Permit, rough-in, final — the sequence the paper follows
Permitting is local, but the shape is consistent. Washington's Department of Labor & Industries lays it out plainly on its electrical permit basics page: buy the permit before the work, get it inspected, corrections signed off, then it closes. New circuits, panel work, and anything that extends wiring is squarely permit territory; a like-for-like receptacle swap often isn't. The line moves by jurisdiction — the building department where the job sits draws it, not the internet.
Homeowner permits exist in many places, but they're narrow: the owner's own primary residence, doing the work personally — they don't stretch to a rental, a flip, or work a customer hires out. Worth knowing before somebody suggests it as a shortcut, because the permit trail protects you as much as the house.
Two disclosure rules ride alongside the permit. California's Business & Professions Code 7030.5 puts the license number on all construction contracts, subcontracts, calls for bid, and all advertising — an easy one to trip on, and an easier one to automate. And a California residential job over $500 needs a written home-improvement contract (B&P 7159), signed before work starts. The license itself, the contract, and the code work are on you; the record of them is what a tool can keep straight.
How SideWRK keeps that record per job
A permit card on the job
Status (needed → applied → issued → closed), the permit number, and the issuing authority — plus rough-in and final inspections, each with its own status and date. The permit number prints on the document.
Permit fee as its own line
One tap adds the permit fee to the estimate as a separate line, so the customer sees it for what it is instead of it eating your labor number.
License number on everything
Enter your electrical license once; it prints on every estimate and invoice next to your business name — the 7030.5 habit, automated.
Photos before the drywall
Shoot the run while it's open. The photos live with the job, alongside the customer's logged approval and the itemized materials with their condition — new, reused, customer-supplied.
Where the tool stops
SideWRK tracks the permit; it can't pull one. It prints your license number; it can't check that you hold one. Whether a given job needs a permit — and who's allowed to do the work — is your building department's call and your state board's, and this page is not legal advice.
What the tool does is make the documented version of the job the easy version, so the paper is there when the inspector, the customer, or a future you asks.
Electrical permits — common questions
Does electrical work need a permit?
Generally, any work that adds, extends, or modifies wiring needs a permit from the local building department and inspection before it is closed up — commonly a rough-in inspection with the walls open and a final. Swapping a like-for-like receptacle or fixture is often exempt, but the line varies by jurisdiction, and in most states permit-required electrical work also requires a licensed electrician. Your local building department is the authority.
Does my license number have to be on the contract or invoice?
In California, yes — Business and Professions Code 7030.5 requires licensed contractors to include the license number on all construction contracts, subcontracts, calls for bid, and every form of advertising. Other states have similar disclosure rules. Printing it on every estimate and invoice is the simple way to never think about it.
What records should I keep on a permitted job?
The permit number and the issuing authority, the rough-in and final inspection results with dates, the permit fee as its own line on the estimate, photos of the work before it is closed up, and the itemized invoice showing materials and their condition. Keeping these together per job is the paper trail that ties the inspection back to the bill.
Can a homeowner pull the permit instead of me?
Many jurisdictions allow a homeowner permit — but typically only for the owner's own primary residence, doing the work themselves, and not for rentals, homes for sale, or commercial buildings. Some states, like Texas for most permit work and New York City for nearly everything, require the licensed electrician to hold the permit. Check the rule where the job is before assuming either way.
Does SideWRK pull permits or verify my license?
No. Permits come from your building department and your license is between you and your state board. SideWRK tracks the permit on the job — number, authority, rough-in and final status with dates, the fee as an estimate line — and prints your license and permit numbers on the documents. It helps with the paperwork; it is not legal advice, and your local code authority has the final word.