[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A. Requirements. No electrical wiring and no devices, appliances
or equipment for the transmission, distribution or utilization of
electrical energy for any purpose shall be installed within or on
any building or structure, nor shall any person undertake the alteration
of such equipment without first securing a permit for said installation
and/or alteration from public works.
B. A stop
work order will be issued for any job found to be in progress where
a permit has not been issued. Work may not resume until a permit has
been applied for and secured.
C. The
fee for such permit shall be double the normal fee.
D. Exceptions.
1. No permit shall be required for any wiring installation with a maximum
cost of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
2. No permit shall be required for the installation of wiring devices,
appliances or equipment for the operation of signal or the transmission
of intelligence where such wiring, devices and appliances or equipment
operate at the voltage not exceeding fifty (50) volts between conductors
and do not include generating or transforming equipment capable of
supplying more than sixty (60) watts of energy.
3. No permit shall be required for the installation of electric wiring
and apparatus in or on any electric-generating station, power house
or substation or in connection with the distributing line in or on
the streets or alleys for electric light and power, telegraph, telephone
or cable television companies operating under a franchise granted
by the City.
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A. No
permit shall be issued until an application is filed in writing with
the Electrical Inspector and until fees have been paid. Application
shall be made on forms provided by the Electrical Inspector and shall
be completed in such a manner as to advise him/her fully of the nature
and extent of the proposed work. Such application shall include the
following:
1. Location at which the work is to be done;
2. Name and address of the property owner;
3. Name and address of the person or firm in charge of the work;
4. Description of the work to be done;
5. Capacity in amperes of the entrance panel to be installed, if any;
6. Number of circuits to be installed; and
7. Estimated date of completion of work.
B. The
application shall be, at the discretion of the Electrical Inspector,
accompanied by such plans, specifications or information as may be
necessary to determine whether the installation as described will
be in conformity with the requirements of this Chapter. If it shall
be found that the installation as described will in general conform
with requirements of this Chapter and if the applicant has complied
with all of the provisions of this Chapter, a permit for such installation
shall be issued, provided however, that the issuance of the permits
shall not be taken as permission to violate any of the requirements
of this Chapter.
C. All
permits for electrical work shall expire one (1) year from the date
of issue.
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009; Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
A. The following fees will be applied for all failed inspections, failure
to show or provide appropriate access to the inspection site, for
wrong addresses, and failure to have the address or building permit
posted:
1.
Any type of an electrical inspection for residential single-family
or multifamily dwellings shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per
trip, except for those that have permits. Any reinspection shall be
an additional fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).
2.
Any type of electrical inspection for commercial or industrial
applications shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) per trip, except for
those that have permits. Any reinspection shall be an additional fee
of fifty dollars ($50.00).
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A. Upon
the completion of each phase of the work authorized by any permit,
it shall be the duty of the person installing the same to make written
request for inspection.
B. It
shall be unlawful for any person to make connection from a source
of electrical energy to an electrical wiring, devices, appliance or
equipment, for the installation of which a permit is required by this
Article, until such certificate of approval has been issued.
C. It
shall be unlawful for any person to make connections from a source
of electrical energy to any electrical wiring, devices, appliances
or equipment which has been disconnected or ordered to be disconnected
by the Electrical Inspector until a certificate of approval has been
issued by him/her authorizing the reconnection and use thereof
D. The
Electrical Inspector or his/her assistant, if any, shall be authorized
to make inspections.
E. The City will accept requests for electrical inspections by phone.
Inspection requests, if possible, should be made twenty-four (24)
hours in advance of the requested inspection, and all phone-in inspection
requests must be made through the Public Works Department. Fees for
all phone-in inspection requests must be paid within ten (10) days
of the date of invoice.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
When a certificate of approval is issued pursuant to the preceding
Section authorizing the connection for the use of temporary work,
such certificate shall be issued to expire at the time to be stated
therein not to exceed a period of ninety (90) days. A temporary certificate
of approval is renewable but shall be revocable at the discretion
of the Electrical Inspector.
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A preliminary certificate of approval may be issued authorizing
the connection and use of certain specified portions of an incomplete
installation. Such certificate shall be revocable at the discretion
of the Electrical Inspector.
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A. If,
upon inspection, an electrical installation is not found to be fully
in compliance with this Chapter, the Electrical Inspector shall at
once forward to the person installing the wiring a written notice
stating the defects which have been found.
B. An
additional fee shall be charged to reinspect work previously found
to be non-compliant. The reinspect fee for residential service shall
be twenty-five dollars ($25.00). The reinspect fee for commercial
service shall be fifty dollars ($50.00).
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
When any part of a wiring installation is to be hidden from
view by the permanent placement of part of the building, the person
installing the wiring shall make written request for inspection to
the office of the City Clerk. Such parts of the wiring installation
shall not be concealed until they have been inspected and approved
by the Electrical Inspector or until forty-eight (48) hours, exclusive
of Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, shall have elapsed from
the time of the receipt by the City Clerk of such request, provided
however, that on large installations where the concealment of parts
of wiring proceeds continuously, the person installing the wiring
shall so state by written request in order that inspections may be
made during the progress of the work.
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A. All
installations shall be in strict conformity with the provisions of
this Chapter, the National Electrical Code and the Statutes of this
State and shall be in conformity with the approved standards of construction
for safety to life and property. In any case where no specific standards
for installation are prescribed by such Statutes or by the National
Electrical Code, such type of installation as may be directed by the
Electrical Inspector shall be used.
B. All wiring in commercial and industrial buildings shall be installed
in an approved electrical conduit system. Apartments in the downtown
historical area of the City shall also be wired in an approved conduit
system. This does not include apartment buildings outside the downtown
area (that are sprinklered and are three stories or less), provided
they meet 2011 NEC and NFPA 70.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
C. All
wiring in commercial and industrial buildings and/or apartment buildings
shall be enclosed in conduit.
D. A minimum
spacing of three (3) inches must be maintained around all communication
cables. Communication cables may not be run through common access
holes with power cables.
E. A main
disconnect must be installed on the outside of the building near the
electric service meter for all new installations and service upgrades
for all residential, commercial or industrial applications.
F. "Knob
and Tube" (K&T) wiring is prohibited. Wherever this method of
wiring is found during rewiring or service upgrades, it must be removed
and replaced.
G. All
outside receptacles must be installed on dedicated circuits.
H. Ground
fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) units installed on whirlpool tubs
must be accessible. If the tub does not have a hinged access panel,
the GFCI unit must be installed outside of the tub and located a minimum
distance of five (5) feet from the tub.
I. Installation
of twin or piggy-back breakers is not permitted in new construction.
Electrical panels for new construction must have capacity adequate
for the project. Twin or piggy-back breakers may be installed in existing
panels in existing structures as long as the panel is designed for
such installation.
J. Installation of electrical panels in clothes and storage closets,
bedrooms, or bathrooms are prohibited. Where electrical panels are
installed in utility rooms or mechanical rooms, those rooms shall
not be used for storage.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
K. Residential electric generators must have a manual transfer disconnect
switch installed to disconnect from the electric utility company while
the generator is in use. A manual transfer switch must be installed
even when a generator features an automatic transfer switch. The City
requires a service upgrade at the time of installation of the generator,
if the service needs upgrading. Generator installation requires a
permit and an electrical inspection.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
L. Article 410.10D of the 2011 NEC requires that bath and shower areas
must all be GFCI-protected, and wall luminaries must be located a
minimum of five (5) feet from the tub or shower's edge and marked
for damp locations.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
M. Light switches or other switching devices shall not be permitted
within five (5) feet of any shower, tub, whirlpool, hot tub, or any
other water fixture where a person is to be covered or immersed in
water. This includes bathrooms, exercise rooms, gyms, etc.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
N. Any outlet adjacent to a tub, shower, whirlpool, hot tub, etc., shall
have a permanent barrier separating the outlet from personal access.
The barrier in a bathroom shall be from the floor or cabinet edge
extending upward to the ceiling and shall be at least two (2) feet
deep from the attaching wall.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
O. All single-family and multifamily dwelling bathrooms shall be GFCI-protected;
including all luminaries, outlets, switches, fans or any other electrical
devices or any other type equipment.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
P. Approved fittings must be used for ENT conduit (blue smurf tube).
PVC coupling and connectors will not be allowed. Glued-on PVC fittings
are not allowed. Approved fittings must be used for Carlon-type nonmetallic
flexible conduit. PVC couplings and connectors are not approved connectors
and will not be accepted in the City.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
Q. All smoke detectors shall be one-hundred-twenty-volt hard-wired and
shall communicate by either hard-wire or remote communication. This
applies to new, remodeled, or occupancies in single-family and multifamily
dwellings.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
R. Temporary Services. If the temporary service hooks to a pad mount
transformer or power pedestal, the temporary meter base shall be for
that application. The use of a flex line up the leg of an overhead
installation will not be accepted in the City. For an overhead installation,
wiring shall meet those standards set forth by Empire District and
the 2017 NEC. Aluminum wiring is not allowed on a temporary meter
installation. A ground rod shall be driven at all sites. Underground
temporary poles may hook the meter base ground into the Empire District
transformer pedestal instead of having it own dedicated ground rod.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013; Ord. No. 18-034, 12-17-2018]
S. For all kitchens, the two small appliance circuits shall be limited
to a total of four (4) duplex outlets on one GFCI each circuit. Additional
small appliance circuits may be added with the same limitations and
requirements as stated above.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
T. Emergency lights shall be installed in all restrooms in commercial
and industrial buildings. This includes churches and any other structures
of this type.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
U. All applications. For heat pumps, air-conditioning units and any
other external type of unit, the electrical disconnects must be readily
accessible. There must be an unrestricted access of three (3) feet
in front of the electrical disconnect, or the electrical disconnect
will be required to be located to the side of the unit. The one-hundred-twenty-volt
GFCI outlet that is required within twenty-five (25) feet of these
units shall also be on the same side of the structure as the units.
Multiple units on different sides or roof heights require a GFCI outlet
on each side or each level of the units.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
V. Underground services shall have expansion joints with approved expansion
fittings. All underground metal sweep elbows, forty-five-degree elbows,
or any other conduit that is offset or fabricated that are metal shall
be bonded regardless of depth below grade, if connected with PVC conduit
or PVC nipple to the meter base.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
W. For all siding material other than brick, nail plates shall be required
both inside and outside of buildings with two-by-four wood stud walls,
where wiring is installed horizontally or vertically through studs
or plates. Bathrooms and kitchens must have nail plates installed
to protect wiring in the area where upper or lower cabinets are installed.
[Ord. No. 13-021 §1, 8-26-2013]
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
A. No
electrical materials, devices, appliances or equipment shall be used
or installed in the City unless they are in conformity with the provisions
of this Chapter and with the Statutes of this State. The maker's name,
trademark or other identification symbol shall be placed on all electrical
material, devices, appliances and equipment used or installed under
this Chapter.
B. Approved
rigid conduit, electrical metal tubing or metal raceways shall be
required for all wiring hereinafter installed for light, heat or power
purposes in or on all buildings located within the corporate limits
of the City with the following exceptions:
1. All frame construction dwellings may be wired with any approved wiring
method, including the 3-wire rounded non-metallic wiring.
2. Armored cable may be used for short flexible connections for reflectors
in show windows, for concealed wiring in bars or appliances or motors
of not more than two (2) horsepower.
3. Wiring on or in masonry walls shall be made in rigid or flexible
electrical metallic conduit only. Any changes to any other type of
wiring after leaving masonry shall be made only in an approved junction
box.
4. Aluminum wiring is not permitted. Wherever aluminum wiring is found
during rewiring or service upgrades, it must be replaced.
[Ord. No. 09-7340 §1, 4-27-2009]
This Chapter shall not be construed to relieve from or lessen
the liability of any party owning, operating, controlling or installing
any electrical wiring devices, appliances or equipment for damages
to persons or property caused by any defects therein, nor shall the
City be held as assuming any such liability by reason of the inspections
authorized hereon or certificates of approval issued as provided in
this Chapter.