On 2/18/2012 2:47 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:


What power does the NEC have in this area, though? It's *not* federal law.

No ****, Captain Obvious! DUH!

From wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Electrical_Code

The National Electrical Code (NEC), or NFPA 70, is a regionally
adoptable standard for the safe installation of electrical wiring and
equipment in the United States. The NEC, while having no legally binding
regulation as written, can be and often is adopted by states,
municipalities and cities in an effort to standardize their enforcement
of safe electrical practices within their respective jurisdiction. In
some cases, the NEC is amended, altered and may even be rejected in lieu
of regional regulations as voted on by the governing bodies of any given
locale.

The NEC codifies the requirements for safe electrical installations into
a single, standardized source. It is part of the National Fire Codes
series published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and
while not itself a U.S. law, NEC use is commonly mandated by state or
local law.[1]

The "authority having jurisdiction" inspects for compliance with these
minimum standards.