Considering the code reads like it was written by a bunch of lawyers and gets re-written every few years by industry insiders it no surprise that we all miss a subtlety of the code every now and then. My favorite debate is the whole “minimum voltage drop is not a code requirement, it’s just a recommendation”.
Sure 3ft is a good design and as an engineer you can put that on the plans as part of the scope, the code should be read as a minimum requirement for a reasonably safe installation, and why design to minimum requirements?
