re: 1996
I believe this is the correct answer or pretty close to it ...CA 'bundles' it's codes (plumbing, mechanical, bldg. and elect) and have been using the 'Uniform' codes (1 yr. out of sync with NEC...'U' codes are '97, 2000)...it takes about 1 yr. of political wrangling to adopt the code (another yr. out of sync)...so the '99 would not normally go into affect until 2001 anyway....however there has been a big fight going on in the west between the 'I' codes (International) and the 'U' codes....there is a LOT of money donated every yr. to the state politicians by the 'U' people (read unions)...so there is a strong vested interest to keep the 'U' codes....so this intense 'I' code, 'U' code wrangling has delayed the adoption of any code since the 1997 'U' codes...thus no update on the NEC.