First off, I object to the editing of the picture. The town, as a public authority, has no expectation of privacy - and matters of law are public concerns.
If Mayor Dweezil of Smalltown wants to be a jerk, he should be exposed to as much public scrutiny as possible.
This exposure is one of the things that inhibits public officials from getting too big for their britches.
Likewise, our "national codes" are neither national nor codes. The locality is the authority, and is free to adopt whatever rules they like.
As I better learn the NEC, I continue to be amazed at what is allowed. There are loads of things that you would assume are banned, things that are actually either not addressed, or are actually allowed. (Example? Splicing in panels).
Alas, we are often in competition with 'code minimum' types, who push the limits so often that folks sometimes even assume that a 'better' way is forbidden. (Example? Identifying circuits anywhere except the factory-provided card on the panel door).
The requiring of disconnects at the meter is so common as to be assumed a requirement - yet, the NEC continues to have language that allows extensive runs of un-fused service conductors within a building.
Whether Romex is heaven-sent, or the devil's design, is a debate still not settled in the NEC. Can you spell A F C I?
