Electrician- no permit

[Rousner E.]

I got a licensed, bonded and insured electrician who I am planning on hiring to upgrade my electrical panel from an old fuse box to a breaker system. He stated to me that he will not pull a permit because the city inspector will begin to inspect every electrical aspect of the house. He said that he is licensed and insured so if anything goes wrong he would be liable. This is the first time I’ve had to do any project that required a permit, any advice?

[August Costanzo]

Hi Rousner,

I am a licensed electrician (NJ) and you definitely want to avoid any electrician that doesn't want a permit for this type of work. While ARC fault breakers are required in all new construction, or in adding new circuits, replacement panels are not generally required to have ARC fault breakers because they won't work in most cases so that should not be his issue. 

Whenever I give a quote and the homeowner tells me 'The last guy said I didn't need a permit' I caution the customer they're opening themselves to a potential problem. One issue is when you go to sell the house. If a CO is required and work has been done it will halt the sale of your house. 

Do yourself a favor and get an electrician who will fill out the permit and submit it to the town. It's your only way to know it will be inspected and the work will meet code.

August Costanzo