ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues factory assembled hot tub

All that said, if Ken and Barbie make too much noise in their hot tub and someone calls code enforcement they probably get a ticket saying they never got a permit for their spa and 680 will fall on them like a ton of bricks.
This stuff is all online here and those guys have a terminal in their truck. You can't lie about permits. They have aerial photos and everything right to their laptop.
If I am inspecting a "spa" with someone downtown looking over my shoulder, I am going to want to see GFCIs, clearance to luminaires/receptacles/switches, bonding, tempered glass, a conforming fence, entrapment mitigation and the whole 9 yards.
... so hold the noise down kids

Well... I can definitely see the dilemma.
Seems that even if the NEC revised 680 to allow a lesser standard for post-construction installations, owners of buildings under construction could simply wait until a Certificate of Occupancy is issued, then complete the installation, effectively bypassing the more stringent requirements anyway.
I guess it could probably also be argued that 680 only applies to new construction and this installation doesn’t fall into that category. Quite a sticky wicket indeed.

That is why I mentioned "code enforcement" as opposed to "building code" inspector. It may be semantics but code enforcement (in this jurisdiction) are the people that come out in response to a complaint from your neighbors but when they do write a "no permit" ticket you instantly revert back to "pre-CO" when you have to pull a permit (at twice the normal price) or you remove the violation. The classic example is an unpermitted shed. Most people simply have to tear them down since it is hard to prove you have the right amount of steel in the footer and you probably do not have engineered plans.

And, there hangs the dilemma. I suspect that there's a limit to where rules can reach ... at least, and still be a place you'd want to live in.

When errection is as simple as puffing some air into a bladder, and filling is done with a garden hose .... when the whole ting sets up, or tears down, in less than an hour ... you don't have a 'structure' as much as you have a 'tent.'

To be honest, coming in after a cold day in the field, I wouldn't mind setting one of those up in my living room. A beverage in one hand, the TV remote in another... just what the doctor ordered! Summer comes, or the lease expires, just siphon it out the window, roll it up, and away I go!

This won't be the last time that technology has outpaced our ability to write rules.

Yes, it is amazing the number of unpermitted things that are turned up by our CCO inspector.

Replaced water heaters, basement finishes; panel swaps, whirlpool tubs; spas; patios, decks, sheds, etc.

Work without a permit, $$$ fine and permit required.

I suppose if someone did show up with an inflatable spa or other easily store spa and all the equipment was listed "storable pool" we could treat it that way. I just don't believe anything they sell at a spa store fits that description.
Taking this a bit farther. Is a receptacle under a deck behind a barrier? I assume a single grounded GFCI protected twist lock receptacle will allow you down to 5' 680.22(A)

Delving a little deeper into the darker side of non-permitted hot tub installations... don’t most insurance companies have clauses in their policies concerning coverage and additional premiums relating to these items, similar to pools?
Would an insurance company even provide coverage for an uninspected installation?
I would think the possibility of water or other property damage, structural failure, personal injury as well a electrocution hazards could quell some of the festivities of non-permitted ownership.

I’d hate to even think of the legal ramifications if someone gets injured or drowns in a hot tub installation that was done with no permit or inspection. Couldn’t an insurance company simply refuse to pay for any claims against the owner, leaving that individual on the hook for all damages?

I guess buyers can only assume that the cost of any potential liability is included in the purchase price when they see those TV ads exclaiming, "Did you know that you can own a luxurious hot tub for as little as $7.00 a day... that’s right... just $7.00 a day".