Scott,
In Sacramento County, the AHJ DOES insist on red hats for MC.
BTW, the various listed fittings ALWAYS have a port so that - said red hat can be viewed.
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The reality that red hats are not needed everywhere has caused the trade to ship MC coils with either no anti-short bushings at all -- or just a teaser baggie -- with just enough red hats to be suggestive.
Inserting the red hats is such an insignificant labor burden that I pay the issue no heed.
Hereabouts, no-one ever uses AC -- except where mandated. (Hospitals, for the most part.)
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For those wondering why AC instead of MC -- AC has a MUCH heavier 'tape' wrapped around it... and always did.
THAT'S the original, primary, reason why it was spec'd.
Then, as time went by, and low voltage electric devices became universal in hospitals, the redundancy of a belt and suspenders approach was deemed THE way to go.
Lest anyone forget, half of these gadgets are hooked indirectly into the blood stream! This makes the patient part of the equipotential ground plane.
So, hospital grade AC became endowed with additional grounding conductors.
Even with additional grounding conductors, MC tape is simply not deemed enough protection against physical abuse -- which you should read to mean: earthquakes and nuclear blasts.
