Depending on local jurisdiction policies, a home owner may pull a permit and do their own electrical work on their personal residence that they own. This does not apply to homes they own that are rented to others or commercial occupancies. This is true in Colorado.
In the state of Massachusetts, yes you need to be licensed and insured. It is extremely important to hire a licensed electrician to do any work in your home. To obtain a journeyman license, you must work in the field for a minimum of 8000 hours (4 years). You must also complete 600 hours of class time, code, calculations and practical tests. Before we take the state exam, we must complete these tasks and go through an extensive background check. For the master electrician/business exam, we must hold the journeyman license for one year and have completed 150 hours of class time. Every three years we must take 21 hours of continuing education to renew our licenses. All this is done for a reason, to perform the highest quality of safe, reliable electrical work.
If you do not have a state license as an Electrician, there is no reason to change a panel box in your home. If you feel you can do that project, then get the license. A panel box change is not a do-it-yourself project. Even if you are a very handy person, your insurance company will not agree if a problem occurs or a fire happens. We see very many dangerous wiring conditions that exist in homeowner wiring situations. A licensed professional, working under permit with a code inspector reviewing the work is what you must have. Just like a surgeon working on your body, the home is a system that must be respected and handled by those who have earned the credentials to keep it safe.
Yes you do, its required by NEC.
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In the state of California you CANT replace panel box if you not licensed electrician!
You need to get a permit from the city and the contractor need to meet the inspector at the day of the inspection. Before all that you need to get a spot location from DWP or Edison, without the spot location you cannot change the panel.
Do yourself a favor and take a licensed electritian.
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I totally agree. People should not be touching and trying to do electrical themselves
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I live in the state of California, A previous post is incorrect. No you do not have to have a contractors license to change your own panel, at least in Ventura county. I just changed my panel this weekend. Should you do it? Only if you have extensive experience dealing with electrical work. Cutting and reconnecting the live mains from the transformer can be very dangerous if not done properly. I have done this many times in my field as my previous employer had the electrical license (I work in HVAC). You must first call the electrical company for a “meter spot” (my case So Cal Edison) their planning department will determine where to place the new panel, in the same place or a new location. A city/county permit and inspection is required for final connection from the provider. The permit was pulled by myself as a homeowner. As mentioned before I have experience doing this and do not recommend this for a novice, you can get hurt or die.
In Washington State, you do not “need” to have an electrical license to change the panel. You can pull your own electrical permit and do the work yourself as a home owner. Also like Colorado, Washington does not allow owners to use home owner permits for rented or commercial property.
Keep in mind that a panel change out is not a simple task. If you are not experienced with electrical work, it would not be Vertechs recommendation that you attempt to do this yourself. Please hire an experienced, licensed and bonded electrician so you can be confident your electrical system is operating efficiently and safely.
You need a ** Electrical Building Permit** to change the panel on your house. In order to get this permit you will need to check with your local authority having jurisdiction as to what the actual requirements are to perform the work. Usually this is a building and safety department in your city of residence. Their answer and only their answer is the correct answer to this question.
It is however strongly recommended that you consult a professional who can accurately determine if the feed going into your house is the correct size for the intended panel and the current and future electrical demands of the structure prior to anyone performing the work.
Good Morning,
In the state of Florida, and I would assume most states, you absolutely need a licensed electrical contractor to replace the panel. A permit would be required as well.