Can you do your own electrical work?

What each state says about a homeowner wiring their own home, and the permit that usually still applies.

Updated October 3, 202675 official sources

Many states let you do electrical work on a home you own and live in without a license, and some still want a permit and an inspection. Here's what each state says.

State	Electrical work on your own home
Alabama	The licensing law doesn't apply to the owner of a property, or the owner's employee, doing electrical work on that property. Any permit or inspection comes from the county or city.¹
Alaska	The electrical licensing law doesn't cover wiring on a home owned by the installer or an immediate family member when it isn't being built for sale. The work still has to meet the state's electrical rules.^2-3
Arizona	Owners may do their own work on property meant only for their own occupancy, not for sale or rent, with permits from the city or county. Selling or renting within a year of completion is taken as evidence the work was for sale.⁴
Arkansas	No license is needed for electrical work on your own primary residence, an unattached single-family home you live in. A city or county may require you to show technical competency first, and local permits still apply.⁵
California	An owner may do their own work on a structure that isn't for sale, and a homeowner may improve a principal residence they've lived in for 12 months. Where the city or county requires a permit, the owner signs the state's owner-builder declaration on the application.^6-8
Colorado	A homeowner may do electrical work on their own home without a license if the work is inspected, and may apply for the permit. This doesn't cover rental property or homes built or remodeled for sale; simple repairs with like-for-like parts need no permit.⁹
Connecticut	No license is needed for electrical work in a single-family home you own and live in, or will live in. The work must meet the State Building Code and be inspected and approved by the town building official, and a permit is filed by the owner.^10-11
Delaware	A homeowner may wire their own home, including the main breaker, with a homeowner's permit from the board, if no part of the home is for sale or rent. Pools and hot tubs are excluded, and the work must pass a final inspection.^12-13
District of Columbia	Homeowners can't apply for electrical permits in DC. Trade permits are issued only to licensed and bonded master trade professionals, who must pull them for the work.¹⁴
Florida	An owner may do their own electrical work on a single-family home or duplex for their own use, not for sale or lease. The owner must personally apply for and sign the permit, and selling more than one such home within a year is taken as evidence it was built to sell.¹⁵
Georgia	The licensing law doesn't stop someone from doing electrical work in a home they own or live in. The work must follow the board's rules and any county or city codes and inspections.¹⁶
Hawaii	Owners may build or improve their own home under the owner-builder exemption, but it doesn't cover electrical work, which must be done by licensed electricians unless the owner holds an electrician's license.¹⁷
Idaho	A property owner may do noncommercial electrical work on their own primary or secondary home and outbuildings without a license. Permits must be bought before work starts and the work inspected before the utility energizes it; grid-tied solar or other generation also needs a plan review.^18-20
Illinois	No state law addresses homeowners doing their own electrical work. Each municipality with an electrical inspection department sets its own permit rules.²¹
Indiana	No state law addresses homeowners doing their own electrical work. Each city, town or county that issues building permits sets its own rule.²²
Iowa	An owner may do electrical work on their own principal residence, an existing single-family home (not new construction or an attached apartment) that gets the homestead tax credit. Where the work needs inspection, the owner applies for the permit before starting.^23-24
Kansas	No state law addresses homeowners doing their own electrical work. Each city or county that adopts an electrical code sets its own permit and homeowner rules.²⁵
Kentucky	A homeowner or farmer may install or repair wiring on their own property without a license (KRS 227A.030(3)). A permit is still required, and the permit office can issue it to the homeowner without a contractor license (KRS 227.480(2)(a)).^26-27
Louisiana	The state contractor law exempts owners working on their own residence (R.S. 37:2157(A)(13) and (15)). Permits and any homeowner electrical rules come from the parish or city that enforces the state code.^28-29
Maine	An owner may wire the existing single-family home they own and live in without a license or a state permit, to National Electrical Code standards (32 MRSA §1201-A(13) and §1102-C(5)(A-1), added in 2025). A new single-family home they'll live in needs a single-family dwelling certificate and a state inspection before it's closed in (§1102-D).^30-32
Maryland	Ask the state's electrical licensing board, or your local building department.
Massachusetts	Ask the state's electrical licensing board, or your local building department.
Michigan	A homeowner may do electrical work in a single-family home and its outbuildings that they own and live in, or will live in, without a license (MCL 339.5737(3)(g)). The electrical code's permit rule has no homeowner exemption, so the work needs a permit and inspection.³³
Minnesota	An owner may do electrical work on a home they own and live in, or will live in once it's built, without a license, if the home has its own utility service not shared with another dwelling (326B.33). The owner still files a request for electrical inspection at or before the start of work (326B.36, subd. 4).^34-35
Mississippi	Ask the state's electrical licensing board, or your local building department.
Missouri	The state license law covers only the business of electrical contracting (RSMo 324.900). Whether an owner may wire their own home is up to the city or county that issues permits.³⁶
Montana	An owner needs no license to wire their own property or residence kept for their own use, except work on a grid-tied generator (MCA 37-68-103(3)). The work needs a state homeowner's electrical permit, or a permit from a certified city or county.^37-38
Nebraska	An owner may do electrical work on their principal residence, if it's no larger than a single-family home, or on farm property, without a license (81-2121(5)). Where the work needs state inspection, such as new service equipment, the owner files a request for inspection at or before the start (81-2126).^39-40
Nevada	An owner building or improving a home on their property for their own occupancy, not for sale or lease, is exempt from contractor licensing but must apply to the board for the exemption (NRS 624.031(5)). Permits come from the county or city building department.^41-42
New Hampshire	Nothing in the licensing law stops a homeowner making electrical installations in a single-family home they own and live in, or will live in (RSA 319-C:15, II). Permits and inspections are up to the town or city.^43-44
New Jersey	Ask the state's electrical licensing board, or your local building department.
New Mexico	A homeowner may get a homeowner's electrical permit for their primary residence, a single-family home and its garage, carport or shed, not rental property. They must submit plans with a panel schedule, pass the state's homeowner electrical exam, and do the work themselves (14.5.2.18 NMAC).⁴⁵
New York	With no state electrical license, whether an owner may do their own wiring is set by the city, town, village or county that licenses electricians and issues permits.⁴⁶
North Carolina	The licensing law doesn't apply to a person doing electrical work on their own property for their own benefit, if it isn't meant at the time for rent, lease or sale (G.S. 87-43.1(5a)). The work still needs a permit from the local inspection department (G.S. 160D-1110).^47-48
North Dakota	An owner who owns and occupies the home or farmstead may do their own wiring after applying to the board, reviewing the plans with the local electrical inspector and paying the inspection fee (minimum $50). The work is inspected.⁴⁹
Ohio	The state doesn't license residential electrical work, so who may wire a 1-, 2- or 3-family home is up to the local building department. Where no certified residential building department has jurisdiction, the owner needn't seek approval or inspections.^50-51
Oklahoma	State law doesn't require a license for an individual doing electrical work on their own property or residence, except where a local ordinance requires one. Permits and inspections are the city's.⁵²
Oregon	An owner needs no license to wire residential or farm property they or their immediate family own, if it isn't intended for sale, exchange, lease or rent. The work still needs the permits and inspections the law requires.⁵³
Pennsylvania	No state license applies, and the state code lets an owner apply for the permit. Whether an owner may do their own wiring is up to the municipality's rules.^54-55
Rhode Island	The owner-occupant of a single-family home may do the electrical work without a license if they do it without help from others, get a permit, have it inspected and get approval before use. The electricians law also exempts an owner living in a one- or two-family dwelling.^56-58
South Carolina	An owner may do the work on a home for their own or their family's occupancy, not for sale or rent, and must sign the building permit application in person. A sale or rental within two years is taken as evidence the work was for sale.⁵⁹
South Dakota	No license is needed to wire your own detached owner-occupied single-family home, its outbuildings or your farmstead, or a house you're building to live in. The owner gets a state wiring permit before starting, and the work is inspected.^60-62
Tennessee	An owner may do electrical work on their own residence after getting a residential property owner's permit; only the owner and immediate family may do the work. One owner's permit is allowed per 12 months, and the work is inspected as usual.⁶³
Texas	The state licensing law doesn't apply to work on a dwelling by a person who owns and lives in it, unless a city ordinance specifically regulates that work.⁶⁴
Utah	A sole owner may build one residential structure a year (three per five years), or a shed, carport or detached garage, on their own property for their own noncommercial use without a license. The local building office reports each owner-builder permit to DOPL.⁶⁵
Vermont	An owner needs no license for electrical work in their own freestanding single-unit home and its outbuildings, and the state electrical rules don't apply to a single-family owner-occupied dwelling.^66-67
Virginia	An owner may do or supervise work on one primary residence they own and use, once in any 24 months, without a contractor license. The owner may apply for the building permit, and the work is inspected.^68-69
Washington	An owner may do electrical work on their own residence, farm or other property without a license, unless it's a new building for rent, sale or lease or the property is offered for sale within 12 months of buying it. The work still needs a permit and inspection.^70-71
West Virginia	No electrician's license is required for electrical work on property owned or leased by the person or their immediate family. Permits depend on whether the county or city has adopted the state building code.^72-73
Wisconsin	An owner may install, repair or maintain wiring in a home they own and live in without a license, unless a local ordinance requires a state license or registration for that work.⁷⁴
Wyoming	An owner or lessee may install electrical equipment on their own property if it isn't for immediate resale, but the work must still meet the code, and the state's wiring permit rules apply.⁷⁵

Where you may do the work yourself, ask your local building department whether you need a permit and an inspection.

Homeowner rules from state legislatures, licensing boards and agencies, checked October 2026.

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