Confused on 24v and permitting

[freshsparky]

Hello everyone,
I'm inexperienced on permitting and what's acceptable to install w/o a permit.
I am at a facility that would like to install power monitoring on some breakers in our switchgear.
It would require networking cable to be run from the switchgear, to an ethernet switch located outside the switchgear.
I am confused as to whether a permit would need to be pulled for this.

The only work in the switchgear would be plugging our ethernet cable into the ports existing, and having them exit the switchgear with other comms cables.

We'd like to put the switch in large junction box with a 24v light to indicate power. (We would wire this ourselves)

If anyone has some insight or appropriate code reference I would really appreciate, my former master electrician can't answer the phone anymore because he passed away.

 

[Joe.B]

You probably want to check with your local jurisdiction. They may have local modifications to model codes. In my town, for example the residential code has the following exemption for permit requirements:

Electrical wiring, devices, appliances, apparatus or equipment operating at less than 25 volts and not capable of supplying more than 50 watts of energy.

Your project sounds like commercial work and our building code does not have this same exemption. It does, however, offer this exemption:

Temporary testing systems: A permit shall not be required for the installation of any temporary system required for the testing or servicing of electrical equipment or apparatus.

Based on your description I suspect you could make a valid argument that what you're installing is a "temporary system", and I'll note that our code does not define temporary in relation to this type of work. Basically that's a subjective interpretation and I would argue that what you're proposing would be easily added and removed without affecting the system and therefore should be considered temporary.

Hopefully someone with more experience will weigh in, but that's my opinion.