Code of Massachusetts Regulations
527 CMR - BOARD OF FIRE PREVENTION REGULATIONS
Title 527 CMR 12.00 - Massachusetts Electrical Code (Amendments)

Universal Citation: 527 CMR 12.00 MA Code of Regs 527 CMR 12.00

Current through Register 1518, March 29, 2024

The Massachusetts Electrical Code (527 CMR 12.00) of the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations (BFPR) shall be the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC), as published by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) as NFPA 70 in the form released by vote of the NFPA Standards Council on August 6, 2019, including all modifications made by the BFPR and duly promulgated from time to time in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations. Amendments made by NFPA subsequent to this date have no force or effect until and unless reviewed and promulgated by the BFPR.

Informational Note: The NFPA releases Tentative Interim Amendments (TIAs) from time to time to its standards, including the NEC. True to their title, these changes are tentative, they are of an interim nature, and they amend (in this case) the electrical code. They have not been processed through the NFPA normal standards making process. As of this NEC cycle, these amendments, subsequent to their release, will appear in all renditions of the NEC, both print and electronic, in a form that makes them visually indistinguishable from unamended text.

The NEC version adopted in Massachusetts will be that found in the first printing in book form, and that rendition will include TIAs adopted by the Standards Council at its August 6, 2019 meeting, but no others. Users of this code are advised to consult the front matter on the first page of the NEC for a list of TIAs issued by NFPA, organized by location and specified dates of issuance. Specific information for each will be found on the NFPA website. The NEC version in effect in Massachusetts will usually vary, increasingly over time, from the version amended by NFPA depending on the timing of BFPR actions subsequent to initial promulgation.

Insert the following provisions ahead of the body of the Code:

Rule 1. All installations, repairs, maintenance, and removal of electrical wiring and electrical fixtures used for light, heat, power, signaling and communications purposes in buildings and structures subject to the provisions of M.G.L. c. 143 shall be reasonably safe to persons and property.

Rule 2. Conformity of installations, repairs, maintenance, and removal of electrical wiring and electrical fixtures used for light, heat, power, signaling and communications with applicable regulations set forth in the Code, which is hereby filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth shall be considered as complying with these requirements.

Rule 3. Additions or modifications to an existing installation shall be made in accordance with this Code without bringing the remaining part of the installation into compliance with the requirements of this Code. The installation shall not create a violation of this Code, nor shall it increase the magnitude of an existing violation.

Rule 4. Where an actual hazard exists, the owner of the property shall be notified in writing by the authority enforcing this Code. The notification shall contain specifications of the actual hazard that exists, together with a reference to the rule of this Code that is now in violation. (See M.G.L. c. 166, §§ 32 and 33, for enforcement authority.)

Rule 5. References are made in this code to other standards. Those standards, where duly adopted by law or regulation, may be enforced by the appropriate official. They are not considered part of this Code and they are not enforceable under M.G.L. c. 143, § 3L. For Massachusetts Building Code references, see Appendix A.

Rule 6. The approving authority may be guided in his approval of specific items of equipment and materials contemplated by the Code, by proof that such equipment and materials have been tested and conform to suitable recognized industry standards.

Rule 7. 527 CMR 12.00 shall be effective on all installations for which a permit has been granted subsequent to December 31, 2019.

Rule 8. In accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 143 § 3L, the permit application form to provide notice of installation of wiring shall be uniform throughout the Commonwealth, and applications shall be filed on the prescribed form. After a permit application has been accepted by an Inspector of Wires appointed pursuant to M.G.L. c. 166, § 32, an electrical permit shall be issued to the person, firm or corporation stated on the permit application. Such entity shall be responsible for the notification of completion of the work as required in M.G.L. c. 143, § 3L.

Permits shall be limited as to the time of ongoing construction activity, and may be deemed by the Inspector of Wires abandoned and invalid if he or she has determined that the authorized work has not commenced or has not progressed during the preceding 12-month period. Upon written application, an extension of time for completion of work shall be permitted for reasonable cause. A permit shall be terminated upon the written request of either the owner or the installing entity stated on the permit application.

Rule 9. Installations, repairs, maintenance, or removals covered by 527 CMR 12.00 shall also comply with M.G.L. c. 141.

Rule 10. Electrical installations, repairs, maintenance, or removals shall not be concealed or covered from view until inspected by the inspector of wires within and not more than 24 hours for exterior or interior excavations nor more than 72 hours for exterior or interior installations after proper notice to the inspector, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays excluded.

Rule 11. Electrical installations that appear incompatible with GFCI protection as covered in 210.8 Exception of this Code, regardless of the code requirements in effect at the time when the permit as described in Rule 8 was issued, or when the installation was completed, shall be inspected by a qualified person. The inspection shall review all field elements of the branch-circuit equipment grounding return path, and the quality of any field-accessible cord connections if applicable. The inspection shall be documented, subject to audit by the Inspector of Wires, and inspected by him or her as deemed necessary. Installations of listed equipment that, under normal operating conditions, are found to be incompatible with GFCI protective devices as made available by the manufacturer of the circuit protection currently installed shall be excused from providing GFCI protection. If not connected to an individual branch circuit, incompatible equipment shall be directly wired or connected to a single receptacle, and the circuit shall be arranged so required GFCI protection is retained for the remaining outlets. The inspection documentation required by this rule shall constitute the notice required in Rule 8 and no additional notice shall be required for corrections applied accordingly. The location and the date of this determination shall be forwarded to the Department of Fire Services for inclusion in a central registry of such allowances. The report shall also include the appliance manufacturer and model, together with the identity of the GFCI protective device. This rule shall expire on January 1, 2026.

90.2(D)(5). Delete (d) and revise (c) to read as follows:

(c) Are located in legally established easements, rights-of-way, or by other agreements either designated by or recognized by the public service commissions, utility commissions, or other regulatory agencies having jurisdiction for such installations.

Informational Note: Wiring systems that are maintained by utilities and that operate under this exclusion from coverage by the Massachusetts Electrical Code include, regardless of ownership, luminaires for street and area lighting directly connected to such systems.

90.4. Revise the first paragraph to read as follows:

90.4 Enforcement. This Code shall be used by the authority enforcing the Code and exercising legal jurisdiction over electrical installations. The authority having jurisdiction of enforcement of the Code shall accept listed and labeled equipment or materials where used or installed in accordance with instructions included with the listing and labeling. The authority shall have the responsibility for deciding upon the approval of unlisted or unlabeled equipment and materials, and for granting the special permission contemplated in a number of the rules.

90.6. Revise to read as follows:

90.6 Interpretations and Appeals. To promote uniformity of interpretation and application of the provisions of this Code, interpretations may be requested from the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations. Requests for interpretation shall be in the form of a question that can receive a "Yes" or "No" answer. This in no way supersedes the right of any individual who is aggrieved by the decision of an Inspector of Wires to appeal from that decision to the Board of Electricians' Appeals in accordance with M.G.L. c. 143 § 3P. The Board of Fire Prevention Regulations shall, upon the request of the Board of Electricians' Appeals, render interpretations to the Board of Electricians' Appeals.

It is customary to revise this Code periodically to conform with developments in the art and the result of experience, and the current edition of the Code shall always be used.

90.10. Add new section numbered 90.10 to read:

90.10. References to Commonwealth of Massachusetts Codes, Regulations, and Laws. References are included in Appendix A for Building Codes, Elevator Regulations, Plumbing and Fuel Gas Code, Board of Fire Prevention Regulations, Division of Industrial Safety, State Sanitary Code, Fire Safety Code, Permit Applications, and Chapters of the General Laws. See Appendix A.

Article 100. Coordination, Selective (Selective Coordination). Revise this definition to read as follows:

Localization of an overcurrent condition to restrict outages to the circuit or equipment affected for fault current events that extend beyond 0.1 second, and accomplished by the selection and installation of overcurrent protective devices and their ratings or settings for the range of available overcurrents under such conditions, whether originating from overload, ground-fault, or short circuit, and for the full range of overcurrent protective device opening times applicable to such events.

110.14(A). Delete the last sentence of the first paragraph and insert the following two sentences in its place:

Connection by means of wire binding screws or studs and nuts having upturned lugs or equivalent shall be permitted for 10 AWG or smaller solid conductors. Where stranded conductors are terminated on and not looped through such terminals, the terminals shall be identified for such use, or the strands at the terminals shall be made solid.

110.24. Insert an additional informational note as follows:

Informational Note No. 3. The marking required in this section is useful in determining compliance with 110.9, but must be understood as transitory and requiring reconfirmation prior to the performance of additional electrical work. This and numerous other locations in the NEC require field markings of the available fault current. A major component of this current is usually that contributed by the utility through the service. The utility contribution is inherently dynamic in value, particularly on the medium voltage portions of their distributions. Without notice, automatic line sectionalizing can transfer a service from the tail end of one circuit to the head end of an adjacent circuit, with a significant increase in available fault current. In addition, there are numerous sources of on-site contributions to available fault current.

110.26(A)(1). Add a fourth paragraph (d) as follows:

(d) Adequate Accessibility. By special permission, smaller spaces may be permitted where it is judged that the particular arrangement of the installation will provide adequate accessibility.

110.26(A)(4)(4). Revise to read as follows:

The space in front of the enclosure shall comply with the depth requirements of Table 110.26(A)(1), and shall be unobstructed to the floor by fixed cabinets, walls, or partitions. Space reductions in accordance with 110.26(A)(1)(b) shall be permitted. The maximum height of the working space shall be the height necessary to install the equipment in the limited space. A horizontal ceiling structural member or access panel shall be permitted in this space provided the location of weight-bearing structural members does not result in a side reach of more than 150 mm (6 in.) to work within the enclosure.

210.8. Insert the following exception after the first paragraph:

Exception: Permanently connected equipment and cord-and-plug connected stationary equipment that is listed, but incompatible with GFCI protective devices as made available by the manufacturer of the circuit protection currently installed, shall be permitted to omit such protection provided it is installed and inspected in accordance with the provisions of Rule 11 of this Code.

Revise the second paragraph to read as follows:

For the purposes of this section, when determining distance from receptacles the distance shall be measured as the shortest path the supply cord of equipment connected to the receptacle would follow without piercing a floor, wall, ceiling, fixed barrier, or without passing through a cabinet door opening, doorway, or window.

210.8(A)(7). Revise to read as follows:

(7) Sinks - where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft.) from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink, or where located within a cabinet supporting a sink.

210.8(B)(5). Revise to read as follows:

(5) Sinks - where receptacles are installed within 1.8 m (6 ft.) from the top inside edge of the bowl of the sink, or where located within a cabinet supporting a sink.

210.8(F). Delete this requirement.

210.12(A). Revise the parent text to read as follows:

All 120-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere branch circuits supplying outlets or devices installed in dwelling units shall be protected by any of the means described in 210.12(A)(1) through (A)(6).

210.21(B). Insert a new fifth paragraph as follows:

(5) Receptacles on Individual Branch Circuits. A receptacle outlet installed to comply with a requirement for an individual branch circuit shall contain a single receptacle, or a multiple receptacle if, and then only to the extent that, the supplied equipment includes multiple supply cord connections.

210.25(B). Add an exception as follows:

Exception: Branch circuits supplying lighting outlets in common areas on the same floor as a dwelling unit in a new or existing two-family or an existing three-family building shall be permitted to be supplied from equipment that supplies one or more of those dwelling units.

210.52(A)(2)(1). Revise to read as follows:

Any space 600 mm (2 ft.) or more in width (including space measured around corners) and unbroken along the floor line by doorways, fireplaces, stationary appliances, and similar openings.

210.52(A)(4). Delete 210.52(A)(4) in its entirety.

210.52(C). Make the following three revisions:

I. In the parent language, delete the clause "and shall not be considered as the receptacle outlets required by 210.52(A)."

II. In 210.52(C)(2), revise (b) by adding the following sentence at the end.

"A receptacle in a wall countertop or work surface that directly faces a peninsular countertop or work surface shall be permitted to serve as the receptacle for the peninsular space where the spaces are contiguous and the receptacle is located within 1.8 m (6 ft.) of its most distant edge."

III. At the end of 210.52(C)(2) insert an exception as follows:

Exception: Any portion of an island or peninsular countertop or work surface that permanently allows for seating and extends 300 mm (1 ft.) or more from its supporting cabinet or other structure shall not be required to be served by receptacle outlets, and shall be excluded from the area calculation in (a). The portion excluded shall be 750 mm (30 in.) in depth as measured perpendicular to the countertop edge. Where the entire surface of an island countertop or work surface permanently allows for seating there shall be at least one receptacle outlet installed at a location determined by the installer, designer, or building owner in accordance with 210.52(C)(3)

225.30(F). Revise to read as follows:

(F) Documented Switching Procedures. Additional feeders or branch circuits shall be permitted to supply large capacity multibuilding industrial or institutional installations under single management where documented safe switching procedures are established and maintained for disconnection.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Massachusetts may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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