George,
I’m not an inspector, but I can understand your frustration. I swear to god we must have covered this in every code cycle seminar I’ve been to for at least the last ten years. I have seen guys do this before, but not for many years. I guess the word still hasn’t gotten out to everyone.
Here is what the 2007 UL White book has to say:
Type SE— Indicates cable for aboveground installation. Both the individual insulated conductors and the outer
jacket or finish of Type SE are suitable for use where exposed to sun. Type SE cable contains Type RHW,
RHW-2, XHHW, XHHW-2, THWN or THWN-2 conductors.
