Janesville Electrical Permits: When You Need One and What It Costs
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Short answer
Part of Panel and Service Upgrades.
What needs a permit
The city's Building Division lists three triggers: upgrading an electrical service, installing new wiring or adding to or altering existing wiring, and replacing or adding heating and cooling equipment. Replacing an existing switch or outlet in the same location does not need one (City of Janesville). State code says the same thing from the other side: no wiring project that adds a service, feeder or branch circuit may start without a permit, except emergency work, where the application can follow (SPS 316.012).
Who pulls it
When a licensed contractor does the work, the contractor pulls the permit and calls for every inspection, including the final. A homeowner may pull their own electrical permit only if they own and occupy the house, and only for branch-circuit wiring. Any service upgrade or alteration needs a Wisconsin licensed Master Electrician to pull it (City of Janesville Building Division). That is why a panel upgrade or a generator transfer switch is contractor work here, while adding an outlet circuit can be a homeowner job. What the state allows homeowners is in can you do your own electrical work.
The fee schedule
Janesville's residential electrical fees, from Appendix A of the city code (Municode, read November 8, 2026). The city's own fee PDF was not readable when we checked, so confirm the current figure with the Building Division at (608) 755-3060 before you budget to the cent.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Service entrance (new or upgraded) | $51 |
| Standby generator | $51 |
| Temporary service | $51 |
| Feeder or subfeeder change | $16 |
| Central air conditioning, per unit | $16 |
| Gas or oil heating unit | $16 |
| Exhaust fan, each | $2.45 |
| Outlet, switch or light fixture, each | $1.17 |
| Electric baseboard heater, per section | $1.17 |
| Emergency lighting | $122 |
| New one- or two-family home, up to 4,500 sq ft, per unit | $163 |
| New one- or two-family home, over 4,500 sq ft, per unit | $194 |
On a typical job the permit is a small line: a service upgrade with a feeder change is $51 plus $16, and ten new outlets add ten times $1.17. The labor and materials are the real cost, covered on the electrician cost page.
Inspections
Wiring that will be covered has to be inspected before it is covered, and current may not be turned on until the city's electrical inspector issues a certificate of inspection; the power company has to get a copy of that certificate before it supplies service (Janesville electrical code). For a service upgrade, Alliant Energy installs the new meter after it receives the local inspection (Alliant Energy). Commercial electrical permitting in Janesville was delegated to the city by the state in 2020 (DSPS letter).
The other cities
Each nearby city handles it its own way. Beloit runs its own building inspections and publishes per-item electrical fees (Beloit 2026 fee schedule); Milton and Evansville contract General Engineering Company, and Evansville sends commercial electrical permits to the state (City of Evansville).
| City | Electrical permits | Power company |
|---|---|---|
| Janesville | City Building Division, (608) 755-3060 | Alliant Energy |
| Beloit | City Planning & Building Services | Not confirmed |
| Milton | City Hall, inspections by General Engineering Company | Alliant Energy (Rock Energy Cooperative in some business areas) |
| Edgerton | City building inspector, Wisconsin uniform permit | Not confirmed |
| Evansville | General Engineering Company for the city; commercial electrical through the state | Evansville Water & Light (city-owned) |
Beloit's electrical fees for comparison:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Permit application filing fee (doubles if work starts first) | $50 |
| Electrical service, 100 amps | $15 |
| Each additional service, 100 to 1,000 amps | $10 |
| 240-volt outlet, GFCI or arc-fault device, each | $5 |
| Range or dryer circuit, each | $4 |
| Switch, receptacle or light fixture, each | $0.75 |
| Generator, per kilowatt | $0.25 |
| In-ground pool, hot tub or spa | $35 |
| Re-inspection | $15 |
Sources: City of Janesville, electrical, plumbing and HVAC permits; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 316.012, electrical permits; City of Janesville Building Division, building permits; Janesville Code of Ordinances, Appendix A fee schedule (Municode); Janesville Code of Ordinances, chapter 10 article III, electrical code (Municode); Alliant Energy, new construction and service upgrades; Wisconsin DSPS, commercial electrical delegation letter to the City of Janesville (2020); City of Beloit, 2026 master fee schedule (electrical work fees, BMC 10.04); City of Evansville, building permits
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Quick answers
Do I need a permit to replace an outlet in Janesville?
Not to replace an existing switch or outlet in the same location. Adding an outlet, a circuit, or any new or altered wiring needs a permit.
How much is an electrical permit in Janesville?
By the city's published fee schedule, $51 for a residential service entrance or generator, $16 for a feeder change, and $1.17 for each outlet, switch or fixture. A new home up to 4,500 square feet is $163 per unit. Labor costs are on the cost page.
Can a homeowner pull an electrical permit in Janesville?
Only for branch-circuit wiring in a house they own and occupy. Service and feeder work needs a Wisconsin licensed Master Electrician to pull the permit.
Who do I call about an electrical permit in Janesville?
The city's Building Division at (608) 755-3060.
What happens if electrical work is done without a permit?
In Janesville current may not be turned on until the inspector issues a certificate, and concealed wiring must be inspected before it is covered, so unpermitted work tends to surface at inspection or sale. Fix it by permitting it.
Rather have a licensed electrician handle it?
Tell us the address and the job. A licensed electrician replies with a price, and pulls the permit where one is needed.