What's Required in St. Louis
- Electrical permit before any panel replacement, service change or service upgrade (Electrical Code 80.8.1; 2017 NEC as adopted by Ord. 70802)
- Permit application by the license holder doing the work: an electrical contractor licensed by the City of St. Louis Building Division
- Homeowner electrical permits (owner-occupied single-family, written test passed) cover repairs, modifications and room additions only, not service changes, rehab or new construction
- Fees: $25 application plus $60 service only, $100 repair or modify with service, $120 new construction or rehab of 50% or more
- No permit for minor repairs: lamps, fuses or breakers up to 60 A, like-for-like outlets and switches, one fixture on the same box, same-horsepower motors
- Re-inspection for faulty or incomplete work $50, doubled each occurrence; re-inspection $30 before reconnecting a service unused for six months or more
- Unpermitted work can lead to a utility disconnect order; current may not be supplied until the permit is issued
- Permit printed from the STL City Permits dashboard and inspection scheduled there; most approvals in 1 to 3 business days
Do You Need a Permit to Replace an Electrical Panel in St. Louis?
Yes, and a homeowner cannot pull it. The city's Electrical Code (2017 NEC as adopted by Ordinance 70802, codified at 25.02.020) says no person may begin electrical work until a permit has been issued, and the application is made by the license holder responsible for the installation. The Building Division issues electrical permits to electrical contractors licensed by the City of St. Louis and, in limited cases, to owner-occupants of single-family homes who pass a short written test; that homeowner permit covers room additions, repairs and modifications of the existing system and expressly excludes electrical service changes, rehab and new construction. A panel replacement or a 100-to-200 amp upgrade is a service change, so it goes to a licensed contractor. The only panel work exempt from any permit is minor repair: replacing lamps, fuses or breakers up to 60 amps, and like-for-like outlets, switches and single fixtures.
St. Louis Electrical Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing the panel with the same amperage, no new circuits | Electrical permit, $85 ($25 + $60 service only); city-licensed contractor | Electrical fee table, residential |
| Upgrading 100 A to 200 A service | Electrical permit, $85 to $125; contractor only | Fee table; homeowner permit excludes service changes |
| Panel change plus new circuits or rewiring | Electrical permit, $125 ($25 + $100 repair or modify with service) | Fee table |
| Replacing a breaker up to 60 A like-for-like | None | Electrical Code 80.3.2.1 exception 1 |
| New circuit without touching the service (EV charger, range) | Electrical permit, $85 ($25 + $60); owner-occupant may apply after the test | Fee table; 80.6.2.1 |
| Rewiring 50% or more of the house, or new construction | Electrical permit, $145 ($25 + $120) | Fee table: new construction including rehab of 50% or more |
| Reconnecting a house whose service has been off six months or more | Re-inspection, $30, before the utility reconnects | Fee table note (i) |
How Much Does a Panel Permit Cost in St. Louis?
Every electrical permit carries a $25 application fee. The residential rows of the fee table (set by Ordinance 70802) are: repair or modify, $60; service only, $60; repair or modify with service, $100; new construction or rehab of 50 percent or more, $120. So a straight panel or service change is $85 and a service change bundled with other alterations is $125. One caution: the explanatory note under the same table prices a new-service-only job at $100, while the table row says $60, so a contractor may be charged either; budget $125. A re-inspection for faulty or incomplete work, or a missed appointment, is $50 and doubles with each occurrence. Online payment adds a 2.55 percent card fee.
Who Does the Work and How Long Does It Take?
Hire an electrical contractor licensed by the City of St. Louis Building Division; the contractor applies from a registered trades account on stlcitypermits.com or walks in at Room 425, City Hall. The Building Division says most trade applications are approved within 1 to 3 business days and all within 10, by email; the contractor then prints the permit and schedules the inspection from the dashboard. The code official can order the utility to disconnect power from any building where unpermitted electrical work was done, and it is unlawful to supply current to a building until the required permit has been issued, so an unpermitted panel is a real risk at resale and with the utility. If you want to do other wiring yourself, the Electrical Section gives the homeowner test once per scope of work, free of charge; you must own and occupy the single-family home, buy the materials and do the labor personally.
What Does the Inspector Look At?
The Building Division's pages do not publish a panel checklist; the 2017 NEC as adopted governs the installation, and the ordinance's residential fee lines treat the service as the unit of inspection. Minor repairs are only those listed in Section 80.3.1: a like-for-like outlet (not an ungrounded one upgraded to grounding), a switch of the same rating, a socket, one fixture on the same box, and a same-horsepower motor. Anything beyond that, including the panel, is permit work with an inspection before it is energized.
How to Get a Electrical Panel Permit in St. Louis
Hire a city-licensed electrical contractor
Panel and service changes are contractor-only; confirm the license is from the City of St. Louis Building Division, not just a state or county credential.
Contractor applies online
From a registered trades account at stlcitypermits.com (or walk-in at Room 425) with the address and a description of the work; the $25 application fee and permit fee are paid at the end.
Wait for approval
Most electrical applications are approved within 1 to 3 business days by email, 10 at most; the contractor prints the permit from the dashboard.
Coordinate the service change
The contractor schedules the utility disconnect and reconnect around the work; a house without service for six months or more needs a $30 re-inspection first.
Inspection and reconnect
The contractor schedules the inspection from the dashboard; the city must approve before current is supplied, and a failed visit costs $50.