The NEC is not enforceable, it is just a reference that states and local law makers can use to make into law or code to which we have to follow, without this it is no more enforceable then a officer telling you you can watch TV out in your yard, building codes are law and have to be adopted as such to be enforceable, this is why we will hear the expression that the NEC is a model code.
for it to be adopted into law it must have public input as well go through all the same requirements that any law has to, this is why in many cases some local requirements can be beat in court because someone one day just though it would be a good idea to start enforcing a requirement without going through all the proper procedures required by law to adopt a code or set of codes.
Some of these law making procedures are in the Constitution of The United states as well as in our states constitution.
One of these requirements is they must be made available to the public upon request. now here in Indiana we don't have any local building codes, we only have one set of codes that are state wide, although we have some towns and city's who will try to play us and say they have adopted this or that, they don't have a leg to stand on, and if your smart and learn what is or isn't allowed in your area or state, you can stop allot of inspectors from enforcing their wishes.
I have all the Indiana law codes that pertain to building codes on my computer, and I don't hesitate on minute to hand a copy to an inspector who tries this with me, as I feel I have a moral obligation to not only protect my interest in a job, but that of my customer also, but in most cases I leave it up to my customer as to how they want it handled since it is them paying the bill, and them who will in some cases have to wait until it gets resolved before they can get their occupancy permit. but I do think it is very important for any contractor to learn more then just the NEC, as there are the laws that we must also know if we are going to provide the best service to our customers that we can.
