Wash. Admin. Code § 296-46B-901 – General—Electrical work permits and fees

General.

(1) When an electrical work permit is required by chapter 19.28 RCW or this chapter, inspections may not be made, equipment must not be energized, or services connected unless:
1. (a) A valid electrical work permit is obtained and posted per subsection (5) of this section;
2. (b) The classification or type of facility to be inspected and the exact scope and location of the electrical work to be performed are clearly shown on the electrical work permit;
3. (c) The address where the inspection is to be made is clearly identifiable from the street, road or highway that serves the premises; and
4. (d) Driving directions are provided for the inspectors' use.
(2) Except as allowed for annual permits and two-family dwellings, an electrical work permit is valid for only one specific job site address.
Permit - Responsibility for.
(3) Each person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other entity must furnish a valid electrical work permit for the installation, alteration, or other electrical work performed or to be performed solely by that entity. When the original purchaser is replaced, another entity may request, in writing, written approval from the chief electrical inspector to take responsibility for the work of the original installing entity under the original permit. If permission is not granted the entity must obtain a new permit for the remaining work.
Two or more entities may never work under the same permit. Each electrical work permit application must be signed by the electrical contractor's administrator (or designee) or the person, or authorized representative of the firm, partnership, corporation, or other entity that is performing the electrical installation or alteration. Permits purchased electronically do not require a handwritten signature. An entity designated to sign electrical permits must provide written authorization of the purchaser's designation when requested by the department or city that is authorized to do electrical inspections.
(4) Permits to be obtained by customers. Whenever a serving electrical utility performs work for a customer under one of the exemptions in WAC 296-46B-925 and the work is subject to inspection, the customer is responsible for obtaining all required permits.
(5) Except as allowed for Class B permits, where an electrical work permit is required, the work permit must be obtained and posted at the job site or the electrical work permit number must be conspicuously posted and identified as the electrical work permit number on or adjacent to the electrical service or feeder panel supplying power to the work prior to beginning any electrical work and at all times until the electrical inspection process is completed.
1. (a) For an owner, an electrical work permit for emergency like-in-kind repairs to an existing electrical system(s) must be obtained no later than the next business day after the work is begun.
2. (b) For an electrical contractor, in a city's jurisdiction where the city is authorized to do electrical inspections and does not have a provisional permit system, an electrical work permit for emergency like-in-kind repairs to an existing electrical system(s) must be obtained and posted, per the city's requirements at the job site no later than the next business day after the work is begun.
Exceptions:
(6) Fees must be paid in accordance with the inspection fee schedule in Part C of this chapter. The amount of the fee due is calculated based on the fee effective at the date payment is made. If the project is required to have an electrical plan review, the plan review fees will be based on the fees effective at the date the plans are received by the department for review. In a city where the department is doing inspections as the city's contractor, a supplemental fee may apply.
Permit - Requirements for.
(7) As required by chapter 19.28 RCW or this chapter, an electrical work permit is required for the installation, alteration, or maintenance of all electrical systems or equipment except for:
1. (a) Travel trailers;
2. (b) Class A basic electrical work which includes:
  1. (i) The like-in-kind replacement of lamps; a single set of fuses; a single battery smaller than 150 amp hour; contactors, relays, timers, starters, circuit boards, or similar control components; one household appliance; circuit breakers; single-family residential luminaires and line voltage smoke or carbon monoxide alarms; a maximum of five snap switches, dimmers, receptacle outlets, thermostats, heating elements, luminaire ballasts or drivers/power supplies for single LED luminaires with an exact same ballast or driver/power supply; component(s) of electric signs, outline lighting, or skeleton neon tubing when replaced on-site by an appropriate electrical contractor and when the sign, outline lighting or skeleton neon tubing electrical system is not modified; one ten horsepower or smaller motor.
    For the purposes of this section, "circuit breaker" means a circuit breaker that is used to provide overcurrent protection only for a branch circuit, as defined in NEC 100.
  2. (ii) Induction detection loops described in WAC 296-46B-300(2) and used to control gate access devices;
  3. (iii) Heat cable repair; and
  4. (iv) Embedding premanufactured heat mats in tile grout where the mat is listed by an approved testing laboratory and comes from the manufacturer with preconnected lead-in conductors. All listing marks and lead-in conductor labels must be left intact and visible for evaluation and inspection by the installing electrician and the electrical inspector.
  5. (v) The disconnection of electrical circuits from their overcurrent protection device for the specific purpose of removing the electrical wiring or equipment for disposal.
    Unless specifically noted, the exemptions listed do not include: The replacement of an equipment unit, assembly, or enclosure that contains an exempted component or combination of components (e.g., an electrical furnace/heat pump, industrial milling machine, etc.) or any appliance/equipment described in this section for Class B permits.
    In the department's jurisdiction, a provisional electrical work permit label may be posted in lieu of an electrical work permit. If a provisional electrical work permit label is used, an electrical work permit must be obtained within two working days after posting the provisional electrical work permit label. See WAC 296-46B-907(2) for provisional label requirements.
3. (c) The following types of systems and circuits are considered exempt from the requirements for licensing and permitting described in chapter 19.28 RCW. The electrical failure of these systems does not inherently or functionally compromise safety to life or property.
  1. (i) Low-voltage thermocouple derived circuits;
  2. (ii) Low-voltage circuits for residential: Garage doors and built-in vacuum systems;
  3. (iii) Low-voltage circuits for underground: Landscape sprinkler systems, landscape lighting, and antennas for wireless animal containment fences.
    1. (A) The power supplying the installation must be derived from a listed Class 2 power supply;
    2. (B) The installation and termination of line voltage equipment and conductors supplying these systems is performed by appropriately licensed and certified electrical contractors and electricians;
    3. (C) The conductors of these systems do not pass through fire-rated walls, fire-rated ceilings or fire-rated floors in other than residential units; and
    4. (D) Conductors or luminaires are not installed in installations covered by the scope of Article 680 NEC (swimming pools, fountains, and similar installations).
    For these types of systems and circuits to be considered exempt, the following conditions must be met:
(8) An electrical work permit is required for all installations of telecommunications systems on the customer side of the network demarcation point for projects greater than ten telecommunications outlets. All backbone installations regardless of size and all telecommunications cable or equipment installations involving penetrations of fire barriers or passing through hazardous locations require permits and inspections. For the purposes of determining the inspection threshold for telecommunications projects greater than ten outlets, the following will apply:
1. (a) An outlet is the combination of jacks and mounting hardware for those jacks, along with the associated cable and telecommunications closet terminations, that serve one workstation. In counting outlets to determine the inspection threshold, one outlet must not be associated with more than six standard four-pair cables or more than one twenty-five-pair cable. Therefore, installations of greater than sixty standard four-pair cables or ten standard twenty-five-pair cables require permits and inspections. (It is not the intent of the statute to allow large masses of cables to be run to workstations or spaces serving telecommunications equipment without inspection. Proper cable support and proper loading of building structural elements are safety concerns. When considering total associated cables, the telecommunications availability at one workstation may count as more than one outlet.)
2. (b) The installation of greater than ten outlets and the associated cables along any horizontal pathway from a telecommunications closet to work areas during any continuous ninety-day period requires a permit and inspection.
3. (c) All telecommunications installations within the residential dwelling units of single-family, duplex, and multifamily dwellings do not require permits or inspections. In residential multifamily dwellings, permits and inspections are required for all backbone installations, all fire barrier penetrations, and installations of greater than ten outlets in common areas.
4. (d) No permits or inspections are required for installation or replacement of cord and plug connected telecommunications equipment or for patch cord and jumper cross-connected equipment.
5. (e) Definitions of telecommunications technical terms will come from chapter 19.28 RCW, this chapter, TIA/EIA standards, and NEC.
  Inspection and approval.
(9) Requests for inspections.
1. (a) Requests for inspections must be made no later than three working days after an entity completes its electrical/telecommunications installation or one working day after any part of the installation has been energized, whichever occurs first.
2. (b) Requests for after hours, weekend inspections, or temporary installations that will be energized for less than 48 hours must be made by contacting the local electrical inspection supervisor at least three working days prior to the requested date of inspection. The portal-to-portal inspection fees required for after hours or weekend inspections are in addition to the cost of the original electrical work permit.
3. (c) Inspections for annual electrical maintenance permits and annual telecommunications permits may be done on a regular schedule arranged by the permit holder with the department.
(10) Inspections will not be made until all permit fees are paid in full.
Permit - Duration/refunds.
(11) Electrical work permits will expire one year after the date of purchase unless permission is granted by the chief electrical inspector or when the permit is closed or completed by the inspector. Refunds are not available for:
1. (a) Expired electrical work permits;
2. (b) Electrical work permit fee items, within the department's jurisdiction, where the electrical installation has begun or an inspection requested for that work; or
3. (c) The first twenty-five dollars of each permit purchase - Application fee.
  All refund requests must be made using the Request for Refund application form.
  Permit - Annual telecommunications.
(12) The chief electrical inspector or city that is authorized to do electrical inspections can allow annual permits for the inspection of telecommunications installations to be purchased by a building owner or licensed electrical/telecommunications contractor. The owner's full-time telecommunications maintenance staff, or a licensed electrical/telecommunications contractor(s) can perform the work done under this annual permit. The permit holder is responsible for correcting all installation deficiencies. The permit holder must make available, to the electrical inspector, all records of all the telecommunications work performed and the valid electrical or telecommunications contractor's license numbers for all contractors working under the permit. Upon request, the chief electrical inspector may allow the annual permit to be used for multiple worksites or addresses.
Permit - Annual electrical.
(13) The chief electrical inspector or city that is authorized to do electrical inspections can allow annual permits for the inspection of electrical installations to be purchased by a building owner or licensed electrical contractor. This type of permit is available for commercial/industrial locations employing a full-time electrical maintenance staff or having a yearly maintenance contract with a licensed electrical contractor. Upon request, the chief electrical inspector may allow the annual permit to be used for multiple worksites or addresses.
The permit holder is responsible for correcting all installation deficiencies. The permit holder must make available, to the electrical inspector, all records of all electrical work performed.
This type of electrical permit may be used for retrofit, replacement, maintenance, repair, upgrade, and alterations to electrical systems at a plant or building location. This type of permit does not include new or increased service or new square footage.
Permit - Temporary construction project installations.
(14) For temporary electrical installations, the department will consider a permit applicant to be the owner per RCW 19.28.261 under the conditions below:
1. (a) The installation is limited to the mounting and bracing of a preassembled pole or pedestal mounted service, the installation of a ground rod or ground plate, and the connection of the grounding electrode conductor to the ground rod or plate;
2. (b) The total service size does not exceed 200 amperes, 250 volts nominal;
3. (c) The service supplies no feeders;
4. (d) Branch circuits not exceeding 50 amperes each are permitted, provided such branch circuits supply only receptacles that are either part of the service equipment or are mounted on the same pole;
5. (e) The general contractor owns the electrical equipment;
6. (f) The general contractor has been hired by the property owner as the general contractor for the project;
7. (g) The general contractor must purchase an electrical work permit for the temporary service, request inspection, and obtain approval prior to energizing the service.
  Posting of corrections.
Any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other entity registered as a general contractor under chapter 18.27 RCW will be permitted to install a single electrical service per address for the purposes of temporary power during the construction phase of a project, when all of the following conditions are met:
(15) Electrical installations found to be not in compliance with approved standards must be corrected within fifteen calendar days of notification by the department as required in RCW 19.28.101(3). The notifications will be posted electronically on the electrical permit inspection results. A printed copy of the correction notification will be posted by the inspector at the job site for permits not purchased electronically.

[Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.28 RCW, RCW 19.28.031 and 19.28.251. WSR 20-11-053 and 20-14-083, § 296-46B-901, filed 5/19/20 and 6/30/20, effective 10/29/20. Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.28 RCW, RCW 19.28.031 and 19.28.251. WSR 19-15-117, § 296-46B-901, filed 7/23/19, effective 8/23/19. Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.28 RCW, RCW 19.28.010 and 19.28.031. WSR 17-12-021, § 296-46B-901, filed 5/30/17, effective 7/1/17. Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.28 RCW. WSR 14-11-075, § 296-46B-901, filed 5/20/14, effective 7/1/14; WSR 13-03-128, § 296-46B-901, filed 1/22/13, effective 3/1/13. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.28.006, 19.28.010, 19.28.031, 19.28.041, 19.28.061, 19.28.101, 19.28.131, 19.28.161, 19.28.171, 19.28.191, 19.28.201, 19.28.211, 19.28.241, 19.28.251, 19.28.281, 19.28.311, 19.28.321, 19.28.400, 19.28.420, 19.28.490, 19.28.551. WSR 09-20-032, § 296-46B-901, filed 9/29/09, effective 10/31/09; WSR 08-24-048, § 296-46B-901, filed 11/25/08, effective 12/31/08; WSR 06-24-041, § 296-46B-901, filed 11/30/06, effective 12/31/06.]