Article 01: Electrical Code

[History: Adopted by the Durham Town Council April 5, 1993, as Ord. No. 92-08. This ordinance establishes minimum regulations governing the removal, alteration or installation of electric conductors and electrical equipment within the Town of Durham, N.H., and provides for the issuance of permits, collection of fees, making of inspections, and provides penalties for the violation of said ordinance.]

54-1.  Purpose.

The purpose of these regulations is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity.

54-2.  Title.

These regulations shall be known and may be cited as the Electrical Code of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire.

54-3.  Authority.

A.  Pursuant to RSA 674:51 New Hampshire State Statutes, the Town of Durham, New Hampshire hereby adopts the following regulations for the control of all matters concerning the removal, alteration, enlargement and installation of electric conductors and/or electrical equipment within or on public and private buildings or other structures, including mobile homes, floating buildings, piers and other premises such as yards, parking and other lots, and industrial substations.

B.  The Town Administrator is hereby given the authority to enforce the provisions of this ordinance.

C.  Administrative Responsibility: The authority to administer this ordinance is hereby vested in the Town administrator who is also empowered to appoint a Code Enforcement Officer.

D.  Definitions:

           1.  Town Administrator: The Town employee who is duly appointed by the Town Council to manage the Town affairs;

           2.  Code Enforcement Officer: The Town employee who enforces and administers the building, electrical and plumbing codes.

           3.  Owner: The person or persons listed as the owner(s) of record of a property.

           4.  Electrical Contractor: The Master Electrician responsible for obtaining the permit, supervising the work, and contacting the Code Enforcement Officer for inspection of work.

54-4.  Electrical code.

All work on electrical conductors and/or electrical equipment, whether removal, alteration, enlargement of, or installation of, within the Town of Durham, New Hampshire shall conform to current National Electric Code, State Codes and Regulations, and Town Codes and shall be performed by an electrician licensed by the State of New Hampshire Electricians Board as prescribed in RSA:319-C.

Electrical installation in a single family residence shall be permitted to be installed by the property owner as allowed in RSA 319-C:15 II.

54-5.  Additional requirements.

In addition to codes cited in Section 1.4, the following shall be required:

A.  Grounding:

           1.  Extend NEC Residential Ground Fault Circuit Interruption (GFCI) Protection to all other Durham occupancies: e.g. lavatories, kitchens, etc. in commercial and industrial occupancies (hotels, motels, medical care facilities, service stations, etc.).

           2.  Electrical raceways, conduits, and armored cable shall have an equipment grounding conductor with all other conductors.  The grounding conductor shall be sized in accordance with Table 250-95, NFPA 70 (National Electric Code).

           3.  All metallic raceways shall be effectively bonded to the grounding conductor.

           4.  An electric service for premises served by a municipal metered water service on a metallic pipe shall be effectively bonded by an unbroken #4 (minimum) copper conductor on the street side of the water meter, backflow preventer and shutoff valve. Further, a #4 (minimum) copper jumper shall be installed across both the water meter, backflow preventer and shutoff valve to allow convenient removal of either item without interrupting the jumper.

           5.  For new installations where there is a well, the electrical services for those premises shall be effectively bonded directly to the metallic well casing with an unbroken #4 (minimum) copper conductor by means of a drilled or tapped, or drilled and bolted screw type terminal or clamped onto a welded iron projection.  Said conductor to be buried in accordance with Table 300.-5 of the National Electric Code.

           6.  All metal boxes containing conductor connections shall be physically attached to the grounding conductor in an approved manner as to provide for a continuous grounding, even if a device is to be removed.  All metallic raceways shall be effectively bonded to the grounding conductor.

B.  Lighting: Electrical equipment (lights, fans, etc.) installed in a suspended ceiling shall be securely supported independently to the building structure at appropriate intervals.  A minimum of two anchor points shall be required for all suspended fixtures.