Verified against the city’s published rules · page updated October 24, 2026 · rules change — confirm with the city before applying
In Plano (Collin and Denton counties), electrical work needs a city permit unless it is a minor repair or maintenance. Unlike Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, Plano lets a homeowner pull that permit and do the wiring personally, on a home they own and live in. Everything below is from the city’s code, fee schedule, forms and handouts, with dates, plus the Texas Occupations Code.
The City of Plano Building Inspections Department issues electrical permits for work inside the city limits.
The department is at 1520 K Avenue, Suite 140, Plano, TX 75074, in the Plano Municipal Center. Its number is 972-941-7140 and its email is buildingpermits@plano.gov, as printed on the city’s permit forms and its Customer’s Guide to the Building Permit Process (revised October 8, 2024). Online applications and inspection requests run through eTRAKiT, which the department page describes as the place to “Apply for building permits, search projects and contractors, and schedule inspections.”
Plano spans two counties. The city’s own government profile (updated January 2025) lists both Collin County and Denton County.
The state electrical licensing law, Chapter 1305 of the Texas Occupations Code, gives counties no electrical permitting role and does not mention them. Section 1305.201(d) says electrical work inside a city’s limits “must be installed in accordance with all applicable local ordinances,” and §1305.201(e) says work in an unincorporated area must meet standards “at least as stringent as the requirements of the state electrical code.” This page covers addresses inside the city limits of Plano (Collin and Denton counties) only.
The rules are in Chapter 6, Article IX of the city code. Ordinance No. 2025-6-13 adopted the 2023 National Electrical Code with local amendments, effective August 1, 2025.
New wiring, additions, alterations and most repairs need a permit. Minor repairs, maintenance and fixture swaps on existing wiring do not.
Section 6-351(a) makes it unlawful to install electrical wiring or equipment, “or to make any alterations, additions, changes or repairs,” without “first having procured a permit.” Section 6-351(b) exempts “a minor repair or for maintenance work, the replacement of lamps, or the connection of portable electrical equipment to suitable permanently installed receptacles.” The code’s definitions of repair and maintenance both exclude extensions of, or additions to, an existing system.
The city’s handout “When is a Permit Required?” (revised September 28, 2016) puts it in plain terms. It lists “Electrical work. (Repair work such as replacing switches, plugs and ballasts is exempt).” It also says “permits are not required when replacing fixtures on existing wiring or plumbing.” Swapping a fixture or a receptacle is on the exempt side. A new circuit, a moved outlet or a panel change is not.
The handout calls itself informational and “not an all-inclusive list.” It dates from 2016, before the city adopted the 2023 code.
Yes. A homeowner may get the permit and do the electrical work personally, on a homestead they own and occupy, with no paid help.
Section 6-281(b) reads: “A homeowner may personally install electrical conductors or equipment within his place of residence if the owner applies for and receives a permit, pays required fees, does work in accordance with this code, and applies for an inspection.” The work “must be done by himself on homestead premises owned and occupied by him without compensation,” and “The homeowner shall not employ another person to assist him in any way on work done under the provisions of this section.”
Section 6-354 lists owners among those who may receive permits, “to personally perform repair, maintenance or electrical construction work upon premises owned by them.” The 2024 residential code adds that “Homeowners may obtain permits to do work at their residence without being registered” (§R105.3, Ordinance No. 2025-6-15).
State law exempts an owner who lives in the dwelling only for work “not specifically regulated by a municipal ordinance” (Tex. Occ. Code §1305.003(a)(6)). Plano’s ordinance regulates this work, which is why the city’s permit and its conditions apply.
One warning from the city itself. Its Tips on Contractor Selection handout says: “Be especially wary of contractors suggesting you obtain permits for their work. If you obtain the permit for a contractor, then you will be responsible for their work.”
A contractor needs a TDLR Electrical Contractor license and a current annual registration with the City of Plano.
Texas requires a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) to perform or offer electrical work (§1305.151). TDLR says a business “must employ a licensed Master Electrician to apply for an Electrical Contractor license.” Check any name on TDLR’s license search, or read how to look up a Texas electrical license.
Plano adds registration. Section 6-327(a) bars electrical work that needs a permit unless the person “is licensed in accord with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and has a current certificate of registration.” Registration expires every year, and “No permits or inspections will be issued or completed for a contractor whose registration has expired” (§6-332). The residential code adds that electrical contractors “shall provide proof of required State of Texas licenses and insurance” (§R105.3). You can search registered contractors in eTRAKiT.
The city’s Contractor Registration Requirements sheet (revised January 16, 2020) says electrical contractors must register “listing a master and/or master sign electrician,” and lists “Electrical Contractor $100.00” a year. Journeymen and residential wiremen working under a master need “No city registration.”
Texas Occupations Code §1305.201(f) reads: “A municipality or region may not collect a permit fee, registration fee, administrative fee, or any other fee from an electrician who holds a license issued under this chapter for work performed in the municipality or region. This subsection does not prohibit a municipality or region from collecting a building permit fee.” Plano’s current fee ordinance, in effect since January 2, 2026, lists registration fees for general, irrigation, sign and solid waste contractors and none for electrical. The 2020 sheet still lists the $100 fee, and this page does not decide how either fits the statute.
Find TDLR-licensed electrical contractors filed in Collin County or in Denton County. See the other Texas city electrical permit guides.
Plano’s fee schedule has no line named for a residential electrical permit, so this page gives no figure or total for one.
The current schedule is Ordinance No. 2025-11-4, passed November 10, 2025 and effective January 2, 2026. Plano’s new fiscal year began October 1, 2026. The Building Inspections page still links this ordinance, and the council’s online legislative records, which start in June 2026, show no newer building fee ordinance. These are the lines that touch residential electrical work, as the city prints them:
The city’s Miscellaneous Simple Permit Application has an Electrical / Residential checkbox. No city document says a panel change or new circuit on an existing house is billed on the $85 line, and we will not assume it. Call Building Inspections at 972-941-7140 for the fee on your job.
Check the ordinance number on any fee schedule you open. The city’s Residential Permits page still links a fee schedule that is Ordinance No. 2020-3-6, which the 2025 ordinance repealed.
Wiring is inspected before it is covered, and power is connected only after the city approves the work.
Section 6-282 says the inspector inspects rough work “within twenty-four (24) hours from the time of notification (exclusive of Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays).” Section 6-284 bars covering any wiring with flooring, lath or wallboard until the inspector approves it. Section 6-285 bars connecting power to permitted work until a certificate of approval is issued. The Customer’s Guide says that “Upon final trade approvals, we will authorize ‘utility releases’ for electricity and gas service connection.”
The Customer’s Guide lists three ways to schedule: eTRAKiT, the SelecTXT texting service, or a call to 972-941-7140. The city’s undated IVR brochure gives an automated line, 972-424-2534, and electrical codes including 500 temporary pole, 505 underground, 520 rough, 525 meter release and 590 final electrical for residential.
The city’s permit applications say a permit becomes invalid if work does not start within 180 days of issue, or if work is suspended or abandoned for 180 days after it starts.
Panel changes carry Plano’s local code amendments, and solar, batteries and generators have their own application and a third-party option.
We report what the city and state texts say, and we did not confirm anything with the city by phone.
We do not state what a stand-alone residential electrical permit costs or give a permit total. We do not say whether Plano still charges electrical contractors to register, or how its fees fit §1305.201(f). We do not say how much of Plano lies in each county. The no-permit examples come from a 2016 handout.
License and permit information from the City of Plano and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read October 1, 2026. Neither this site nor the information as presented here is endorsed by the State of Texas or any state agency.
Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below, each published by the body that sets, measures or administers the thing it describes. We record the document’s own date and the date we read it, because published pages change without notice.
| Source | Document date | We read it |
|---|---|---|
| City of Plano, Ordinance No. 2025-6-13, Electrical Code of the City of Plano (Code of Ordinances Ch. 6, Art. IX, §§6-274, 6-275, 6-281, 6-282, 6-284, 6-285, 6-327, 6-328, 6-332, 6-351, 6-353, 6-354), adopting the 2023 National Electrical Code with amendments | passed and approved June 9, 2025; Section VII: effective August 1, 2025; repeals Ord. No. 2022-1-14 (2020 NEC). Linked as ‘2023 National Electrical Code’ under ‘2024 Codes (Effective August 1)’ on plano.gov/2286/Building-Codes-Ordinances | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano, Ordinance No. 2025-6-15, adopting the 2024 International Residential Code with amendments (§R105.3 and its homeowner exception) | Ordinance No. 2025-6-15; listed under ‘2024 Codes (Effective August 1)’ on the city’s codes page; PDF created June 10, 2025 | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano, Building Inspections Department Fee Schedule, Ordinance No. 2025-11-4 with Exhibit A | passed and approved November 10, 2025; Section VII: effective January 2, 2026; repeals Ord. No. 2020-3-6. Linked from plano.gov/building-inspections as ‘Building Inspections Fee Schedule’ | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano, Legistar legislation search (webapi.legistar.com/v1/plano), matters introduced since November 15, 2025 | searched 2026-10-01 (drafter) and 2026-10-02 UTC (fact gate). The Legistar API holds matters introduced from 2026-06-08 and council meetings from 2026-05-26 only, so it covers June to September 2026, not November 2025 to May 2026. FY 2026-27 budget ordinance (file 26-778) is for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026; no matter in that window amends the Building Inspections fee schedule or the Electrical Code (only Ch. 6 items: 26-617 flagpole waiver, 26-624 short-term rentals; fee items: 26-586 ambulance, 26-797 water and sewer) | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, When is a Permit Required? (handout, with Tips on Contractor Selection on page 2) | FM624MP010 REV. 09/28/16; PDF modified August 9, 2021; linked from plano.gov/residential-additions-alterations | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, Contractor Registration Requirements | FM624MP058 REV. 01/16/20; PDF modified August 4, 2021 | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, Building Inspections Information Sheet | FM624MP019 REV. 04/11/12, ‘8/11/2016 Revised’ on its face | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, A Customer’s Guide to the Building Permit Process | Revised 10/8/2024; linked from plano.gov/building-permits | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, Miscellaneous Simple Permit Application | FM624MP002 REV. 10/21/20; linked from plano.gov/building-permits | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, Home Backup Power Installations Review and Inspection Procedure | FM624RY063 New 08/20/2025; linked from plano.gov/residential-permits | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, Residential Solar and Backup Battery Permit Application | FM624RY63 NEW 08/20/25; PDF created February 2, 2026; linked from plano.gov/residential-permits | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano Building Inspections, Telephone Inspection Request Procedures (IVR Plano brochure) | undated brochure; PDF created March 12, 2018, modified August 4, 2021 | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano, Building Inspections department page and Residential Permits page (link targets read from the page source) | undated city web pages; Residential Permits page at https://www.plano.gov/residential-permits | 2026-10-01 |
| City of Plano, Plano, TX Profile: Government | ‘Updated: January 2025’; lists Collin County and Denton County under County Government | 2026-10-01 |
| Texas Occupations Code ch. 1305 (§§1305.003(a)(6), 1305.151, 1305.201), official text, Texas Legislature | current text; §1305.201 last amended by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 285 (H.B. 3329), eff. September 1, 2017; chapter contains no reference to counties. Raw text read from the Legislature’s resource file behind that page (tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/OC/htm/OC.1305.htm) | 2026-10-01 |
| TDLR, Apply for a New Electrical Contractor License (master electrician of record); TDLR License Search | undated agency web page | 2026-10-01 |
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