It makes little sense to have every inspector be the "AHJ" just for this very reason brought up in this thread.
If each city or towns inspector was the AHJ then an EC would have to be a mind reader to figure out each local AHJs interpretation of the NEC.
It makes much more sense to have the AHJ to be one central office, agency, person etc to make the interruptions and the decisions of the code allows of the AHJ.
I wish I could get you on the IL lobby for a unified state electrical code. Around here every village and city is its own AHJ whether we have a population of 10,000 or millions and whether there are several inspectors or one.
Since every AHJ around here is different with slight variations on amendments, we effectively have the same situation described above that requires us to be mind readers when we cross the railroad tracks.
I have met inspectors that claim to be the AHJ, kind of your only sheriff in town type. I had no reason to doubt it and still don't. Remember agencies and offices consist of people, and some of them are very small (1 man).
But I also had my town's inspector refuse to allow the exact situation described here originally when I asked for exception and he told me flat out he was only an inspector (a very good one at that) and not the AHJ.
Now lastly, I do not have much patience when people are quick to criticize the NEC but have never tried to change it.
That’s fine, everyone has their hot button issues, but criticism can be the first steps to change, and I have found a lot of the criticisms around here thought provoking whether from an activist or not.
