Decorative Light Posts Town Owned

[Rock86]

Anyone every hear that each town owned sidewalk light post is considered as a separate structure? Or has anyone treated said lights as separate structures?

Back story: I got into a discussion with an inspector (who proudly repeated his 28 years of experience) about plans to provide a meter and service disconnect for town light poles. The current configuration has the lights being directly fed from the utility poles with no grounding, and not every light has an overcurrent protection device. Our argument is that because the poles are not utility owned, we have to follow NEC and provide an accessible means of disconnect, ground rods, EGC, and overcurrent protection. He is stating fuse disconnects are good enough, and you don't need ground rods because "the people don't want ground rods".

He also argued that each light was a separate structure because it was not a branch circuit feeding the lights. If each light is now a separate structure, wouldn't you there for need ground rods at each "structure" by code? Also, if this is the case, when I install light posts along someones long drive way, do I now need to classify each as a separate structure???

Codes Considered:
90.2(A)
230.70(A)(1)
240.4
250.20
250.20(B)
250.112
250.112(J)
410.30(B)(3)

 

[tom baker]

225.32 ex 4s the most important rule for this post.
No ground rods but a EGG is required.
No comment on 28 years....

 

[Rock86]

225.32 ex 4s the most important rule for this post.
No ground rods but a EGG is required.
No comment on 28 years....

Could you expand on the reasoning for 225.32 ex 4?
"For poles or similar structures used only for support of signs installed in accordance with Article 600, the disconnecting means shall be permitted to be located elsewhere on the premises."
These are not sign lights, unless your taking "poles" to be stand alone. Would fused disconnects within the the pole base be considered "elsewhere on the premises"?

I understand the reasoning for no ground rods at each pole with regards to high impedance in the event of a fault, but are you saying no ground rods anywhere? I would challenge with article 250.24. The fused disconnect would now become the service disconnecting means, and there for bonding an EGC to the grounded conductor would violate 250.24(5) (This is how the current system is configured).

 

[augie47]

Seemingly an unusual situation. I've seen a ton of these "streetscape" lighting projects and all have been feed by branch circuits from remote service and the same locally with expressway lighting.
I agree with you if it's fed by "service", a grounding electrode system would need to be employed.
Unless it's utility owned and maintained, I would think you are 100% correct in that all NEC requirements must be met (overcurrent, grounding, etc).

 

[tom baker]

Could you expand on the reasoning for 225.32 ex 4?
"For poles or similar structures used only for support of signs installed in accordance with Article 600, the disconnecting means shall be permitted to be located elsewhere on the premises."
These are not sign lights, unless your taking "poles" to be stand alone. Would fused disconnects within the the pole base be considered "elsewhere on the premises"?

I understand the reasoning for no ground rods at each pole with regards to high impedance in the event of a fault, but are you saying no ground rods anywhere? I would challenge with article 250.24. The fused disconnect would now become the service disconnecting means, and there for bonding an EGC to the grounded conductor would violate 250.24(5) (This is how the current system is configured).

Otherwise, each pole would be considered a structure and require a disconnect. Poles is typically meant to be street lighting poles.
Disconnecting means would be the branch got OCPD.
The service would have a grounding electrode system or ground rods, if that's all there is.
I don't follow on violation of 250.24.
A typical SL system has a service disconnect, branch ckts 20 or 30 amps at 240 volts, and then conductors to each pole maybe 8 AWG. In the base of each pole or handhole are small FNM or similar fuses to isolate a fault to a individual pole. Sometimes the poles have breakaway bases and the fuses will unplug when the pole is hit.
I wrote specs for and designed many street lighting systems.

 

[Rock86]

Ahhh... ok so I would agree with how you are thinking. I was comparing your original comment with how the light poles are currently configured. So right now the light poles are fed directly from the utility with no accessible means of service disconnect. Conductors come from the utility pole, to the light bases and tap off into each light pole. The grounded (neutral) conductor is also tapped with a white wire and a green wire. There is no bonding to the metal pole base, and there is no grounding electrode so in my mind the system does not have an equipment grounding conductor.

The inspector is arguing that the grounded conductor can act as an equipment grounding conductor if a green wire is tapped from it. This where I am calling for one of the violations within the system. Because the light poles are not owned by the Utility company, the rules of the NEC must apply and the neutral should be bonded with a grounding conductor at the point of service disconnect. If the Utility company owned the poles, then this would be a different story.