The 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) is here! Every three years, 18 NEC Code Making Panels (CMPs) comprised of electrical equipment manufacturers, inspectors, installers, testing laboratories, and other electrical experts converge to flesh out the latest and greatest in safe installation techniques for the newest and most elaborate electrical technologies to-date. The 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) is a culmination of the collaborative efforts of 18 NEC Code Making Panels (CMPs) with expertise from various sectors of the electrical industry.
JADE Learning is here, as the tip of the spear, to bring you five of the most radical changes found between the covers of the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC).
1. Article 100, Definitions.
Article 100, Definitions, now serves as the repository for all definitions found within the NEC. In the 2020 NEC, definitions were additionally situated in the XXX.2 sections of various articles. These definitions were applicable solely within the respective articles, and the terms were typically not found elsewhere in the Codebook. However, in the 2023 NEC, all definitions have been consolidated within Article 100, Definitions. Furthermore, any definition specific to a particular article now includes the article number in parentheses after the definition.
2. Section 110.17, Servicing and Maintenance of Equipment.
Section 110.17, Servicing and Maintenance of Equipment is brand-new to the 2023 NEC, and as part of Article 110, General Requirements for Electrical Installations, it applies to all types of service and maintenance work. This new Code section states that all service and electrical preventive maintenance work must be performed by qualified persons trained in the servicing and maintenance of electrical equipment. Section 110.17 also requires that service and electrical preventive maintenance be performed in accordance with the original equipment manufacturer’s instructions along with any information provided in the equipment listing, applicable industry standards, or as approved by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). All work must be performed using identified replacement parts.
Staying Compliant in the Upcoming Code Cycle: Section 110.17 Demands Attention!
3. Section 210.8(A)(6), GFCI Protection for Personnel. Dwellings. Kitchens.
In the 2020 NEC, only kitchen receptacles serving countertops were mandated to have ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection. However, the rules have changed in the latest 2023 NEC edition. Now, ALL 125- to 250-volt receptacles situated inside a kitchen must have GFCI protection. This means that according to Section 210.8(A)(6) in the 2023 NEC, all receptacles in the kitchen, irrespective of where they are placed or their intended use, must be equipped with ground-fault protection.
4. Section 210.18, Branch Circuits Not Over 1000 Volts ac…Ratings.
Until the release of the 2023 NEC, the smallest branch circuit recognized by the NEC for power and lighting loads has been 15-amps, but that has all changed for the 2023 Code cycle. The NEC now recognizes 10-ampere branch circuits for select power and lighting loads! This is ground-breaking for the NEC and the industry as a whole. This transition by the NEC to recognize 10-amp branch circuit conductors and overcurrent devices is likely in response to the availability of new higher efficiency lighting systems.
In addition, NEC Section 210.23, Permissible Loads, Multiple-Outlet Branch Circuits, further clarifies by allowing 10-amp circuits for certain loads:
- Lighting outlets
- Dwelling unit exhaust fans on bathroom or laundry room lighting circuits
- Gas fireplace units supplied by an individual branch circuit
The Section goes on to expressly prohibit receptacle outlets, fixed appliances (except as permitted elsewhere), garage door openers, and laundry equipment from utilizing these newly recognized 10-amp branch circuits.
5. Section 210.52(C)(2), Dwelling…Receptacles… Island and Peninsular…
Hold on to your hats—because the 2023 NEC no longer requires receptacle outlets to serve kitchen islands and peninsulas in dwelling units!
In the 2020 NEC, electricians were required to go the extra mile, installing one outlet to serve the first 9 square feet of island or peninsula countertop, and an additional outlet for every 18 square feet thereafter. In the 2023 NEC, the Code section has been radically altered to say:
Receptacle outlets, if installed to serve an island or peninsular countertop or work surface, shall be installed in accordance with 210.52(C)(3). If a receptacle is not provided to serve an island or peninsular countertop or work surface, provisions shall be provided at the island or peninsular for future addition of a receptacle outlet to serve the island or peninsular countertop or work surface.
It will be up to the authority having jurisdiction as to what constitutes “provisions” for adding a future receptacle outlet, since the NEC doesn’t specify. But it will be up to the homeowner to respond peaceably to the idea of not having a receptacle outlet on their new kitchen island or peninsula. Just because the Code says we can, doesn’t necessarily mean we should. Contractors may want to tread lightly around this radical change from the NEC!
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