What's Required in Phoenix
- Permit required for panel replacement, service upgrade, main disconnect replacement, new circuits and subpanels (2024 PBCC 105.2; Residential Projects page)
- Exempt: in-kind replacement of breakers up to 125 A (not the service disconnect), fuses, and switches or devices up to 60 A
- Fee: Table A on the city's service valuation, $1,750 (100 A), $2,620 (200 A), $3,850 (400 A), or your contract price if higher; no plan review fee under $5,000 at the counter
- 2023 NEC with Phoenix amendments; HVAC GFCI rule 210.8(F) deferred to March 1, 2027
- Grounding: 20 ft of #4 bare copper Ufer; #4 copper bonding to water and gas piping (200 A or less)
- Application work type: Service Upgrade - Electrical; filed in SHAPE PHX
- ROC-licensed electrical contractor, or owner-occupant under ARS 32-1121.A.5
- Inspection before energizing; $195 for second and later re-inspections; permit valid 24 months
Do You Need a Permit to Replace an Electrical Panel in Phoenix?
Yes. The 2024 Phoenix Building Construction Code, effective August 1, 2025, lists what electrical work is exempt, and the exemptions stop exactly at the service equipment. You may replace in kind any circuit breaker other than a service disconnect, rated at 125 amperes or less, and repair or replace in kind a switch, other than a service disconnect, receptacle or device rated 60 amperes or less. Replacing the panel itself, the service entrance section, the meter base or the main disconnect, or upgrading from 100 to 200 amps, is none of those things. The city's Residential Projects page lists electrical updates, rewiring and additions among projects that require permits, the permit guide adds adding or relocating electrical circuits, and the residential application has a dedicated work type: Service Upgrade - Electrical.
Phoenix Electrical Permit Rules by Scenario
| What you are doing | City filing | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing a branch breaker (125 A or less) or a fuse, same rating | None | 2024 PBCC 105.2 Electrical item 5 |
| Replacing a switch, outlet or device rated 60 A or less, in kind | None | 2024 PBCC 105.2 Electrical item 4 |
| Replacing the main breaker or service disconnect | Electrical permit | 2024 PBCC 105.2 (service disconnects are excluded from both exemptions) |
| Swapping the panel for a new one at the same amperage | Electrical permit | Residential Projects page; application work type Service Upgrade - Electrical |
| Upgrading 100 A to 200 A, new meter base and SES | Electrical permit, Table A on $2,620 valuation | Valuation Guide TRT 00001 |
| Adding a subpanel and new circuits (EV charger, heat pump, ADU) | Electrical permit | Permit Guide TRT 00823: adding or relocating circuits |
| Rewiring the house | Electrical permit, valued at $5/sq ft | Valuation Guide TRT 00001 |
How Much Does an Electrical Panel Permit Cost in Phoenix?
The 2026 Development Fee Schedule (Appendix A.2, effective January 20, 2026) prices permits on valuation, and the city's Miscellaneous Construction guide gives fixed valuations for new or relocated single-phase electric service: 100 amp $1,750, 200 amp $2,620, 400 amp $3,850. Table A charges $195 on the first $1,000 plus $12 for each additional $1,000 or fraction. A 200-amp service is $2,620, so the permit fee is $195 + 2 x $12 = $219. A 100-amp service is $1,750, giving $195 + $12 = $207; a 400-amp service is $3,850, giving $195 + 3 x $12 = $231. All three are under $5,000, and the schedule charges no plan review fee on projects under $5,000 handled with a counter review of 15 minutes or less, so the permit fee is the whole city cost. If your contractor's price is higher than the city's valuation, the higher figure is used; a $4,000 quote for a 200-amp upgrade would make the fee $231. Failing an inspection twice costs $195 per additional visit, and starting without a permit costs an investigation fee of at least $250 plus double the permit fee.
What the Inspector Checks
Phoenix enforces the 2023 National Electrical Code with local amendments as part of the 2024 PBCC. The city's plan submittal checklist spells out the grounding and bonding it expects on residential services: the grounding electrode conductor is a minimum of 20 feet of #4 bare copper wire embedded in the concrete footing (Ufer), and a bonding conductor of at least one #4 copper wire connecting the metal water and gas piping to the service equipment grounding bus for 200 amp or less services. Load calculations, panel schedules and one-line diagrams belong on the plans when plans are required. The earlier exemption commentary also notes a minimum 1/4-inch air space between a surface-mounted service entrance section or panel and the wall.
Who Pulls the Permit
Electrical contractors are licensed by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, and the contractor's ROC license class and number go on the application. Phoenix's own journeyman licensing under the 2024 code covers plumbing, gas and mechanical trades, not electrical. An owner who will occupy the home may do the work under ARS 32-1121.A.5, the exemption printed on the residential application, but selling or renting within a year is treated as evidence the work was done for sale. Residential permits are filed in the SHAPE PHX portal, permits expire 24 months after issuance, and inspections are requested by 2 p.m. the business day before.
How to Get a Electrical Panel Permit in Phoenix
Confirm it is not exempt
Branch breakers up to 125 A and devices up to 60 A swap in kind without a permit; anything at the service disconnect or panel needs one.
Apply in SHAPE PHX
Residential Construction Permit/Plan Review Application with the Service Upgrade - Electrical work type; ROC number or the owner-builder statement.
Pay the Table A fee
$219 on the $2,620 valuation for a 200-amp service; no plan review fee for a counter review under $5,000.
Install to the 2023 NEC
Ufer and bonding per the city checklist; keep the permit posted on site.
Request the inspection
By 2 p.m. the business day before; the inspector approves the service before the utility reconnects.