National Electric Code

Overview
NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, provides "practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity." More specifically, the NEC covers the installation of electric conductors and equipment in public and private buildings or other structures (including mobile homes, recreational vehicles and floating buildings), industrial substations, and other premises (such as yards, carnivals and parking lots). The NEC also covers installations of optical fiber cable.
 
The breadth of the NEC is reflective of how important electricity has become to daily living. Wiring, general electrical equipment, the use of electricity in specific occupancies (from aircraft hangars to health care facilities) and equipment (ranging from elevators to hot tubs) are covered, as well as special conditions (emergency and stand-by power or conditions requiring more than 600 volts, for example) and communication systems.
 
The NEC Protects the Public
Adoption and enforcement of the National Electrical Code protect public safety by establishing requirements for electrical wiring and equipment in virtually all buildings.
 
Key Provisions
The National Electrical Code includes hundreds of provisions, including these for electrical receptacles in homes:

• Ground-fault circuit interrupters are required in bathrooms, kitchens and garages of all newly built homes. In addition, pools and spas are required to be protected with the devices as well.
• Receptacle outlets are required every six feet along wall space in most rooms in homes.
• At least one outdoor receptacle is required at grade level in the front and back of a one-family dwelling and for each unit in a two-family dwelling.
• The laundry shall have at least one receptacle.
• At least one receptacle is required for each basement and each attached garage, in addition to receptacles required for laundry rooms.

Use of NFPA 70
The National Electrical Code is adopted and enforced in all 50 states in the United States. It is also the basis for electrical codes in several foreign countries.
 
History of the National Electrical Code
The first committee meeting for the National Electrical Code was held in 1896. The first edition of the National Electrical Code was published in 1897 -- fewer than 20 years after Edison invented the electric light bulb -- and NFPA has published the NEC since 1911. In 1995, NFPA released the 1996 Edition, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the first NEC committee meeting.
 
As electrical equipment has become more complex and widespread, the NEC has been revised to meet the challenges. The National Electrical Code is now 1,069 pages long, the most detailed of any NFPA code or standard.
 
The work of preparing the National Electrical Code falls on the shoulders of roughly 340 volunteer members and alternates, organized into 20 code-making panels. An 11-member correlating committee oversees the efforts of the panels.
 
 
For more information on these safety codes visit the NFPA's official website.