A multifamily home four stories high has one 40W fluorescent fixture on each landing of a stairwell. Three- and four-way switches at each landing can turn all the fixtures off or on. The switches are fed from the basement, and the grounded conductor is carried with the travelers all the way to the top floor where the switched conductor ties into the lights. The lights are daisy-chained together all the way back down to the basement where the circuit dead-ends.

For security reasons, the live-in landlord wanted the provision to the keep the lights illuminated regardless of the switch positions in the stairwell. So a second feed (from a switch in the landlords apartment) was connected to the dead-end of the daisy chained lights. This allows the lights to be supplied with power regardless of the position of the three- and four-way switches.

Each of the two feeds originate from the same junction box on the same circuit. The grounded conductors from each feed are tied together, essentially making one big loop.

Is this situation a code violation? [Linked Image]

-John