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O-87-2314 - 12/22/1987ORDINANCE NO. _ a_ AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 3, SECTION 8, CODE OF ORDINANCES, CITY OF ROUND ROCK, TEXAS; ADOPTING THE NATIONAL ELECTRIC CODE, 1987 EDITION, WITH AMENDMENTS; AMENDING DEFINITIONS OF BUILDING AND FIREWALL; AMENDING REQUIREMENTS FOR INSPECTIONS; AMENDING COMPOSITION OF ELECTRICAL EXAMINING AND ADVISORY BOARD; AMENDING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR EXAMINATION AND EXAMINATION FEES FOR ELECTRICIANS; AMENDING THE REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS; AMENDING CERTAIN SAFETY STANDARDS FOR METERS AND METER LOOPS, ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS, DWELLING CIRCUITS, AND COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS; PROVIDING A SAVINGS CLAUSE AND REPEALING CONFLICTING ORDINANCES. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ROUND ROCK, TEXAS. I. That Chapter 3, Section 8, A, Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (2) and substituting the following: (2) NATIONAL CODE The National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, as amended herein, is hereby adopted as part of this Code to the same effect as if it were copied verbatim herein and shall be in effect except as it may be in conflict with the provisions of this section. It may be referred to herein as NEC. II. That Chapter 3, Section 8, A., Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by adding a paragraph (8) which shall read as follows: (8) AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE, 1987 EDITION (a) Article 210-8(a), National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding sub -paragraph (7) which shall read as follows: (7) All receptacles protected by one or more ground -fault circuit interceptors devices shall be identified. (b) Article 210-70, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding paragraph (c) which shall read as follows: (c) Other Requirements Convenience outlet and lighting outlet will be required in all attic space or under floor spaces where equipment needing servicing is located. These outlets must be within six (6) feet of this equipment. C19ORDINCP3 (c) Article 220, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting Section 22 and substituting the following: 220-22. Neutral Conductor Neutral conductors shall be of the same ampacity as the largest ungrounded conductor. (d) Article 230, National Electric Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting Section 2 and substituting the following: 230-2. Services (a) Number of Services; Single Occupancy. If a building is to house only one single occupant then a single service disconnect shall be installed outside the building. Exception No. 1: Service Entrance Capacity of 1000 Amps or More If a building is to house only one single occupant, has a total service entrance capacity of 1000 amps or more, and arrangements have been made with the power supplier for the installation of a three phase padmounted transformer, then multiple service disconnecting means may be installed, with special permission from the Electrical Board, at one location outside the building, up to a maximum number of six (6). Furthermore, the service disconnecting means may be installed inside the building on the ground floor. In this case, the disconnects shall be located no more than 24 inches from the point of entrance of the Service Entrance Conductors, direct access shall be provided within ten (10) feet of the disconnects from outside the building, and doors leading to the disconnects shall be secured by only a padlock and hasp. Persons wishing to invoke this exception must appear before the Board to defend their purposes for doing so. (b) Number of Services, Multiple Occupancies. If a building is to house more than one occupant, each one being individually metered through a separate set of service entrance conductors, then each shall have a single separate service disconnecting means outside the building. Furthermore, each disconnect is to be housed. in its own enclosure, with its own independent handle outside of its enclosure. (Note: a house meter is considered to be a separate occupant.) Any building which houses multiple occupancies shall have all mains and meters in conformity with Article 230-71 as amended herein, and grouped in a common location on the outside of the building; and they shall be permanently marked or labeled for each occupancy. 2. (c) Provisions for Locks and/or Seals All disconnects, panelboards, junction boxes, troughs and/or secondary enclosures installed on the source side of the power supplier's metering equipment shall have a hinged or slip -fit front covering enclosing all connections, with provisions for a lock or seal on the cabinet. Also, no fuses or circuit breakers are to be used in these devices. Exception No. 1: Circuit Breakers will be allowed if the device has provisions for resetting a tripped breaker without the necessity of opening the cabinet and exposing the connections. (d) Fire Pumps and other Emergency Equipment All exceptions outlined in the National Electric Code referring to fire pumps, emergency lighting, or other emergency equipment shall remain valid throughout paragraphs (a) through (d) above. Article 230, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting Section 7 and substituting the following: 230-7. Service Raceway Conductors other than service conductors shall not be installed in the same service raceway or service -entrance cable. (a) Fused and unfused conductors shall not be installed in a common raceway. (b) Metered and unmetered conductors shall not be installed in a common raceway. Article 230-24, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (b) and substituting the following: (b) Clearances Overhead service drop conductors must have minimum ground clearances as required by the National Electrical Code and the National Electrical Safety Code. In order to maintain these ground clearances, the attachment heights for service racks or masts at the electric service entrance to buildings shall be provided as outlined in the "Electric Service Guidelines" handbook published by TU Electric. Article 230, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting Section 43 and substituting the following: 230-43. Wiring Methods Service -entrance conductors shall be installed in accordance with the applicable requirements of this Code covering the type of wiring method used and limited to the 3. following methods: (1) rigid metal conduit; (2) intermediate metal conduit; (3) electrical metallic tubing; (4) wireways; (5) busways; (6) auxiliary gutters; (7) rigid nonmetallic conduit; or (8) cablebus. service -entrance conductors shall not enter a building or structure ahead of the overcurrent protection unless in threaded type raceway or busway. (h) Article 230-70, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (b) and substituting the following: (b) General - Marking disconnecting means Each service disconnecting means shall be permanently marked to identify it as a service disconnecting means by using either a service address or designer's building -space designation. Article 230-71, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (a) and substituting the following: (a) General -Maximum Number of Disconnects (Six Hand Rule) The service disconnnecting means for each building permitted by section 230-2 as amended herein shall consist of not more than six (6) switches. If there are to be more than six occupants in a building, provisions must be made not to exceed six (6) disconnecting means outside that building in order that the building may be completely de -energized in six throws or less. In buildings planned to house more than six occupants, this rule shall be adhered to by installing a single main disconnect on the source side of the multiple meters. (Note: Speculative buildings built to house an unknown number of occupants will be considered as being planned to house more than six.) Article 240-24, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding paragraph (e) which shall read as follows: (e) Location of Panelboards or Overcurrent Devices (1) (j) Panelboards or overcurrent devices shall not be located in bathrooms or within six (6) feet of sinks, lavatories, or similar fixtures. Panelboards will have the following minimum clearances: Six feet three inches (6'3") of headroom; three feet (3') of walk up clearance and 30 inches minimum horizontal clearance with a minimum of six inches (6") on each side of enclosure. (k) Article 250-42(f), National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting Exception No. 4 and substituting the following: 4. Exception No. 4: Listed information processing equipment protected by a system of double insulation, or its equivalent, shall not be required to be grounded. Where such a system is employed, the equipment shall be distinctively marked. (1) Article 300-3, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (a) and substituting the following: (a) Single Conductors Single conductors specified in Table 310-13 of the National Electrical Code shall only be permitted to be installed where part of a recognized wiring method of Article 300-23 as amended herein. (m) Article 300, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding Section 23 which shall read as follows: 300-23. Special Safety Measures (a) All wiring used exclusively for, and which is within a building or a part of a building used exclusively as a dwelling, shall be wired with the equivalent of one of the following types of approved wiring, all as regulated by this chapter: Standard rigid steel or aluminum conduit Thin wall conduit Flexible metal raceway Surface metal raceway Nonmetallic raceway Nonmetallic cable (incl. Romex) (b) Apartment houses having three (3) stories or less and rooming houses, boarding houses, fraternity houses and sorority houses having not more than one (1) story may be wired as required in subsection (a) of this section; otherwise, they shall be wired as required in subsection (c) of this section. (c) All electrical work in buildings and all electrical work not included in the two preceding subsections shall be installed with the equivalent of one of the following approved methods: Standard rigid steel or aluminum conduit Thin wall conduit Surface metal raceways Nonmetallic raceways Flexible metallic conduit (Flexible metallic conduits shall not be enclosed in plaster or masonry) (d) Equipment wired with other methods and which bear Underwriter's Laboratory, Inc., label of approval, and which have been approved by the Electrical Board shall constitute exceptions. 5. (e) Non -weatherproof electrical materials will be considered as not exposed to weather if run on the ceiling twelve (12) inches or more from outside edge of roofs or awnings or on side walls more than forty-five degrees (45 ) inside from a vertical line at outside edge of roof. (f) Unfused service conductors shall be connected to the meter box by fastening the unfused service conductor on the exterior of the building or structure. No unfused service conductor (service entrance cable) shall be permitted in the walls or inside the structure of any single-family or multifamily dwelling three (3) stories or less. (g) All lighting outlets within reach of a grounded surface shall be controlled by a wall switch. (h) Except upon written permission of the Building Official, no electrical conductor of any nature shall be installed nearer than three (3) inches to any metal pipe or duct which could operate at temperature in excess of one hundred twenty degrees fahrenheit (120 F.) . (i) Any switch that can be reached from a tub enclosure or shower enclosure will be of the grounded type and have nylon or plastic plate crews and plate cover with no exposed metal parts. (j) Galvanized tie wire shall not be permitted for strapping in any form. (k) Thermostat, low voltage control wiring and communications cables in dwellings shall be protected from mechanical damage and shall maintain two (2) inches clearance from all other wiring and pipes. thermostat, low voltage control wiring and communications cables shall be well strapped or supported with insulated staples, supports not to exceed four (4) feet spacing. (n) Article 310, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following language to the footnotes to Table 310-16. NOTE: Conductor Ampacity Ampacities of insulated conductors listed in the 85° C. and 90° C. columns shall be that listed in the 75° C. column. (Most terminations are designed only for 60°C. or 75° C. minimum temperatures; therfore, the higher rated ampacities for conductors of 90° C., 110° C., etc., cannot be utilized unless the terminations have comparable ratings.). (o) Article 339-1, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (a) and substituting the following: 6. (p) (q) (a) Description Underground feeder and branch circuit cable shall be a approved type of cable in sizes #12 copper through #10 copper. The conductor of type UF shall be one of the moisture resistant type listed in Table 310-13 which is suitable for branch circuit wiring. Article 339-3 1987 Edition, sub -paragraph following: (a), National Electrical Code, is hereby amended by deleting (1) and substituting the (a) Uses Permitted (1) Type UF cable shall be permitted for use underground, including direct burial in the earth, on residential branch circuits less than 150 volts to ground, 30 amperes or less, where provided with overcurrent protection of the rated ampacity as required in Section 339-4 of the National Electrical Code. Article 348, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding Section (3) which shall read as follows: 348-3 Electrical Metal Tubing Electrical metallic tubing shall not be permitted for direct burial in earth or installed in or under concrete on grade or below grade. (r) Article 424-19, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by deleting the first sentence and substituting the following: 424-19 Disconnecting Means An approved disconnecting means shall be required on all fixed electric space heating equipment, the disconnecting means shall be mounted adjacent to (not a part of) the equipment, and within sight. Where heating equipment is supplied by more than one source; the disconnecting means shall be grouped and identified. In addition, within the area around fixed electric space heating units in attics, crawl spaces or mechanical rooms, adequate lighting shall be installed with a switch for service of equipment, and a convenience outlet shall be installed within six (6) feet of equipment. Both lighting and convenience outlets are to be installed on the service access side of the heating units. (s) Article 600-6, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding paragraph (d) which shall reads as follows: (d) Outside Signs. All lighting classified as signs, and which is installed outside the main walls of any building, shall be on approved circuits supplying no load within the 7. building. Also, all signs must have a disconnecting means provided outside the building, on the sign itself, or within 50 feet of the sign. (t) Article 604, Edition, is 8 which shall (w) 604-8 Color Systems) National Electrical Code, 1987 hereby amended by adding Section read as follows: Code (Manufactured Wiring All manufactured wiring systems shall be color coded according to subsection G.9.c of the City of Round Rock Electrical Code. Article 605, National Electrical Code, 1987 Edition, is hereby amended by adding Section 9 which shall read as follows: 605-9 Color Code (Office Furnishing Partition Systems) All office furnishing partition systems shall have their internal wiring systems color coded according to subsection G.9.c of the City of Round Rock Electrical Code. III. That Chapter 3, Section 8, C.(4), Coded Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by adding a sub -paragraph (k) which shall read as follows. (k) No service entrance equipment shall be connected to an electrical distribution system unless it has been approved and a permit shall have been obtained and fees paid. (Note: this shall include all industrial and commercial tenant or occupant changes within existing buildings.) IV. That Chapter 3, Section 8, B., Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (13) and substituting the following: (13) BUILDING: A structure which stands alone or which is cut off from adjoining structures and/or occupancies by one or more fire walls. V. That Chapter 3, Section 8, B., Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by adding a paragraph (14) which shall read as follows: 8. (14) FIRE WALL: A single wall that stands between two (2) or more building occupancies having a minimum fire withstand rating of four (4) hours, as outlined by the City's Building Code, and having no penetrations by plumbing, electrical or communications equipment, fixtures, conduits, raceways, or passageways. VI. That Chapter 3, Section 8, C.(5), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by substituting "Texas Utilities Electric Company (TU Electric)" for "Texas Power & Light Co. (TP&L)" in the first sentence. VII. That Chapter 3, Section 8, C.(5), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting sub -paragraph and substituting the following: (m) The Electrical Board of the City of Round Rock may waive the requirement for an examination to electricians with licences from cities which agree to reciprocate with the City of Round Rock. Such waiver may be granted if the examination taken by the applicant is similar to the examination given by the City. With the Board's acceptance, the examination and examination fees may be waived. VIII. (m) That Chapter 3, Section 8, D.(1), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting sub -paragraph (b). IX. That Chapter 3, Section 8, D., Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting paragraph (3) and substituting the following: (3) APPLICATION GENERALLY: Application for permits shall be made in writing upon forms provided by the City for the purpose. The application shall contain the following information: the date the application is submitted, the name of the person under whose authority the application is made, the name of the person actually offering the application, the address where electrical work is to be done, a description of the electrical work to be done and other pertinent information required by the Chief Electrical Inspector. 9. (a) When required by the Chief Electrical inspector, the application shall include a diagram or plan showing clearly the following: (i) The character and kind of wiring or installation of fixtures or equipment work to be done. (ii) The plan or electrical diagram shall have a definite scale and show the manner in which the electrical installation is to be made. (iii) The character of any repairs to any existing installation showing the point at which service connection is required. (iv) The site of the feeders and sub -feeders. (v) The location at service switches and centers of distribution. (vi) The arrangement of circuits and the number of outlets connected thereto. (vii) Load Calculations. (viii) A profile view of the service entrance equipment including all gutter troughs, junction boxes, switches, disconnects, fuses, panel boards, current transformer enclosures and meter sockets, showing how this equipment is to be arranged on the wall of the building. (ix) The maximum available fault current at the service entrance. (x) Fault current bracing information. X. That Chapter 3, Section 8, D(4), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting sub -paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) and substituting the following: (a) Permits shall be issued to licensed Master Electricians, or their duly authorized agents, who shall be certified to the Chief Electrical Inspector by affidavit stating that said electrician assumes all and full responsibility for any permit taken out or applied for by said agent. (b) The City of Round Rock operates under a "One Permit" system whereby a General Contractor or Owner may secure a single permit covering all of the building, electrical, plumbing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning requirements. Therefore, electrical work may be performed under this "One Permit" system. However, on the special occasions where only electrical work is being performed, a Master Electrician, as defined herein, must secure a permit covering the work to be done. (c) When the permitted electrician fails or refuses to complete electrical work, in whole or in part, on any electrical wiring or installation of fixtures or 10. equipment, a new permit may be issued upon written request of the owner or person in charge of construction, and fees therefore shall be assessed covering all electrical work done or to be done, whether completed or not at the time a subsequent permit is issued. Before any subsequent permit is issued, the enforcement official shall notify the permitted electrician failing or refusing to complete the electrical work, if he can be found, to show cause within ten days of receipt of written notice why a subsequent permit should not be issued to a subsequent electrician. All written requests for subsequent permits shall set forth the reasons why the current permitted electrician has failed or refused to complete electrical work. If subsequent permits are issued, all existing permits shall be cancelled by the enforcement official. XI. That Chapter 3, Section 8, G.(2), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting sub -paragraphs (c) and (d) and NOTE following sub -paragraph (d). XII. That Chapter 3, Section 8, G.(5), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting sub -paragraph (a) and substituting the following: (a) All circuits shall have conductors sized in accordance with Article 310 of the National Electrical Code. No conductor smaller than No. 12 Copper American Wire Gauge size, or equivalent, shall be used in any electrical work as covered by this chapter, except the following as approved by the National Electrical Code: Pendant and portable cords. No. 14 for control circuits, operating contactors, relays, and the like. Wiring within display cases. Wiring for system covered by Chapter 7 of the National Electrical Code. As specified under electrical signs. XIII. That Chapter 3, Section 8, G.(5), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by adding sub -paragraphs (i), (j) and (k) which shall read as follows: (i) Plastic anchors will not be accepted as a mounting means on cinder block, brick, concrete, rock, plaster or any material that falls within these descriptions. 11. (j) There shall be no PVC extended above the floor line in any exposed work. (k) "Lay -in" type lighting fixtures will only be allowed to have a minimum of six (6) feet of flex tail. XIV. That Chapter 3, Section 8, G.(7), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by adding sub -paragraph (h) which shall read as follows: (h) Two or more metered service drops being fed by different voltages and/or phase configurations will not be permitted. XV. That Chapter 3, Section 8, G.(8), Code of Ordinances, City of Round Rock, Texas, is hereby amended by deleting sub -paragraphs (a) and (b) and substituting the following: (a) The kitchen for each dwelling shall have no less than two (2) twenty amperes circuits which shall comply with NEC Article 210, except that there shall be a maximum of three (3) outlets per circuit. Dedicated circuits such as refrigerator, disposal, microwave, washing machine, furnace, bathroom heater and dishwasher shall be on separate circuits and not be counted as any of the circuits required for every new or remodeled dwelling. (b) In areas other than kitchens in dwelling units no more than nine (9) outlets shall be connected to any circuit, whether the outlets be ceiling or wall outlets (receptacle outlet or lighting fixture outlets), and no single cirucits shall supply an area of 300 square feet or more. XVI. A. All ordinances, parts of ordinances, or resolutions in conflict herewith are expressly repealed. B. The invalidity of any section or provision of this ordinance shall not invalidate other sections or provisions thereof. READ AND APPROVED on first reading this /0 th day of awynlAefu 1987. �? READ, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED on second reading this A/1 day of , 1987. ATTEST: 'iz 4/z/1. MIKE ROBINSON, Mayor City of Round Rock, Texas J NNE LAND Ci Secretary y DATE: December 17, 1987 SUBJECT: Council Agenda, December 22, 1987 ITEM: 7A. Consider an ordinance revising the Electrical Code. (Second Reading) STAFF RESOURCE PERSON: Jim Nuse STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Passage on the second reading of the ordinance. ECONOMIC IMPACT: This is the second reading of the Electrical Code revisions. This item has been a previous work session item. This Code updates licensing procedures as well as material and installation procedures. Although there is no direct economic indicator for this item, it is reasonable to believe that complete and equitable codes will most wisely use the builders resourses.