RS at work wrote:
My ex is in the process of buying a house. When I looked at the place
I noticed that the Romex cables coming from the main box are draped
over the tops of the ceiling joists in the garage (perpendicular to
them) with no support, nor any staples or attachment of any kind.

It was my understanding that when romex was run over the top of the
joists that they must put a 1X under the cables so they don't sag and
have staples to restrain them.

Anyone know if this is correct?

Absolutely, for new work. But there's a whole
class of exceptions for remodeling/repair/addons.

Call the city building inspector.

This hose is a foreclosure and the selling bank has alloted $1000 for
required repairs. The initial inspection by the lenders inspector
didn't note this in the report, but if the code does require the cable
to be supported I am thinking that this would be a good idea to get
this fixed before she inherits a problem.

Roger Shoaf