Inspection failed - #14 on bedroom recepts

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Just wired my first home in a bigger city 30 miles from my shop (rural Iowa). Since the 2008 code passed here a few months ago, I have passed all inspections pretty well. Different inspector in this town says I have to have #12 romex to ALL duplex recepts in the house. I did except the owner wanted switched recepts in the bedroom and living room. 14/3 is much easier to work with than 12/3. Also says I have 10 recepts on the circuit, and they allow 8 max. Just cost me 2 days work to pull new wire. How can a city add to the NEC without giving you info when you pull the permit? I always try to go above code and do great work, but this just gave me a bad attitude! Am I alone??
 

raider1

Senior Member
Staff member
Location
Logan, Utah
Did the inspector give you any local code sections?

Typically local code rules need to be in writing and legally adopted.

Chris
 
All he said was "I didn't give you a copy of our local code?". I just looked it up and their website does say exactly what he said. I'm just ticked because he didn't mention anything about checking out their local rules before my work was done. The basement passed great, but all recepts were #12.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
I have a bad attitude, also. I just had a electric an, new to this area, come in and wire without following our local rules :grin:
just messin' with you. Our State does have local (State) rules that amend and supplement the NEC. They are published, but I've never know the permit issue agent to volunteer this information at the time of purchase.
Most of the local jurisdictions that perform their own inspections have local rules also. Most are written but the believe in "enforced by practice" also.
 
I did learn a good lesson, I just don't understand why I got the nec book crammed down my throat for a year to pass the masters, and then have someone tell me that it doesn't really mean anything here. Guess that's why I'm just a dumb country boy and stay out of the city!
 

mivey

Senior Member
Official amendments in Georgia are filed at the state level so everybody is supposed to be able to know what they are getting into. ECs are supposed to know this and should hear it from time to time at CE class.

Unofficial amendments are carried around in the inspector's head (or other convenient locations) and are not legally enforceable. If you don't want to follow the unofficial amendments: let the games begin.
 

electricmanscott

Senior Member
Location
Boston, MA
The ops situation really stinks. But... if you work in a state that allows local amendments I guess this should have been considered before you start work in an unfamilliar area.

What is really infuriating is the actual "violation". I bet what happened here was some yahoo came up with the idea that #12 is better (it isn't :roll: ) and was able to convince the local legislators and voila, code nonsense! :roll:

The eight receptacles max per circuit is also absolute nonsense.

Seriously, who comes up with this crap.
 

kbsparky

Senior Member
Location
Delmarva, USA
....I bet what happened here was some yahoo came up with the idea that #12 is better (it isn't :roll: ) and was able to convince the local legislators and voila, code nonsense! :roll:

The eight receptacles max per circuit is also absolute nonsense.....

Have you ever heard of Oklahoma? I believe they have similar "rules" ... :confused:
 
I also think it's crazy to only put a recept every 12', so I try to put them under each window, in each corner, and other places along the wall for convenience. In a larger room you would need 2-20a circuits just for recepts and might only be pulling a couple amps total. Also imagine how many circuits you will need. One 42 space panel will not be enough. When I sounded surprised at the (8) recept max statement, he responded that it used to be a max of 6, but they changed it to 8 because of the new afci rules. He then said that the code is 12 so it's not really that many less. I didn't even want to start that argument.
 

iMuse97

Senior Member
Location
Chicagoland
I also think it's crazy to only put a recept every 12', so I try to put them under each window, in each corner, and other places along the wall for convenience. In a larger room you would need 2-20a circuits just for recepts and might only be pulling a couple amps total. Also imagine how many circuits you will need. One 42 space panel will not be enough. When I sounded surprised at the (8) recept max statement, he responded that it used to be a max of 6, but they changed it to 8 because of the new afci rules. He then said that the code is 12 so it's not really that many less. I didn't even want to start that argument.

They messed you up good, and nothin' you can do about it, either. Hope your next job goes better. FYI: Illinois has local code, too, and they've come up with some real good ones over the years.
 

Charlie Bob

Senior Member
Location
West Tennessee
man that's crazy. 8 recep. for each 20 amp circuit? And #12 too?
He said it's in the code book? The NEC doesn't limit the number of receptacles in a given circuit.
I guess just gotta do it their way though.
 

macmikeman

Senior Member
I can tell stories about how a 1/4-20 is "the minimum thread size for bonding screws" and how "you cannot use a stranded #4 cu conductor for a gec, it has to be a solid one". Both by the same very senior city employee. Sometimes you just have to adjust to get by.
 

mcclary's electrical

Senior Member
Location
VA
Just wired my first home in a bigger city 30 miles from my shop (rural Iowa). Since the 2008 code passed here a few months ago, I have passed all inspections pretty well. Different inspector in this town says I have to have #12 romex to ALL duplex recepts in the house. I did except the owner wanted switched recepts in the bedroom and living room. 14/3 is much easier to work with than 12/3. Also says I have 10 recepts on the circuit, and they allow 8 max. Just cost me 2 days work to pull new wire. How can a city add to the NEC without giving you info when you pull the permit? I always try to go above code and do great work, but this just gave me a bad attitude! Am I alone??

That's the key question!!!.....In VA. every different county list on the permit what code they're enforcing. In ALbemarle, they us USBC 06' city of charlottsville, they use NEC 05 and usbc 06, in louisa, they only use NEC 05. There are key differences, the usbc will mandate a #6 for gas pipe bond, the NEC says size per 250.122. So you always have to know what codes they will be using, they should have listed this ontheir permit.
 

RICK NAPIER

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
In my state of NJ all building codes and thier amendments are adopted state wide and are available online. I think it works best for everyone this way.
 
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