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Tool · Michigan

What may you do yourself, and what needs a permit and a license?

Pick your state, whether you own and live in the home, and the job. You get what the law says you may do yourself, whether a license is required, whether a permit and inspection apply, and who issues the permit. Michigan is the only state covered so far, and the code in force is the 2023 National Electrical Code with Michigan amendments, in effect since March 12, 2024.

Written by the ElectricianMatch editorial teamLast reviewed Oct 19, 2026Runs in your browser. Collects nothing.
A line between work a homeowner may do and work that needs a licenseLook at the dashed line down the middle. Left of it: simple device swaps like an outlet, a switch or a light fixture. Right of it: the panel and the service connection, which need a licensed electrician.A line between work a homeowner may do and work that needs a licenseLook at the dashed line down the middle. Left of it: simple device swaps like an outlet, a switch or a light fixture. Right of it: the panel and the service connection, which need a licensed electrician.HomeownerLicense requiredOutlet, switch, lightPanel and service

Answer the questions

Which state is the house in?

Michigan is the only state with sourced rules here so far.

Who is doing the work?

The homeowner exemption covers a homeowner working on a single family home and its outbuildings that they own and occupy, or will occupy.

What is the job?

Pick the closest one.

Every possible result

The result above appears when scripts are on. Each result below is listed with the answers that lead to it, in the order the tool checks them.

We have no sourced rules for that state yet

Chosen when: Which state is the house in: Another state

Electrical rules are set by the state and enforced locally, and we will not guess at yours. Ask your state's licensing board and your city's permit office. The tool can answer the same question for a Michigan address.

License Unknown here Permit Unknown here

Who issues the permit: Your local permit office

Swapping a receptacle, switch or lamp: no permit, and a narrow license line

Chosen when: What is the job: Replace a receptacle, a switch or a lamp on an existing circuit

Michigan's rule R 408.30818 lists installing or replacing lamps and utilization equipment on existing receptacles, and replacing flush or snap switches, fuses, lamp sockets and receptacles, among the work that needs no permit. A license is a separate question: minor repair work, meaning wiring valued at $100 or less under MCL 339.5703, is one class for which no license is required. Anything bigger, or anything that changes the wiring, falls under different rules.

I own and live in this single family home, and I will do the work myself: Can you do it yourself? Yes. These swaps need no permit, and you are inside the homeowner exemption for your own single family home. License Not required for you. Permit No permit for the listed swaps.

Someone else, or it is a rental, a duplex or a house I do not live in: Can you do it yourself? Only if the work counts as minor repair, wiring valued at $100 or less. License Required above that. Ask for the license number and check it on the LARA lookup. Permit No permit for the listed swaps.

Who issues the permit: Not applicable for the listed swaps. For anything else, the enforcing agency for your address (see your city page).

Outlet and switch · When Michigan electrical work needs a permit, and when it does not

A hardwired fixture or fan: not named in the exempt list, so ask your city

Chosen when: What is the job: Replace a hardwired light fixture or ceiling fan

The exemption in R 408.30818 names lamps and equipment that connect to existing receptacles, switches, fuses, lamp sockets and receptacles. A hardwired fixture or ceiling fan is not named, so we cannot call it exempt. Whether a like-for-like swap needs a permit is a question for your city's electrical office, and new wiring counts as an addition.

I own and live in this single family home, and I will do the work myself: Can you do it yourself? Yes, as an owner-occupant of a single family home, with a permit if your city says one is needed. License Not required for you. Permit Ask your city; new wiring needs one.

Someone else, or it is a rental, a duplex or a house I do not live in: Can you do it yourself? Only as minor repair, wiring valued at $100 or less. License Required above that. Permit Ask your city; new wiring needs one.

Who issues the permit: The enforcing agency for your address.

Ceiling fan · When Michigan electrical work needs a permit, and when it does not

Adding an outlet, a light or a circuit: permit and inspection

Chosen when: What is the job: Add an outlet, a light or a circuit

LARA's electrical permit page says nobody may equip a building with electrical conductors or equipment, or alter, change or add to them, without a permit. Adding wiring is not on the exempt list. Work that will be hidden must not be concealed until the inspector has seen it, and the permit lasts 180 days.

I own and live in this single family home, and I will do the work myself: Can you do it yourself? Yes, as an owner-occupant of a single family home and its outbuildings, with a permit and the inspection. License Not required for you. Permit Required, with inspection.

Someone else, or it is a rental, a duplex or a house I do not live in: Can you do it yourself? No. License Required: an individual licensed under Article 7 must install electrical wiring. Permit Required, with inspection.

Who issues the permit: The enforcing agency for your address: the city, the county or the State's Bureau of Construction Codes.

Outlet and switch · When Michigan electrical work needs a permit, and when it does not

A panel or service change: permit, inspection, then the utility

Chosen when: What is the job: Replace a panel or upgrade the service

A permit for a panel upgrade is an inference, not a sentence in LARA's text: the exempt list names only small jobs, and the enforcing agency must approve service equipment before the load side of the meter is energized. A replaced service on a one or two family home also needs the outdoor emergency disconnect that Michigan's amended 230.85 describes. The utility connects only after inspection, and Consumers wants an inspection sticker on your meter.

I own and live in this single family home, and I will do the work myself: Can you do it yourself? The text of the exemption allows an owner-occupant to do the work with a permit. The utility's own steps and the inspector's approval still apply, and CPSC-style advice to hire a qualified electrician applies to anything you cannot do safely. License Not required for you. Permit Treat as required; your city can confirm.

Someone else, or it is a rental, a duplex or a house I do not live in: Can you do it yourself? No. License Required. Permit Treat as required; your city can confirm.

Who issues the permit: The enforcing agency for your address, then the utility's connection process.

Panel upgrade · Signs your Michigan home may need an electrical panel upgrade

An EV charger: treat it as a permit job

Chosen when: What is the job: Install an EV charger

The State's fee schedule has an Electric Vehicle Charging Station line, a new circuit is not on the exempt list, and the Department of Energy says appropriate permits may be required. Utility rebate programs go further: DTE's agreement requires a licensed electrician and all necessary permits.

I own and live in this single family home, and I will do the work myself: Can you do it yourself? As an owner-occupant, yes, with a permit. DTE's and Consumers' rebate rules require a licensed electrician, so doing it yourself may cost you the rebate. License Not required for you by the statute. Permit Treat as required.

Someone else, or it is a rental, a duplex or a house I do not live in: Can you do it yourself? No. License Required. Permit Treat as required.

Who issues the permit: The enforcing agency for your address.

EV charger · Putting a Level 2 charger in a Michigan home: the circuit, the permit and the rebate status

A standby generator: electrical permit and inspection

Chosen when: Any other answers

The State's fee schedule lists a generator line in its mechanical section and says it also requires an electrical permit. Consumers Energy says permanent installations should be done by a licensed electrical contractor, isolated from the utility system by a transfer switch or similar isolation switch, with permits and inspections. Your electrician and the inspector cite the NEC section that governs generators and transfer equipment.

I own and live in this single family home, and I will do the work myself: Can you do it yourself? The exemption text allows an owner-occupant to install equipment with a permit, but Consumers advises a licensed electrical contractor for permanent installations. License Not required for you by the statute. Permit Electrical permit, and the generator line on the mechanical side.

Someone else, or it is a rental, a duplex or a house I do not live in: Can you do it yourself? No. License Required. Permit Electrical permit, and the generator line on the mechanical side.

Who issues the permit: The enforcing agency for your address.

Generator install · Standby generators and transfer switches for Michigan homes: what the utility and the state say

This is a summary of the rules we could source, not legal advice. Cities set their own fees and sometimes their own rules, and the State's Statewide Jurisdiction List shows which agency enforces the code at your address.

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