIE Fee Schedule effective 16 October 2026, all read 24 October 2026. Our counts are the county's open data Residential and Commercial Permits (July 2013 to Present) file, read 19 October 2026: electrical permits issued May 2021 to April 2023.
Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do I need a permit to replace a circuit breaker in Prince George's County?
Yes. DPIE's When Is a Permit Required table marks replacing circuit breakers, replacing wiring, relocating switches, outlets, fixtures and sub-panels, and installing hard-wired smoke detectors as electrical permit work, none of them needing plans. A cord-and-plug appliance needs no permit.
- Can a homeowner do their own electrical work in Prince George's County?
Only limited work. DPIE's FAQ says yes 'if the work is limited' and the homeowner meets the requirement in Section 9-117 of the county's electrical code. Otherwise a master electrician applies, and DPIE's trade permit footnote says an electrical contractor's license is required.
- How much is an electrical permit in Prince George's County?
Under DPIE's fee schedule effective 16 October 2026, each permit carries a $66 administrative fee plus the item fees, then a 10% technology fee. A service upgrade or heavy-up of up to 300 amps is $90, an A/C unit or generator $50, and an EV charger $110 per new outlet.
- How do I schedule an electrical inspection in Prince George's County?
At least 24 hours ahead, by the county's IVR line at 301-755-9000 or online, according to DPIE's FAQ. Permits applied for in Momentum have their inspections booked there.
- How many electrical permits does Prince George's County issue?
32,079 from May 2021 to April 2023, about 16,040 a year and 41% of all DPIE permits, the most of any kind of work. 79% were residential.
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
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- 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
- When is an Electrical Permit required? — Prince George's County DPIE FAQ (2026-10-24)
- Can the homeowner perform electrical work on his or her premises? — Prince George's County DPIE FAQ (2026-10-24)
- After issuance of a permit, is an inspection required? — Prince George's County DPIE FAQ (2026-10-24)
- Electrical Permits — Prince George's County DPIE (2026-10-24)
- When Is a Permit Required? — Prince George's County DPIE (2026-10-24)
- DPIE Fee Schedule, effective 16 October 2026 — Prince George's County (2026-10-24)
- Residential and Commercial Permits (July 2013 to Present) — Prince George's County Open Data (2026-10-19)