New Massachusetts Electrical Code Adopted

On February 17, 2023, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services and Board of Fire Prevention Regulations (BFPR) published and promulgated a new edition of 527 CMR 12.00, the Massachusetts Electric Code. 527 CMR 12.00 is an amended version of the 2023 Edition of the National Electric Code (NEC), produced and published by the NFPA as NFPA 70. The new version of 527 CMR 12.00 is effective March 1, 2023 and applies to all electrical permits applied for following this date.

Notably, the new edition of the 2023 NEC includes changes relating to Energy Storage Systems (Article 706) and the interconnection between various types of on-site power supplies (e.g. electric utility power, storage batteries, PV systems, etc.), GFCI and emergency disconnect requirements in residential electrical systems, hazardous locations in industrial cannabis facilities, and much more.

Massachusetts-specific amendments in the new version of 527 CMR 12.00 address wiring protection, installation methods, and materials (Chapters 2 & 3), GFCI protection for certain appliance types (which was addressed by an emergency amendment passed on January 26, 2023, under the previous version of 527 CMR 12.00), and Article 700, Section 10(D) regarding protection of emergency system feeder circuits in areas protected by an approved fire protection system, to name a few.

For any project that necessitates an electrical permit, note that the applicable Massachusetts Electrical Code vests with the application date of the electrical install permit, rather than the date a building code permit may have been applied for.

 

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