We often hear that "the code requires ...', but finding that requirement isn't always easy. Let's look at the circuits used to power signs, as an example.
It has been asserted that signs are required to be on a dedicated circuit. I am having a bit of trouble finding the part of the code that requires this.
600.5(A) simply says that there will be a sign circuit at the entrance to a business. As best I can tell, it does not address signs in other locations ... such as in the parking lot or on the roof of a building.
210.62 addresses 'show windows,' but is silent on other locations .. even other windows in the building. If nothing else, this opens the debate as to just what makes a window a "show window." As an example: is the glass front of the local convenience store a "show window?"
While this might seem an exercise in semantics ... I'm not sure the code requires ALL signs, no matter where placed, to be on a dedicated 'sign circuit.' I think we can all see where it would be easier to tie a sign into, say, an adjacent lighting circuit, or even an exit sign circuit.
Nor is this made moot by the required loads. With the advent of LED signs, we can no longer assume that even large signs will draw much of a load.
What are your thoughts?
