National Electrical Installation Standards

Standards as High as Your Own

 
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Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Question:

Dear CQD, when I attend code seminars, the presenters will often make the comment: "We look forward to your Public Input during the next revision cycle". This comment is often when there is a contriversial Code topic being discussed. I assume this is refering to the NEC® revision process. When this comment is made, the presenter never explains how to submit suggestions for Code revisions. Hoe does someone submit a "Public Input" to change a Code Section? Thanks in advance, Gerry Deniere
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Answer:

Gerry, thanks for the great question and your interest in the Code dervelopment process. The 2023 NEC® has just recently been released to the public, so now is a good time to start thinking about potential changes needed for the next cycle. The Code revision process takes about 3 years to complete so the process for the 2026 NEC® revision will be starting soon (Official Dates TBD). The 1st stage for revising the NEC® is the Public Input Stage. This is when NFPA opens up the NFPA 70 document (AKA the NEC®) to the public, for suggested revisions to the Code. Once the Public Input Stage is opened, Public Input suggestions can be made by anyone, by visiting the NFPA's website for the document being revised, for the NEC® it would be: www.NFPA.org/70. Once the Public Input (PI) stage is closed, the submitted PI's will be reviewed by the appropriate Technical Committee. The Technical Committee will either Accept or Reject the PI's, with an explaination if it is rejected. For more information on the NEC® revision process, you can also visit the NFPA's Standards Development Web Page this provides detailed information on the entire process, as well as very helpful flow chart. 

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