Expired Electrical Installation Permits

This guide is intended to assist electrical contractors in dealing with permits that the Field Safety Representatives (FSR) have not kept active as required by regulations and bylaws. 

Learn more about keeping an electrical permit active, how to amend an expired electrical permit and how to cancel an electrical permit application or an issued electrical permit. 

Keep an electrical permit active 

To ensure your electrical permit remains active, proceed to the online electrical permit portal and schedule an inspection. 

• In the comment section, note that you are requesting an extension. 

The electrical contractor is required to request an inspection (180) days that allows for an amended permit expiry date. This will avoid administrative local government fees related to permit expiry. 

Amend an expired electrical permit 

Proceed to the online electrical permit portal and pay the fee to acknowledge that you are monitoring the project. 

• Once paid, the expiry date will be extended to 180 days. The extension may take up to 24 hours to reflect. 

Cancel an electrical permit 

The electrical contractor must contact us before the expiry date. 

To cancel an electrical permit application or an issued electrical permit, you must include the following details in your cancellation request to electrical@surrey.ca. 

• Your cancellation request must be from your registered email address or an email address from the same company. 
• In the subject line, you must include:
  • Application number or permit number and, 
  • Address.
• In the body of the email: 
  • Provide the reason for the cancellation and, 
  • Include the work you have performed.

Resources 

Learn more about the relevant safety regulations and bylaws to expired electrical permits. 

• As per the Electrical Safety Bylaw No. 15596 and the Electrical Safety Standard 19, if an electrical installation permit has expired due to no inspection: 
  • 10. An electrical permit is valid for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of the last inspection and if work has not been completed, a supplementary permit or an extension of the regular permit must be obtained. 
     
• Electrical Safety Regulation, Part 2 - Division 1, 19 (2): 
  • If no inspection request under subsection (1) has been submitted within a (180) day period, the holder of the permit must have the permit amended to allow for the extra time before performing any regulated work.