Install equipment per its listing instructions
Listed or labeled equipment, and equipment identified for a use, must be installed and used per the instructions in its listing, labeling or identification. That makes those instructions enforceable; a 2023 note says they may be printed, reached by QR code or posted online.
What the code requires
When electrical equipment is listed, labeled or identified for a use, the NEC requires it to be installed and used according to any instructions included in that listing, labeling or identification. This is the rule that turns a manufacturer's installation instructions into a code requirement your inspector can enforce.
A 2023 informational note says those instructions may be provided as printed material, through a QR code, or at an internet address where they can be downloaded.
Terminal tightening torque is a common example. The torque values a manufacturer marks on equipment or lists in its instructions are enforced through this rule together with 110.14(D).
On the job
- Keep the installation instructions, or the QR code or web link for them, available for the inspector. The 2023 informational note recognizes all three formats.
- Installing equipment in a way its listing instructions do not allow is a code violation, because 110.3(B) makes those instructions enforceable.
- Expect questions about how terminal connections were tightened. Marked torque values fall under this rule and under 110.14(D).
What changed in 2023
In 2023 the rule was extended to equipment identified for a use, alongside listed and labeled equipment, and a new informational note recognizes QR codes and internet addresses, along with printed material, as acceptable sources of installation instructions.
Related sections
- NEC 110.2
- NEC 110.3(A)
- NEC 110.3(C)
- NEC 110.14(D): Tightening terminals to the required torque
- NEC 90.7
Where this comes from
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Kyle Robert Anderson KBC Electric · CSLB #1073066 · C-10 Electrical · Licensed since 2021