Kern County Municipal Code Art. III Administration

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, owner of the land, or possessor to install, energize, re-energize, use or maintain any electrical equipment or wiring system within or on any building, structure, or premises within the jurisdiction of the enforcing official, nor shall any alteration or addition be made thereto, without first securing a permit therefor from the building official, with the following exceptions:

A. Minor repair work, the replacement of lamps or the connection of portable electrical equipment to suitable permanently installed receptacles;

B. Electrical wiring expressly exempted from this chapter; (see Section 17.24.030).

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

A separate permit shall be required for electrical installations, alteration, reconstruction or repair of electrical wiring or application in each building, except that the permit covering a main building for a dwelling occupancy may include electrical wiring for an accessory building having a floor area of one hundred and twenty(120) square feet or less, located on the same premises as the main building, and supplied from the main building.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

Section 17.04.160 of the Ordinance Code shall apply to appeals.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

Applications for permits shall be made on forms provided by the building official and the permit fee shall be paid at the time the application is filed. The fee shall be established by the Board of Supervisors and set by Board Resolution.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

Any person who commences any electrical work for which a permit is required, without first having obtained a permit therefor, shall pay double the permit fee. This section shall not apply if in the opinion of the building official it was for emergency work when such work was urgently necessary and it was not practical to obtain a permit before commencement of the work. In all cases, a permit must be obtained as soon as it is practical, and if there is unreasonable delay in obtaining the permit, a double fee as herein provided shall be charged.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

Each application for a permit shall be accompanied by plans and specifications or by a suitable diagram subject to approval by the building official.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

Plans, specifications, computations and other data shall be prepared by persons properly authorized by the state of California. The plans and specifications submitted with permit applications shall be subject to the following conditions:

A. The information contained on the plans shall be clearly legible. No plan for electric wiring in a building shall be in scale less than one-eight (⅛) inch to one (1) foot.

B. Two (2) sets of plans and specifications shall be filed for checking when the application is submitted at the Bakersfield office of the department. Three (3) sets of plans and specifications shall be filed for checking when the application is submitted at any other office of the department. If the building official finds that the work described in the plans and specifications conform to the requirements of this code and other pertinent laws and ordinances, one (1) set shall be approved and returned to the applicant; the other approved set(s) shall be retained by the department for field checking.

C. If the plans or specifications do not comply with all provisions of this code, the necessary changes or revisions shall be made thereto by the person who originally drew the plan or his duly authorized agent.

D. Plans and specifications on file with the department may only be inspected pursuant to Health and Safety Code 19850 et seq.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

If an application for permit is filed for work involving wiring or electrical applications which constitute minor "installations" or alterations to an existing electrical system, the building official may waive the requirements for plans and specifications.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)

A. The application, plans, specifications, computations and other data filed by the applicant for permit shall be reviewed by the building official. If the building official finds that the work described in an application for a permit and the plans, specifications and other data filed therewith conform to the requirements of this code and other pertinent laws and ordinances, and that the fees specified herein have been paid, he shall issue a permit therefor to the applicant.

B. When the building official issues the permit where plans are required, he shall endorse in writing or stamp the plans and specifications "APPROVED." Such approved plans and specifications shall not be changed, modified or altered without authorization from the building official, and all work regulated by this code shall be done in accordance with the approved plans.

(Ord. No. G-9359, § 9, 11-4-25)