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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Question:

Greetings,

I see that Informative Annex J in the NEC addresses ADA Standards for Accessible Design and that this informative annex is not a part of the requirements of this NFPA document, but is included for informational purposes only. I also note that the word "shall" is used numerous times. Is the use of "shall" appropriate, including being in compliance with the NEC Style Manual, if applicable, or is this something that needs to be addressed via a Public Input for the 2026 NEC?

Palmer Hickman

A

Answer:

Hi Palmer,

Each of the Annexes in the NEC contains the first sentence as follows: This informative annex is not a part of the requirements of this NFPA document but is included for informational purposes. Section 90.5(D) also emphasizes this. With the structure of how the informative annexes are clearly intended to be used, those using the NEC should not be confused if the word shall sometimes appear within any of those annexes. In the view of the CQD, submitting revisions to correct these is not necessary, and could even cause confusion in some instances especially if any of the annexes is adopted as code requirements in a state or local jurisdiction. For example, Annex H could be adopted by a jurisdiction. Annex J is derived from ANSI/ICC A117.1-2009. To revise any of it would create a conflict between the derived text in Annex J and the ADA standard. Hope this is useful. 

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