When installing fixtures in clothes closets I have always considered the horizontal distance from the face of the fixture to the shelf when determining the clearance from the "nearest point" of storage space. Since the intent is to keep hot fixture parts from contacting or falling on storage items it seems that clothes hanging from a pole would infringe on the intent of the code but they most likely, measured diagonally would meet the clearance requirements. Are the parts supposed to be cool enough by the time they reach the clothes? What exactly is the definition of storage space since a clothes closet could be jam-packed?
