NEC use
- Thread starter adavey
- Start date
- Status
pierre
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
Just so you will know, NYS will be referencing the 2005 NEC sometime around June-September of '06. So you can pretty much tell him you will be referencing it sometime this fall.
The NEC is not adopted throughout the USA. You can go to a page Mike Holt has set up that is fairly accurate as to who has adopted the NEC. Also I believe the NFPA has a page set up as well.
The NEC is not adopted throughout the USA. You can go to a page Mike Holt has set up that is fairly accurate as to who has adopted the NEC. Also I believe the NFPA has a page set up as well.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
"Code" is another word for "law." Something does not become "code," until some governmental agency (Federal, State, County, City, or other) adopts it as being law within their jurisdiction. So the fact that the National Fire Protection Agency prints a new book called the 2005 National Electrical Code does not, by itself, cause that book to become law anywhere. For example, I believe that the state of Washington adopted the 2005 NEC into law effective July of last year. Up to that moment, the 2002 NEC was law in Washington.
B
bthielen
Guest
I'm not so sure I agree that code and law are synonimous. What is the NEC before it is adopted as law? Is it not a safety code? We certainly do like to use the two words interchangebly such as "code violation". Is the law written such that they are interchangeable or is the law just stating that the code will be followed?
Bob
Bob
colosparker
Senior Member
Where I live the county jurisdiction has not adopted the 2005 NEC, yet the state has adopted the 2005 NEC. Working for an owner of state controlled building this becomes confusing when dealing with electrical contractors unfamiliar with state regulations. There have been occassions when the county lag time is years on adopting the most recent Code.
bdarnell
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis, IN
- Occupation
- Retired Engineer
bthielen said:
The Ohio State Legislature defines "Code" as:
"A collection of laws, rules, or regulations organized by subject matter"
Similar definitions exist in other references. The OSHA "Code" is actually the Code of Federal Regulations Part 1926.
I think code and law are interchangeable in this context.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
They are not synonymous. Code is a subset of law, just like "apples" is a subset of "fruit." There are fruits that are not apples, and there are laws that are not code.bthielen said:
When the NFPA first published NEC 2005, and before the first jurisdiction in the entire world had adopted it as a law within their jurisdiction, the book was just a book. Despite the fact that the "C" word in "NEC" is "code," the book was not really "code" until the first time some jurisdiction adopted it.
sandsnow
Senior Member
- Location
- Southern California
bthielen said:
Just another overpriced book, that you will never find at the bargain table at Barnes and Noble.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician (retired)
pierre said:
Pierre, would you have any links for those pages?
pierre
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
Trevor
I will look for the links.
The NEC if not adopted by a jurisdiction is a Standard. It is NFPA Standard 70.
Read the 3rd paragraph on the 1st page after the cover:
"...the National Electrical Code and other NFPA electrical standards."
Around 100 years ago somebody who was very clever coined the name of NFPA 70, and it was so clever, that even today, people believe it to be the National Code Book, of which it is not.
Another clever name is the, New York Board of Fire Underwriters. Formed around the same time as NFPA 70. Most people think that the NYBFU is a state run inspection company, when in fact it is owned by many private insurance companies and is itself a private company.
I will look for the links.
The NEC if not adopted by a jurisdiction is a Standard. It is NFPA Standard 70.
Read the 3rd paragraph on the 1st page after the cover:
"...the National Electrical Code and other NFPA electrical standards."
Around 100 years ago somebody who was very clever coined the name of NFPA 70, and it was so clever, that even today, people believe it to be the National Code Book, of which it is not.
Another clever name is the, New York Board of Fire Underwriters. Formed around the same time as NFPA 70. Most people think that the NYBFU is a state run inspection company, when in fact it is owned by many private insurance companies and is itself a private company.
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2023
- Occupation
- Hospital Master Electrician
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician (retired)
Thanks George.
B
bthielen
Guest
I have held the idea that a code is nothing more than a suggested means or process based on detailed research and analysis. We adopt a code of ethics for example but the code of ethics by itself is not a "law of ethics" until an authority adopts it. When it is adopted as a law by the AHJ then the code and the law become interchangeable.
Just for kicks I looked up the Merriam-Webster definitions and a code is defined as a part of law but a law is not defined as a part of code. That would seem to suggest that a code may define a law but not the other way around.
Nonetheless, in the end I think Charlie's point is still valid in the context used because in this case the code has been adopted.
Bob
Just for kicks I looked up the Merriam-Webster definitions and a code is defined as a part of law but a law is not defined as a part of code. That would seem to suggest that a code may define a law but not the other way around.
Nonetheless, in the end I think Charlie's point is still valid in the context used because in this case the code has been adopted.
Bob
- Status