Code Adoption Progress in the South

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Code adoption activity continues to progress in the southern states. Nearly all of the eleven states in the NEMA Southern Region has adopted or is in the process of adopting the 2014 National Electrical Code (NEC). The two exceptions are Tennessee and Mississippi. The code update process has not been initiated in these two states. Following is a brief look at the code adoption progress in a few select states in the south.

The Florida Building Commission has selected the 2014 NEC for adoption with the 6th Edition of the Florida Building Code. Proposed modifications to the base code are being accepted through January 1, 2016. At least two public comments hearings will be scheduled during the 2016 calendar year. The anticipated effective date of the 2014 NEC is December 31, 2017.

The South Carolina Building Code Council approved the recommendation to adopt the 2014 NEC on August 26, 2015. The 2014 NEC was approved with no state amendments. The entire code update package has been sent to the state legislature for review. Barring any changes made by the legislature, the anticipated effective date of the 2014 NEC will be July 1, 2016.

The North Carolina Building Code Council accepted a petition to adopt the 2014 NEC on June 9, 2015. A public comment hearing was held on September 15, 2015. The Council is expected to vote on the petition to adopt the 2014 NEC on December 15, 2015. The anticipated effective date of the 2014 NEC is January 1, 2016.

The Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission approved the rulemaking to adopt the 2014 NEC on February 26, 2015. The final version of the rules was submitted to the governor and legislature. Because no final action was taken by the legislature, the governor has signed a Governor's Declaration approving the rules. The 2014 NEC will go into effect on November 1, 2015.

The NEMA Field Representative Program, in conjunction with our industry partners, will continue to monitor and participate in the code adoption process in the southern states. NEMA will also continue to support the adoption of the NEC with no state or local amendments.

For more up-to-date code adoption information in all 50-states, please subscribe to the NEMA Code Alerts email service at www.nema.org/Technical/Code-Alerts.

You can also view the most current NEC and Energy Code adoption maps along with informational spreadsheets at www.nema.org/Technical/FieldReps.
 
Buck Parrish said:
Did NC adopt the 2014 NEC yet?
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Not quite yet. The public comment hearing to adopt the 2014 NEC was on Tuesday. We got really good media coverage of the event. The Council is expected to vote on the petition to adopt the 2014 NEC at the BCC's December 15th meeting. If approved, the entire code adoption package will be sent to the Rules Review Commission. Once they approve the code adoption package, the effective date will be established.

The date I posted earlier was a little too optimistic. According to BCC staff, the earliest possible effective date will be around March 1st. That being said, the official effective date will likely be around June or July, 2016.
 
I really hope individual states start waking up to the fraud and deception that is the AFCI, and start amending those requirements out of the code. Even if it's done on a town by town level, that is still something.
 
The ECC has been successful blocking AFCI amendments in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama. The only two states in the south with AFCI amendments are Virginia and Tennessee. And these are just minor amendments.

When we expand this out nationwide, only (12) states have amendments to AFCI protection of some kind. This includes the (23) states enforcing the 2014 NEC, the (18) states enforcing the 2011 NEC, and the (5) states enforcing the 2008 NEC.

So, of the (46) states that currently enforce the NEC at a statewide level, (34) enforce the AFCI requirements as written. The current trend is toward adopt the code as written.
 
peter d said:
I really hope individual states start waking up to the fraud and deception that is the AFCI, and start amending those requirements out of the code. Even if it's done on a town by town level, that is still something.
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I don't believe that MA, RI or CT allow town level code amendments.


The code rules are statewide for us.
 
The Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission (OUBCC) has completed the rulemaking process to update the adopted commercial codes. This includes moving from the 2011 to the 2014 edition of the National Electrical Code® (NEC®); as well as moving from the 2009 to the 2015 editions of the International Building Code® (IBC®), International Existing Building Code® (IEBC®), International Fire Code® (IFC®), International Fuel Gas Code® (IFGC®), International Mechanical Code® (IMC®), and International Plumbing Code® (IPC®).

The updated commercial codes will go into effect on November 1, 2015.

Click Here to view the final version of the updated OUBCC rules found in Title 748, Chapter 20, Subchapters 1-15: http://ok.gov/oubcc/documents/Chapter 20 regulatory text.pdf


(The 2015 IRC is expected to go into effect sometime in 2016)
 
The Florida Electrical Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC) held a meeting on September 28, 2015 via web conference. The ETAC held a joint meeting with the Swimming Pool Technical Advisory Committee (SPTAC) to evaluate the need to require low voltage underwater lighting for private swimming pools.

The current edition of the Florida Building Code limits underwater lighting to 15V and 300W when installed at public swimming pools. The Florida Residential Code limits underwater lighting to 150V and no maximum wattage when installed at private swimming pools.

The Florida Building Commission has requested the ETAC and/or SPTAC to consider submitting a proposal to modify the Florida Residential Code to the voltage and wattage limitation outlined in the Florida Building Code or to the Low Voltage Contact Limit as defined by the National Electrical Code.

After considerable discussion and debate, the Committee members voted in favor of a motion to approve the "concept" of submitting a proposal to the Florida Building Commission to require low voltage pool lights at private swimming pools but have requested two-weeks to review the matter and to conduct research. Committee staff requested industry and the public to provide data and statistics to help the Committee members make a more informed decision on a final vote to be made at the next joint meeting.

The next Joint meeting of the ETAC and SPTAC will be on October 14, 2015 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
 
The Alabama Energy and Residential Codes (AERC) Board has proposed updates to the Alabama Energy and Residential Codes as follows:

The Energy Subcommittee has recommended adoption of the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 to replace the current 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The AERC has accepted this recommendation and has adopted the updated standard as the Alabama Commercial Energy Code in Rule 305-2-4-.08 with an effective date of January 1, 2016.

The Energy Subcommittee has also recommended adoption of the 2015 edition of the IECC to replace the current 2009 edition of the IECC. The AERC has accepted this recommendation and has adopted the updated code as the Alabama Residential Energy Code in Rule 305-2-4-.10 with an effective date of October 1, 2016. The Energy Subcommittee will meet on October 9, 2015 to review and consider proposed amendments to the updated code. The meeting will be held at 10:00 AM in Room 342 of the Alabama Center for Commerce at 401 Adams Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Building Subcommittee has recommended adoption of the 2015 International Residential Code (IRC) to replace the current 2009 edition of the IRC. The AERC has accepted this recommendation and has voted to adopt the updated code as the Alabama Residential Building Code in Rule 305-2-4-.09 with an effective date of October 1, 2016. A public comment hearing will be held on October 21, 2015 at 9:00 AM in Room 342 of the Alabama Center for Commerce at 401 Adams Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama.. Written public comments will be accepted until November 4, 2015. The Building Subcommittee will meet on November 19, 2015 to review and consider all public comments received. The meeting will be held at 10:00 AM in Room 342 of the Alabama Center for Commerce at 401 Adams Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama.

The AERC will hold a meeting on December 4, 2015 to complete the final rulemaking for the updated Residential Energy Code and Residential Building Code. The meeting will be held at 10:00 AM in Room 342 of the Alabama Center for Commerce at 401 Adams Avenue in Montgomery, Alabama.
 
The North Carolina Building Code Council voted to adopt the 2014 NEC with an effective date of April 1, 2016. This date assumes approval by the State Rules Review Commission in January 2016. The Council approved several amendments to the 2014 NEC which can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.ncdoi.com/OSFM/Engineeri...BCC_Agendas/2015 12 15~December 15, 2015_.pdf

Scroll down to Item D-6. Amendments 6.1 - 6.5 and 6.7 - 6.14 were approved. Amendment 6.6 was withdrawn.
 
The National Electrical Code is just one of many standards that prescribe the installation requirements for electrical and alarm products. Several states in the south also adopt and enforce one or more of the series of codes published by the International Code Council. The “I-Codes” include building, fire, residential, mechanical, energy and several other installation standards. Each of these codes include many requirements for electrical and alarm products.
Following is a brief look at the I-Code adoption currently in progress in a few select states in the south.

• The South Carolina Building Code Council approved the recommendation to adopt the 2015 I-Codes, with state amendments, on August 26, 2015. There were no approved amendments affecting products manufactured by NEMA member companies. The code update package has been published in the State Register and was sent to the state legislature for review. Barring any changes made by the legislature, the anticipated effective date of the 2015 I-Codes is July 1, 2016.

• The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance has made Notice of Rulemaking to adopt the 2012 International Building Code, 2012 International Fire Code, 2009 International Residential Code, and 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. Public comment hearings were held on August 19, 2015 and November 2, 2015. The final rules are being reviewed by the Tennessee Joint Government Operations Committee. The updated codes are anticipated to go into effect in early 2016.

• The Florida Building Commission has selected the 2015 I-Codes as the foundation codes for the 6th Edition of the Florida Building Code. A public proposal period to amend the foundation codes ended on January 1, 2016. A 45-day public comment period ends on March 8, 2016. The Technical Advisory Committees will meet April 11-15, 2016 to review and vote on the proposals and comments. A second 45-day comment period ends on June 21, 2016. The Technical Advisory Committees will meet again July 18-21, 2016 to review and vote on the comments submitted. The Rule Development Workshops will be held August 18-19, 2016. The Final Rule Hearing will be held on June 8, 2017. The anticipated effective date of the 2015 I-Codes, with amendments, is December 31, 2017.

• The Alabama Energy and Residential Codes (AERC) Board has proposed updates to the adopted codes. The ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 has replaced the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as the Alabama Commercial Energy Code, with an effective date of January 1, 2016. The 2015 IECC will replace the 2009 edition as the Alabama Residential Energy Code, with an effective date of October 1, 2016. The 2015 International Residential Code will replace the 2009 edition as the Alabama Residential Building Code, with an effective date of October 1, 2016.

For more up-to-date code adoption information in all 50-states, please subscribe to the NEMA Code Alerts email service at www.nema.org/Technical/Code-Alerts. You can also view the most current NEC and Energy Code adoption maps along with informational spreadsheets at www.nema.org/Technical/FieldReps.
 
bphgravity said:
The North Carolina Building Code Council voted to adopt the 2014 NEC with an effective date of April 1, 2016. This date assumes approval by the State Rules Review Commission in January 2016. The Council approved several amendments to the 2014 NEC which can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.ncdoi.com/OSFM/Engineeri...BCC_Agendas/2015 12 15~December 15, 2015_.pdf

Scroll down to Item D-6. Amendments 6.1 - 6.5 and 6.7 - 6.14 were approved. Amendment 6.6 was withdrawn.
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The NC Building Code Council is made up of IDIOTS...who listen to IDIOTS from the local NCIEC and HBA!
 
1. Section 110.26(E)(2) will remain as written in the 2011 NEC.
2. Section 210.8(A)(3) will include an exception for sewage lift pumps.
3. Section 210.8(A)(7) will remain as written in the 2011 NEC.
4. Section 210.8(D) has been deleted.
5. Section 210.12 has been modified with the deletion of the terms “readily”, “kitchens” and “laundry areas”.
6. Section 210.52(I) has been modified to require “at least one” receptacle in qualifying foyers.
7. Section 250.50 has been modified by changing the term “present” to the term “available”.
8. Section 250.53(A)(2) will include an exception for temporary electrical services not exceeding 150 volts to ground or 100 amperes.
9. Section 310.15(B)(7) will remain as written in the 2011 NEC.
10. Section 334.15 will not apply to crawl spaces.
11. Section 404.2(C) has been modified with an exception for switches installed in one- and two-family dwelling.
12. Section 406.4(D) has been modified with the deletion of the term “readily” and an exception to 406.4(D)(4) for “non-grounding type receptacles”.
13. Section 422.5 will exempt GFCI devices installed in one- and two-family dwellings from being readily accessible.
 
bphgravity said:
1. Section 110.26(E)(2) will remain as written in the 2011 NEC.
2. Section 210.8(A)(3) will include an exception for sewage lift pumps.
3. Section 210.8(A)(7) will remain as written in the 2011 NEC.
4. Section 210.8(D) has been deleted.
5. Section 210.12 has been modified with the deletion of the terms “readily”, “kitchens” and “laundry areas”.
6. Section 210.52(I) has been modified to require “at least one” receptacle in qualifying foyers.
7. Section 250.50 has been modified by changing the term “present” to the term “available”.
8. Section 250.53(A)(2) will include an exception for temporary electrical services not exceeding 150 volts to ground or 100 amperes.
9. Section 310.15(B)(7) will remain as written in the 2011 NEC.
10. Section 334.15 will not apply to crawl spaces.
11. Section 404.2(C) has been modified with an exception for switches installed in one- and two-family dwelling.
12. Section 406.4(D) has been modified with the deletion of the term “readily” and an exception to 406.4(D)(4) for “non-grounding type receptacles”.
13. Section 422.5 will exempt GFCI devices installed in one- and two-family dwellings from being readily accessible.
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Those don't sound like decions made under the influence of idiocy to me. They sound like areas of the code where reasonable people can come to a conclusion that the current code has over reached a bit and amended accordingly.
 
VA requires AFCI on bedrooms only, which puts us on roughly the 2002 NEC on that issue. We just adopted the 2011 NEC and 2012 RBC last June, so it'll probably be until June of '17 til we see any more changes, good or bad. Thank you for the information.
 
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