Page 20 - IEC Insights Mar-April2020

U.S. ELECTRICAL CODE ADOPTIONS
FEATURE

U.S. ELECTRICAL

CODE ADOPTIONS

2020 UPDATE

NEW YEAR, NEW CODE CYCLE

BY LAURA L. HILDRETH

he NFPA Standards Council version of the Canadian Electrical Code. HYBRID ADOPTION. Often this term
issued the 2020 version of In the United States, every state has its refers to when a state department adopts
the National Electrical Code® own practices with regards to adoption, the NEC for state-owned buildings,
(NEC®) in August 2019. In enforcement, and so forth. Thankfully, unincorporated areas, or even licensing.
TJanuary 2020, states may the terms and enforcement procedures Local jurisdictions can adopt and
begin the process of deciding whether are relatively consistent across the enforce a different version of the NEC.
to adopt the new NEC-2020 or another board. Here are a few to help you get Sometimes this term gets mixed up with
edition of the Code. Massachusetts, which started. Just be careful to double-check statewide adoption, as in the state adopts
historically has been the first state to with your local jurisdiction to find out a minimum code, but local jurisdictions
adopt the latest NEC near the beginning exactly what rules you need to follow. can adopt more stringent codes.
of the Code cycle year, is poised to adopt
the 2020 NEC in January. Other states CODE CYCLE. The NEC is revised every LOCAL ADOPTION. The state does
and local jurisdictions are adopting older, three years; this three-year period is not adopt any version of the NEC and
existing versions of the NEC. California, called the NEC Code Cycle. The term leaves adoption up to local jurisdictions.
for example, begins enforcement of also applies to local jurisdictions as to Sometimes individual departments
the NEC-2017 in January 2020. when they adopt and begin enforcement within a state may adopt a code
of a specific code. It does not always just for use within that department,
IAEI News is debuting a new column follow the NEC Code Cycle period. For but local jurisdictions can adopt
starting in January 2020 called Code example, Colorado adopted the NEC- whatever code they want. There is
Watch. In this column, we are presenting 2017 in July 2017 and most likely will no regulation at the state level.
code adoptions across the United States adopt the NEC-2020 in July 2020. They
and elsewhere. While this article simply traditionally have a three-year code cycle, AMENDMENTS. Amendments are
can’t cover every single jurisdiction just with varying dates. The simplest additional requirements or changes to
(that would be a book), we want to give way to look at it is that the code cycle the adopted Code that often take into
a forum where both local and state/ is the time between the adoption of consideration local conditions, additional
provincial jurisdictions can announce the one version of the NEC and another. safety requirements, historical purposes,
enforcement of new electrical codes. etc. For example, adopted amendments in
STATEWIDE ADOPTION. The NEC is Denver may consider the altitude and the
FIRST, UNDERSTANDING THE LINGO. enforced across all local jurisdictions climate versus local amendments in Los
In Canada, most of, if not all of the within the state. Some jurisdictions may Angeles that may consider earthquake-
regional provinces adopt the latest elect to adopt local amendments. prone areas and its unique climate.

18 Insights Magazine | March/April 2020 | www.ieci.org