The short answer
Of the 118 key sections in the app's code library, 67 changed in NEC 2026: nineteen were renumbered, one was deleted, and 47 kept their number with a changed rule. NEC 2026 is current in nine jurisdictions: Arkansas, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming.
These are the notes the app shows for states on NEC 2026. They are plain-language summaries, not code text: read the section in the 2026 NEC before relying on it, and confirm what your Authority Having Jurisdiction enforces.
Renumbered sections
Article 220's load calculations moved to Article 120, and several wiring-method and device sections moved too. The app cites the new numbers for states on NEC 2026 and the old ones elsewhere.
| NEC 2023 | NEC 2026 | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 200.6 | 200.7 | Identification of Grounded (Neutral) Conductors |
| 215.2 | 215.4 | Feeder Conductor Sizing |
| 220.14 | 120.14 | Other Load Calculations (Outlet and Equipment Loads) |
| 220.41 | 120.41 | Dwelling Unit General Lighting Load (3 VA per Square Foot) |
| 220.52 | 120.52 | Small-Appliance and Laundry Circuit Load Calculation |
| 220.53 | 120.53 | Appliance Load Calculation (Fixed Appliances) |
| 220.54 | 120.54 | Electric Clothes Dryer Load Calculation |
| 220.55 | 120.55 | Electric Range and Cooking Equipment Load Calculation |
| 220.82 | 120.82 | Optional Method - Dwelling Unit Load Calculation |
| 300.4 | 300.6 | Protection of Conductors and Cables from Physical Damage |
| 300.5 | 300.7 | Underground Installation Requirements |
| 300.14 | 300.16 | Length of Free Conductors at Outlets and Switch Points |
| 300.15 | 300.17 | Boxes or Fittings Required at Splice/Termination/Pull Points |
| 312.8 | 312.11 | Enclosures for Switches or Overcurrent Devices - Wiring Space |
| 404.2(C) | 406.30(C) | Switches Requiring a Grounded (Neutral) Conductor |
| 406.4(D) | 406.12(D) | Replacement of Existing Receptacles |
| 406.12 | 406.26 | Tamper-Resistant Receptacles |
| 550.32 | 550.51 | Electrical Service Requirements for Manufactured Homes |
| 590.6 | 590.7 | GFCI Protection for Temporary Wiring Installations |
General
90.2: Use and Application of the NEC
The section is retitled and reorganized: what the Code covers and does not cover is now 90.2(A), and the practical-safeguarding purpose is 90.2(B). The special-permission paragraph for utility conductors was deleted; special permission now comes from 90.4(C).
110.3(B): Using Listed/Labeled Equipment Per Its Instructions
A sentence was added: the instructions in the listing, labeling or identification must result in an installation and use that complies with the Code.
110.16: Arc Flash Hazard Warning Labels
Old (A) and (B) are combined, and the generic arc-flash warning and the 1000-ampere threshold are gone. In other than dwelling units, service and feeder equipment likely to be worked on while energized needs a permanent label with the nominal voltage, arc-flash boundary, incident energy or required PPE, and the assessment date.
210.70: Lighting Outlets Required
The sentence on battery-powered switches and wall-mounted control devices is gone, new Exception No. 3 to 210.70(A)(1) lets a laundry closet's lighting outlet and switch be outside the laundry area, and new 210.70(C)(3) bars automatic-only control of all lighting in attics, underfloor spaces and utility rooms unless a manual bypass is provided.
Clearances & Workspace
110.26: Working Space and Clearances About Electrical Equipment
The 24 in. by 6½ ft door-clearance test now applies with equipment doors open to 90 degrees, and working-space depth is measured from the enclosure front where live parts are enclosed. Special permission for smaller spaces at 30 V rms, 42 V peak or 60 V dc or less now covers all dimensions, and the two-exit rule in 110.26(C)(2) also covers feeder disconnects grouped under 225.33(A).
Conductors
200.6 is now 200.7: Identification of Grounded (Neutral) Conductors
Grounded conductors 6 AWG and smaller with a continuous white or gray finish may now also carry a single colored stripe, other than green, to identify the circuit.
310.10: Conductor Uses and General Installation Requirements
Conductors exposed to direct sunlight may also be bare, or have insulation that is not sunlight-resistant, wherever the Code permits bare conductors, such as equipment grounding or grounding electrode conductors (310.10(D)).
310.12: Single-Phase Dwelling Services and Feeders
The Table 310.12(A) sizing for dwelling services and feeders is permitted only with conductors or cables rated 75°C or higher; 60°C conductors are sized from the regular ampacity tables.
GFCI
210.8(A): GFCI Protection - Dwelling Units
Old item (2) is split: 210.8(A)(2) is now garages only, and new (3) covers storage and work areas of accessory buildings, with no at-or-below-grade condition. Later items move down one number (outdoors is now (4), kitchens (7), laundry areas (12)), indoor damp and wet locations are items (13) and (14), and Exception No. 4 covers receptacles inside any exhaust fan assembly.
210.8(B): GFCI Protection - Other Than Dwelling Units
Indoor damp and indoor wet locations are now separate items, so the list has 16 items and those from locker rooms onward move down one number. The aquarium item now reads open aquatic vessels or containers, and the rooftop-receptacle accessibility exception moved up to 210.8 for all occupancies.
210.8(F): GFCI Protection - Outdoor Outlets
The limit for GFCI protection of dwelling outdoor outlets rises from 50 to 60 amperes, and new Exception No. 3 allows listed Class C SPGFCI protection for listed HVAC equipment when the HVAC disconnect is marked to say so.
422.5: GFCI Protection for Appliances
From January 1, 2029, a GFCI protecting a refrigerator or an HVAC appliance must be a high-frequency (HF) type.
590.6 is now 590.7: GFCI Protection for Temporary Wiring Installations
The number 590.6 now holds the general temporary-wiring requirements that were 590.4.
AFCI
210.12(B): AFCI Protection - Dwelling Unit Branch Circuits
Exception No. 2 is now permanent (the January 1, 2025 sunset is gone) and also covers the individual branch circuit for an arc-welding outlet in dwelling garages and accessory buildings.
Load Calculations
210.23: Permissible Loads on Branch Circuits
10-ampere branch circuits (210.23(A)) are limited to lighting outlets and dwelling exhaust fans on bathroom and laundry-room lighting circuits; the gas-fireplace item and the separate list of prohibited loads were removed.
220.14 is now 120.14: Other Load Calculations (Outlet and Equipment Loads)
An electric dryer's branch-circuit load is now 5,000 watts or its nameplate rating, whichever is larger, with no dryer demand factors (120.14(B)). The dwelling lighting and receptacle load in 120.41 dropped from 3 to 2 volt-amperes per square foot.
220.41 is now 120.41: Dwelling Unit General Lighting Load (3 VA per Square Foot)
The dwelling unit load for general lighting and general-use receptacles drops from 3 to 2 volt-amperes per square foot for feeders and services. The 3 volt-ampere figure remains only in new 120.13, for the minimum number of branch circuits, and floor area under 120.5(C) now leaves out detached garages.
220.52 is now 120.52: Small-Appliance and Laundry Circuit Load Calculation
Renumbered as 120.52; the library records no change to the requirement.
220.53 is now 120.53: Appliance Load Calculation (Fixed Appliances)
Renumbered as 120.53; the library records no change to the requirement.
220.54 is now 120.54: Electric Clothes Dryer Load Calculation
Table 120.54 was revised: one or two dryers stay at 100 percent, and three to five dryers may now be taken at 80 percent (the first four counted at 100 percent and a fifth at 85 percent before). A dryer's own branch circuit may not use these demand factors (120.14(B)).
220.55 is now 120.55: Electric Range and Cooking Equipment Load Calculation
The range demand table is Table 120.55.
220.82 is now 120.82: Optional Method - Dwelling Unit Load Calculation
The general loads now take the first 8 kVA at 100 percent (it was 10 kVA) and the rest at 40 percent, with general lighting and receptacles at 2 volt-amperes per square foot instead of 3. New 120.82(D) adds EV charging equipment at 100 percent of its 120.57 load.
Receptacles & Devices
210.52(A): Dwelling Receptacle Spacing - General (Living Areas)
Wall space now breaks at any fixed cabinet, with or without a countertop, and new 210.52(A)(5) bars receptacle outlets below the countertop or work surface of a fixed room divider, such as a bar-type counter, within 24 inches of that surface.
210.52(C): Countertop and Work Surface Receptacle Spacing
New 210.52(C)(4) bars receptacle outlets below a countertop or work surface within 24 inches of it, including on adjacent walls extending from the base cabinets (receptacles in drawers are excepted). 210.52(C)(2) now requires electrical provisions for a future island or peninsula receptacle where none is installed.
210.52(D): Bathroom Receptacle Requirements
The section is split into 210.52(D)(1) (the outlet within 3 ft of each sink), (D)(2) (its location) and (D)(3) (listed countertop assemblies), without changing the requirements.
404.2(C) is now 406.30(C): Switches Requiring a Grounded (Neutral) Conductor
Snap switches are now covered in Article 406. One exemption was reworded: no neutral is required where the lighting is controlled from a remote location (the 2023 text said controlled by automatic means).
406.4(D) is now 406.12(D): Replacement of Existing Receptacles
The GFCI replacement exception is narrower: a new receptacle of the existing type may go back in without GFCI protection only if the box is too small for a GFCI receptacle, no upstream outlet box can take one, and a GFCI breaker cannot provide the protection.
406.9(B): Receptacles in Wet Locations
The section is retitled for damp and wet locations and now also covers switches; the wet-location receptacle rules were regrouped into lettered items without changing what they require.
406.12 is now 406.26: Tamper-Resistant Receptacles
Park and recreation areas, such as garden and play areas, were added to the places that need tamper-resistant receptacles.
Panels & Services
215.2 is now 215.4: Feeder Conductor Sizing
Renumbered as 215.4; the library records no change to the requirement.
230.42: Minimum Size and Rating of Service-Entrance Conductors
The service load calculation reference now points to Article 120, the former Article 220; the sizing rules did not change.
230.70: Service Disconnecting Means - General
A one- or two-family dwelling's service disconnect must now be outdoors, readily accessible and on or within sight of the dwelling unless a 225.41 emergency disconnect is installed (230.70(A)(1)), and it is marked EMERGENCY DISCONNECT (230.70(B)(2)); other buildings keep the outside-or-nearest-point-of-entrance rule as 230.70(A)(2). The bathroom ban is now 230.70(A)(3), every service disconnect is marked SERVICE DISCONNECT, and new 230.70(D), (E) and (F) cover other-source directories, service replacement and remote control.
230.71: Number of Service Disconnects
The 230.71(B) list is renumbered: enclosed panelboards count as separate enclosures (an informational note replaces the old item), metering centers are item (4) and motor control centers item (5).
230.85 is deleted: Emergency Disconnects - One- and Two-Family Dwellings
A one- or two-family dwelling's service disconnect itself must now be outdoors, readily accessible, on or within sight of the dwelling and marked EMERGENCY DISCONNECT (230.70(A)(1) and (B)(2)). The other-source directory and replacement rules moved to 230.70(D) and (E), and dwellings supplied by a feeder use 225.41.
Overcurrent
240.6: Standard Ampere Ratings for Overcurrent Devices
A remotely adjustable breaker may use its adjusted long-time pickup setting as its rating only when local access to the adjusting means is restricted by a 240.6(C) method and remote access meets the listed conditions; 240.6(C) now applies to breakers that cannot be adjusted remotely.
240.24: Location and Accessibility of Overcurrent Devices
A new exception to 240.24(E) allows overcurrent devices in existing bathroom panelboards that an earlier Code edition allowed there.
Grounding & Bonding
250.64: Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation
A wire-type grounding electrode conductor may now be spliced with listed grounding and bonding equipment at an accessible location (new 250.64(C)(2); the busbar, building-steel and water-pipe items move to (C)(3) to (C)(5)). 250.64(G) now also bars running the conductor through mounting or drainage openings.
250.104: Bonding of Piping Systems and Exposed Structural Steel
In multiple-occupancy buildings, an occupancy's metal water piping isolated from the others by insulating fittings, not only by nonmetallic pipe, may now be bonded at the switchboard or panelboard that supplies that occupancy.
250.118: Types of Equipment Grounding Conductors
Some 250.118(A) wiring methods now have voltage limits as equipment grounding conductors: flexible metallic tubing only with circuit conductors of 1000 volts or less, and Type AC armor, the Type MI sheath and listed surface metal raceways only with circuit conductors of 600 volts or less.
250.122: Sizing Equipment Grounding Conductors
The section is re-lettered without changing the sizing rules: the Table 250.122 minimum is in the main paragraph, (A) to (C) cover conductors not larger than the circuit conductors, non-wire and sectioned equipment grounding conductors, and the old (B) to (G) are now (D) to (I).
250.146: Connecting Receptacle Grounding Terminals to Boxes
Isolated-ground receptacles are no longer limited to installations made to reduce electrical noise; the insulated equipment grounding conductor arrangement in 250.146(D) is allowed whatever the reason.
Wiring Methods
300.4 is now 300.6: Protection of Conductors and Cables from Physical Damage
The 1-1/2 in. separation from roof decking (300.6(E)) now applies under all roof decking, not only metal-corrugated decking, and the bushing or fitting for 4 AWG and larger conductors (300.6(G)) no longer has to be installed before the conductors are pulled.
300.5 is now 300.7: Underground Installation Requirements
The minimum-cover table is Table 300.7(A), and the warning-ribbon rule (300.7(D)(3)) now says it covers raceways with service conductors as well as direct-buried service conductors.
300.14 is now 300.16: Length of Free Conductors at Outlets and Switch Points
The number 300.14 now covers mechanical continuity of raceways and cables.
300.15 is now 300.17: Boxes or Fittings Required at Splice/Termination/Pull Points
A fitting used in place of a box (300.17(F)) must stay accessible only when it serves as a pull point; the wording about fittings listed for concealed installation was removed.
334.10: Uses Permitted for Type NM Cable
A new exception to 334.10(3) allows NM or NMC cable without a 15-minute thermal barrier in nonhabitable, grade-level storage garages and storage buildings under 1500 sq ft of Type V construction.
334.30: Securing and Supporting NM Cable
Staples, straps, hangers and similar fittings used to secure NM cable must now be listed; listed cable ties remain an option. The allowance for fished or short unsupported runs now also covers leaving those runs unsecured.
Tables
Table 310.16: Allowable Ampacities of Insulated Conductors
Ampacities were added for 16 AWG copper and 14 AWG copper-clad aluminum, which the new minimum-size rule in 310.5(A) allows.
Boxes
312.8 is now 312.11: Enclosures for Switches or Overcurrent Devices - Wiring Space
The number 312.8 now covers cables and raceways entering cabinets. Feed-through, spliced or tapped conductors in the wiring space (312.11(A)) must also meet a fifth condition: service conductors must be located within the service equipment.
314.23: Support Requirements for Boxes and Enclosures
A single raceway may now support an FS or FD single-gang device box or an explosionproof outlet box as well as a conduit body: under 314.23(E) without devices or luminaires, and under 314.23(F) Exception No. 1 on a single RMC or IMC with devices or luminaires.
314.27: Outlet Boxes for Luminaire or Lampholder/Fan Support
The ceiling-fan box rule moved to 314.27(B) and now requires a fan-rated or framing-access box only at ceiling outlets centered in dwelling living and sleeping areas, plus locations designated for a fan.
Motors & HVAC
424.4: Branch Circuits for Fixed Electric Space Heating Equipment
The 125 percent rule moved out: new 424.5 treats fixed electric space-heating equipment and its motors as a continuous load for overcurrent devices, feeders and services as well as branch-circuit conductors. 424.4 keeps the branch-circuit limits: any rating on an individual circuit, 30 amperes on multioutlet circuits, and up to 50 amperes for infrared heaters outside dwelling units.
430.22: Motor Branch-Circuit Conductor Sizing
New 430.22(H) covers Design BE and CE high-efficiency motors: conductors for a single such motor in continuous duty need at least 125 percent of the 430.6(A)(1) full-load current; other duty cycles follow 430.22(E).
430.52: Motor Branch-Circuit Short-Circuit and Ground-Fault Protection Sizing
Design BE and Design CE motors were added to the table, with the same limits as Design B energy-efficient motors, including the 1100 percent maximum for instantaneous-trip breakers.
Solar & Storage
480.4: Battery and Cell Terminations (Stationary Standby Batteries)
The corrosion rule in 480.4(A) now applies to batteries with acidic or caustic electrolyte and calls for an approved corrosion inhibitor per the battery manufacturer's instructions. Article 480 now covers all stationary batteries over 1 kWh, not only standby batteries, and the listing rule moved to 480.2.
690.12: Rapid Shutdown for PV Systems on Buildings
The rapid-shutdown initiation rules in 690.12(C) were reorganized: initiation devices must be readily accessible and may be the service disconnect, the PV system disconnect or a listed switch, and a switch no longer has to show on and off, so E-stop-type switches are allowed.
690.13: PV System Disconnecting Means
PV system disconnecting means are now installed as 705.20 requires; 690.13 keeps the simultaneous-disconnect, lockable-open, PV SYSTEM DISCONNECT marking and six-disconnect rules.
705.12: Interconnected Electric Power Production Source Connections
The load-side connection methods are the same, including the 120 percent rule for a source and main breaker at opposite ends of a busbar; the 'do not relocate' warning label is now also required on source breakers at either end of a center-fed dwelling panelboard.
Special Occupancies
517.13: Grounding of Patient Care Spaces (Health Care Facilities)
517.13(A) now says the metal wiring method for patient care space branch circuits includes metallic outlet, device and junction boxes, fittings and enclosures, so nonmetallic boxes cannot be used with it.
550.32 is now 550.51: Electrical Service Requirements for Manufactured Homes
Article 550 was reorganized. When existing service equipment is reconnected to a replacement mobile or manufactured home, a surge-protective device must now be installed, and the mobile home service equipment follows the Article 230 service rules, including its use as the emergency disconnect.
EV Charging
625.41: EV Charging Equipment Overcurrent Protection
The section is now titled Continuous Loads and treats EV charging equipment loads on feeders and branch circuits as continuous; the 125 percent sizing of overcurrent protection now comes from the general branch-circuit and feeder rules.
625.42: EV Charging Equipment Rating and Continuous Load Treatment
The service, feeder and branch circuit must have enough rating for the EV load; the continuous-load statement moved to 625.41, and the load-limiting option in 625.42(A) is now a power control system under Article 130 (restricted-access adjustable settings stay in 625.42(B)).
625.44: EV Charging Equipment Connection (Cord-and-Plug or Permanent)
Receptacles of 30, 50 and 60 amperes supplying EV charging equipment must be listed for that use, cord-and-plug equipment needs an attachment plug rated at least 125 percent of the equipment rating, a 50-ampere receptacle may not be on a 40-ampere branch circuit, and 277-volt and 277/480-volt receptacles are added.
Pools & Spas
680.21: Pool Pump Motors
The Class A GFCI coverage 680.21(C) takes from 680.5 now reaches three-phase pool-motor circuits up to 100 amperes (single-phase stays at 60 amperes), and a variable-speed pool motor's ground-fault protection may not sit between the drive output and the motor. 680.21(D) also applies when a pool pump motor is reconditioned.
680.26: Equipotential Bonding for Permanently Installed Pools
Pool equipotential bonding may use 8 AWG or larger 40 percent copper-clad steel as well as solid copper, the bonded perimeter surface now extends to 3 ft below the maximum water level (it was 2 ft) and names masonry pavers, and metal structures within or attached to the pool or perimeter surface must be bonded.
Generators & Standby
702.4: Optional Standby System Capacity and Rating
New 702.4(A)(3): in one- and two-family dwellings, a multimode inverter system listed as a power control system for overload control may pick up loads automatically if its capacity covers its control setting and the largest single load; after an overload shutdown it may only be reconnected manually.
702.5: Optional Standby Interconnection or Transfer Equipment
Interlocking devices are named alongside interconnection and transfer equipment, and the temporary-connection exception applies to any portable alternate power source, not only a portable generator.
Which edition each state enforces · Service load under 220.82 and 120.82