AskCodeMan

So when did the code change for 10 foot clearance from a deck, I have a customer told her house was built in 1997 and it was not a code then . Any thoughts? Power company says it their problem. They have lived in this home sense it has been built and has always been there. they can almost touch the service wire coming in. In the first place i wonder how it got passed even back then

wwilson3 wrote:So when did the code change for 10 foot clearance from a deck, I have a customer told her house was built in 1997 and it was not a code then .

Not sure why you think it was not in the NEC in 1997, so I reached back in and pulled out an old NEC code book, making sure I went back a few years before 1997.

So, from my 1935 NEC, here are the clearances for overhead conductors. (underlining and bold are mine)
- 403. Overhead Service - Main to Service Head.
- - - - For definition of service drop see Article 1. (Jerry's note: This appears in the text as a FPN does in today's NEC codes, so this could be described as a "FPN" of the year.)
- - a. Service drops between main and building to which they are attached shall not approach nearer than eight feet to the buildings over which they pass, and if attached to the roofs, shall be supported on substantial structures.
- - - - It is recommended that wires passing over a building be supported on structures which are independent of the building. (Jerry's note: This appears in the text as a FPN does in today's NEC codes, so this could be described as a "FPN" of the year.)
- - b. Overhead service wires and cables shall be as high above ground at the point of attachment to a building as the height and form of the building and existing local conditions permit, but shall in no case be less than 10 feet and need not be greater than 18 feet unless in the judgment of the authority enforcing this code a greater height is required in a particular case to secure proper clearance from other wires or obstructions.
- - c. (Jerry's note: This section is not applicable to your question so I did not type it, there are also sections d., e., f., g., h., i., section b. gave the information you were asking about.)

They have lived in this home sense it has been built and has always been there. they can almost touch the service wire coming in. In the first place i wonder how it got passed even back then

How? I have no idea. Hopefully it was just "missed".

Presuming the deck was built at the same time as the house was.

Regardless, "safety" is not provided for by time of construction, whether or not it was or was not code at that time.

There is no "passed the test of time" as the proper way to phrase that is "time is running out" and "time is not a safety device" and in fact "time defeats all safety devices" which leads to "time for failure is approaching faster as time pases". There are many ways to say the same thing: "safety" IS NOT "grandfathered in" just because "it has always been that way".

See also Section 230.9 Clearances on Buildings.

Service conductors and final spans shall comply with 230.9(A), (B), and (C).

(A) Clearances. Service conductors installed as open conductors or multiconductor cable without an overall outer jacket shall have a clearance of not less than 900 mm (3 ft) from windows that are designed to be opened, doors, porches, balconies, ladders, stairs, fire escapes, or similar locations.

Exception: Conductors run above the top level of a window shall be permitted to be less than the 900-mm (3-ft) requirement.

Thanks guy's it helped to confirm . The deck was on there before the power was run in so i guess someone screwed up

This was always why I asked the building department to be sure to identify the location of the existing service drop to the point of attachment when new structures were being built. Home Inspectors should keep this post in mind because it will help them to answer the same questions that will arise again. The records and permits in the building department are usually available for this purpose.