Yes — Done handles electrical permitting as a standard part of the job on work that requires it. When you hire us for electrical installations, panel upgrades, or other permitted work, we pull the permit, coordinate with the local building department, and schedule the inspection. You don’t have to navigate the permitting process yourself. It’s built into how we work.

Why Electrical Permits Exist and Why They Matter

Permits aren’t bureaucratic red tape — they’re the mechanism by which a licensed inspector verifies that electrical work meets the National Electrical Code (NEC) and local amendments. That third-party review is a genuine safety check. Faulty wiring is one of the leading causes of residential structure fires in the U.S., and permits exist specifically to catch errors before walls are closed and problems become invisible.

For homeowners, there’s also a practical financial reason to care: unpermitted electrical work can complicate your homeowner’s insurance coverage if a claim ever involves that wiring, and it will almost certainly surface during a home sale inspection. Buyers’ agents routinely flag unpermitted work, and correcting it after the fact — opening walls, redoing work, paying retroactive permit fees — costs far more than doing it right the first time.

What Types of Electrical Work Require a Permit in Colorado?

The specific list varies by municipality, but in most Denver-area jurisdictions, permits are required for:

  • Electrical panel upgrades or replacements
  • New circuit installation (including for EV chargers, hot tubs, major appliances)
  • Service entrance work
  • Substantial rewiring or adding new outlets to existing circuits in some circumstances
  • New construction and addition electrical rough-in
  • Standby generator and battery backup system installation

Minor repairs — replacing a like-for-like outlet, swapping a light fixture — often don’t require a permit, though licensing requirements for who can legally perform the work still apply. When in doubt, Done will tell you what’s required for your specific project before we start.

What the Permitting Process Looks Like When You Work With Done

For work that requires a permit, here’s roughly how it goes. We submit the permit application to the appropriate jurisdiction — Denver, Aurora, Jefferson County, or wherever your home is located — with the required project documentation. Once the permit is issued, we schedule the work. At the appropriate stage (typically after rough-in, before walls close), a city or county inspector comes out to verify the work meets code. After the inspection passes, we complete the job and close it out. You get a copy of the final inspection record for your files.

For panel upgrades, this process often also involves coordination with Xcel Energy for meter disconnect and reconnect. Done handles that coordination as well — you shouldn’t have to manage multiple phone calls to different agencies to get your panel replaced.

Permitting for Specific Projects

A few project types where permitting questions come up frequently: EV charger installations require a permit in most jurisdictions, and Done’s EV charger installation service includes pulling it. Whole-home generator and backup power systems almost always require permits due to the transfer switch work involved. Remodel electrical work — adding circuits for a kitchen renovation, finishing a basement — requires permits in virtually every case.

Why You Should Never Skip a Required Permit

The temptation to skip a permit is usually about cost or timeline — permits take time and some jurisdictions charge fees. But the downstream risks far outweigh those inconveniences. An electrical fire traced to unpermitted wiring can result in a denied insurance claim. A failed home inspection due to unpermitted panel work can delay or kill a sale. And if a serious injury occurs from electrical work that wasn’t inspected, the liability exposure can be significant. Done won’t cut that corner for you or for ourselves — every job gets done the right way.

If you’re planning a project and have questions about what permits are required, contact Done and we’ll give you a straight answer before you commit to anything. We’re not going to recommend skipping a permit to make the job look cheaper upfront — that’s not how we operate.