Electrical Inspections (update)

This is an update to an earlier post about the electrical code. In that post I mentioned that I would need to get an inspection for any major electrical work I did in my home (but not minor work such as replacing a recepticle). Well, I decided to call the ESA (the organization responsible for the inspection) to find out if that was accurate. Turns out I was wrong. I need to get permits/inpsections for ANY electrical projects in my home. Each inspection costs between $80 for small jobs and $270 for large jobs with an additional fee if the service (feed from the street) is changed. That means that in order for me to replace a disfunctional $4.00 outlet in my home I need to pay $80. Yikes.

The penalty for not getting an inspection is a $115 administrative fee and a possibility of a fine of up to $50,000 and/or jail time.

I'm the type of person who likes to follow the law, and I understand that these inspections are there for my safety but I'm going to feel really dumb if I pay $80 to install a $4 outlet. ESPECIALLY since I know that most electricians would not bother with a permit for a job so small.

I think I need to take this with a grain of salt. Small electrical work is so easy to do and very hard to get wrong (if you've done your homework). The work I have done so far has always improved upon the work of licenced electricians (i.e. I bring their work up to code!). I guess I'll take it on a case-by-case situation.