ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Romex in commercial buildings?

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The grocery stores we wire certainly have more than 100 people in them quite often, that does not make them a place of assembly.


Look carefully at the examples of places of assembly in 518.2(A), they are not simply buildings that hold more than 100 people. They are places where more than 100 people are expected to be densely packed.

The added smoke danger presented by NM to the building occupants is only the additional smoke generated from the jacket. We can not count the insulation on the conductors as this is present in MC/BX/EMT etc. Even though these conductors are in metal raceways they will generate smoke that will leak out of boxes and fittings.

But here is what gets nuts in my opinion, the wiring methods in a typical building only form a very small percentage of the smoke producing products in the building.
Also the wiring methods are spread out mostly in walls and ceilings.

What about the rug that is everywhere, the furniture, the typical plastic stuff that is through out the building? These items are actually 'in' the same spaces that the people are.


Well seeing as you said you have a PM it is not up to you.

You want to make decisions like this you will need to run your own company.


Nothing makes a theater different from a church, both may have portions that may be NM and both may have portions that must not be NM.

Bob