On Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:57:33 -0500, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh"
lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" fired this volley in
:

Got a clue? The NEC was created by large insurance companies, soon
after the electrification of the United States started. There was
little
information, and no testing of hardware, or methods. The NFPA set
the
first fire safety standards. The NEC soon followed. The NFPA
publishes
the NEC.

If your wiring doesn't meet their requirements, the insurance
doesn't
pay off. Local code can be tighter than the NEC, but not ignore any
aspect of it. If a town has lower standards, there is no insurance
available. That means no one will loan money to buy, build or
remodel
existing buildings. Soon, the town is dead, because businesses
can't
afford to stay in business without insurance.


http://www.nec2k.com/electrical_code.html
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf...sStandards.pdf



Mike, it's not true that the NEC has been universally adopted. Just as
is the case with life safety/fire codes, there are at least two major
electrical standards, and neither is legally binding. They are
guidelines which _most_ authorities adopt, either explicitly or by
reference into local ordinances. But not all states or municipalities
follow them. Some states and cities have written their own codes from
scratch. They may cover the same subject matter as NEC, but don't
depend upon it.

Also, there's no legal basis for "local codes can be tighter than NEC,
but not ignore any aspect of it." The NEC and it's similar "sister"
standards are not laws.

If your building passes local and/or state code requirements, and you
are issued a CO on the basis of passing those inspections, you can
insure a structure.

LLoyd
Yes you can - IF you can find a company that will insure it for you.
Vast majority of the large national insurers will not touch buildings
not wired to minimum NEC requirements. In the states that do not
implement the NEC, most insurance is local mutuals.