# 334.10 Exposed Romex



## Francis Vineyard (Jul 22, 2015)

An apartment building of Type 3 construction has rooms or closets the are access from the corridor that encloses HVAC equipment that serves the corridor.  The rooms or closets have electrical and or communication equipment.

It is permitted to have exposed Romex where not subject to damage in these rooms and other areas of an apartment building including storage areas, parking garage, offices, retail spaces?

Underlined added for emphasis of clarification.

334.10 Uses Permitted. Type NM, Type NMC, and Type

NMS cables shall be permitted to be used in the following:

(1) One- and two-family dwellings and their attached or

detached garages, and their storage buildings.

(2) Multifamily dwellings permitted to be of Types III, IV,

and V construction except as prohibited in 334.12.

(3) Other structures permitted to be of Types III, IV, and V

construction except as prohibited in 334.12. Cables

shall be concealed within walls, floors, or ceilings that

provide a thermal barrier of material that has at least a

15-minute finish rating as identified in listings of firerated

assemblies.

Informational Note No. 1: Types of building construction

and occupancy classifications are defined in NFPA 220-

2009, Standard on Types of Building Construction, or the

applicable building code, or both.

Informational Note No. 2: See Informative Annex E for

determination of building types [NFPA 220, Table 3-1].

(4) Cable trays in structures permitted to be Types III, IV,

or V where the cables are identified for the use.

Informational Note: See 310.15(A)(3) for temperature

limitation of conductors.

(5) Types I and II construction where installed within raceways

permitted to be installed in Types I and II

construction.


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## BSSTG (Jul 22, 2015)

Greetings,

You've got it right there. Can't do it.

(A) Type NM. Type NM cable shall be permitted as

follows:

(1) For both exposed and concealed work in normally dry

locations except as prohibited in 334.10(3)

BS


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## Francis Vineyard (Jul 22, 2015)

BS I'm still confused by your answer.

 I'm reading it as cannot do it in structures without dwelling units, but allowed in other types of occupancies if the structure or building has dwelling units.


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## retire09 (Jul 22, 2015)

Yes; It is allowed by 334.10(2) except as prohibited in 334.12.


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## BSSTG (Jul 22, 2015)

OOPS

I missed the mention of it in a multifamily. R1 and R3 are ok. Other buildings not so.

BS


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## ICE (Jul 22, 2015)

We don't allow exposed NM anywhere, any way, any how.  Must've had a BO from Chicago at one time or another.


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## Msradell (Jul 22, 2015)

ICE said:
			
		

> We don't allow exposed NM anywhere, any way, any how.  Must've had a BO from Chicago at one time or another.


I was going to ask if that included in the ceilings of basements but since you guys in California don't know what a basement is I guess it's not worth asking.  At least you are well ahead of Chicago they don't even know what NM is!


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