What Permits and Inspections Do? Even Before Tesla, Installation Company Can Install Charger.

Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settiAfter conducting hundreds of Tesla Wall Connector installations across Montgomery and Harris County, I can tell you the single biggest mistake homeowners make: skipping the permitting process because “it’s just an outlet.” An EV charger isn’t “just an outlet.” It’s a permanently installed appliance drawing maximum continuous current for extended periods. The permitting and inspection process exists specifically to prevent electrical fires that kill people and destroy homes.

The U.S. Fire Administration tracks residential fire causes. Electrical failures consistently rank in the top three causes, responsible for an estimated 24,000 residential fires annually. The common thread in electrical fire investigations? Unpermitted work that bypassed inspection. Here’s what the permit and inspection process accomplishes for your Tesla Wall Connector installation in Spring or The Woodlands. Before installation, permit applications verify that the installer holds a valid Texas electrical contractor license (TECL), create a public record of planned electrical work, trigger review of installation plans against current NEC standards, and ensure proper load calculations are performed.

During installation, the licensed electrician performs work to NEC Article 625 standards, including proper wire sizing, breaker selection, grounding installation, GFCI protection where required by code, and weatherproof enclosures for outdoor installations. After installation, the county electrical inspector verifies code compliance by checking torque on all electrical connections, confirming proper wire routing and support, validating GFCI operation and polarity, and testing ground fault protection. A failed inspection isn’t a negative outcome—it’s the system working correctly. The inspector found a safety issue before it became a fire hazard. The electrician corrects the issue, the inspector returns for re-inspection, and you get a code-compliant installation. I’ve been called to homes where previous contractors installed Tesla chargers without permits. Common findings include undersized wire (8 AWG instead of required 6 AWG), improper breaker sizing (50-amp instead of required 60-amp), missing GFCI protection in garage installations, loose connections at the breaker panel showing heat damage, and improper grounding electrode connections. None of these issues were visible to the homeowner.

All of them created fire hazards. Several resulted in insurance claim denials when homeowners tried to file for electrical fire damage—the insurance investigator found unpermitted electrical work and denied the claim based on policy exclusions for code violations. Montgomery County requires electrical permits for EV charger installation. This isn’t bureaucracy—it’s the only mechanism ensuring your installation won’t burn your house down in five years when connection degradation finally causes a failure. Reference: U.S. Fire Administration Electrical Fire Safety (usfa.fema.gov), NEC Article 625