This section advises the user of this document that in an effort to promote uniformity of interpretation and application of NFPA 70E, a formal process has been implemented by NFPA. Interpretation procedures are established and are a part of the Regulations Governing the Development of NFPA Standards.
To submit a request for formal interpretation, download the form and be sure to follow all instructions.
As is true with most codes and standards, consistency in interpretation and application of codes and standards is critical to success of safety. It would be great if all language in codes and standards were clear and interpreted the same but the reality is that there are areas where two or more eyes can produce even more opinions.
Section 6 of the Regulations Governing the Development of NFPA Standards is titled “Formal Interpretations (FI).” This document establishes that a formal interpretation provides formal explanations of meaning or intent of the technical committee on a provision of the document. Keep in mind that more than one document falls under the purview of the Regulations Governing the Development of NFPA Standards. Keep in mind that any statement, written or oral, from anyone that is not processed in accordance with Section 6, is not considered to be a formal interpretation. Anything outside of this formal process is just an opinion.
Anyone can submit to receive a formal interpretation. They do not have to be NFPA members, members of any NFPA committee or even in the electrical industry. The individual will have to provide information about themselves in accordance with Section 6. The important part of this process is in how the question is asked. The request must be made on the current or immediately past edition of the document and in such a manner as to expect a yes or no answer from the technical committee. The committee is not going to do work for the submitter.
Outside of not following the correct procedure, any request can be rejected for a few additional reasons:
- This process cannot be used to determine if your design or installation complies with the requirements of the standard.
- This process is NOT a plan review. You cannot submit your plans for a project and expect NFPA and the committee to give you a thumbs up.
- The request itself cannot provide the requested information
- This process is not to establish new requirements that have never been reviewed by the technical committee. Keep your requests to the existing language found in the document.
To submit a formal interpretation, the submitter seeking help can download a form from the NFPA web site and submit per the instructions on that form.
2024 Changes
The only change to during the 2024 cycle was in renumbering it from 90.5 to 90.6 due to the addition of new 90.1 Scope.
Impact of changes
Any documents that reference old section 90.5 will have to now point to new 90.6. Such documents could consist of training books and presentations as well as any safety plans. Keep in mind that these changes do not impact the enforcement of NFPA 70E.
My NFPA 70E 