Our local ahj told my go that lawn pumps have to be hard wired and not plug in. I'm having trouble finding an appropriate code reference. Can anyone help?
A little more information on the pump would be helpful in determining what does or does not apply.
Start with 400.7 and 400.8 for determining what flexible cord can and can not be used for.
Certain conditions in either of those may or may not apply to your application, otherwise flexible cord is not permitted as a permanent wiring method in general.