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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

For a 2023 book reader

NEC 2023 to 2026: What Moved, by Subject and Number

Minnesota adopted the 2026 edition without amendments, which means the whole of the change between the two books lands on you unmodified. Most of it is not new rules. It is old rules at new addresses, and that is worse for anyone who learned where things live.

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On this page
  1. Why this page exists
  2. The moves worth writing on the inside cover
  3. Inside the new load calculation article
  4. Over 1000 volts, and the back of the book
  5. Why some numbers slid and others did not
  6. One number that stayed while the rule under it changed
  7. What did not move
  8. The Minnesota twist
  9. Questions people ask
  10. What this page cites

Why this page exists

Minnesota moved permits to the 2026 edition on August 17, 2026 and moved the licensing examinations on September 8, 2026. The board adopted the edition without Minnesota amendments, so there is no state amendment sheet to soften the change.

We cite section numbers and describe what each rule covers. We do not reproduce code text and we do not reproduce tables. Check every number below in your own copy, because that is the copy the inspector and the examination will use.

The moves worth writing on the inside cover

Load calculations. Branch circuit, feeder and service load calculations left Article 220 and are now Article 120, in Chapter 1. Article 220 is vacant in the 2026 book, so every citation anyone memorized for a load calculation now points at nothing.

Energy management systems. Left Article 750 and are now Article 130. Article 750 still exists in the 2026 book with a different subject under it, which is the expensive kind of move because the old address is occupied.

Overcurrent protection of transformers. Was 450.3, now 450.5. The old number is now a Reconditioned Equipment heading with its subsections reserved, so a reader who goes to 450.3 lands on a heading with nothing under it.

Protection against physical damage. Was 300.4, now 300.6. The old number is occupied by a different subject, so this one reads as an answer for a while before it stops making sense.

Wire bending space and deflection of conductors. Was 312.6, now 312.9. Cabinet openings and cable entry moved from 312.5(A) and 312.5(C) to 312.8(A) and 312.8(C), and splices, taps and feed through conductors in cabinets moved from 312.8 to 312.11.

The bar on re-bonding neutral to ground downstream. Was 250.24(A)(5), now 250.24(B). In the 2026 book 250.24(A) runs (A)(1) through (A)(4) and stops, so every lettered subsection behind it shifted down one. Main bonding jumper is now (C) and grounded conductor brought to service equipment is now (D).

Inside the new load calculation article

The individual sections moved with the article and not all of them kept their old suffix.

The dwelling general lighting unit load for branch circuits was 220.12 and is now 120.13. The dwelling feeder and service unit load was 220.41 and is now 120.41. Noncoincident loads were 220.60 and are now 120.6. The optional calculations for a dwelling unit, new and existing, were 220.82 and 220.83 and are now 120.82 and 120.83.

Note that the branch circuit figure and the feeder and service figure are two different rules in two different parts of the article. Read both sections in your own book rather than carrying one number for both, because a wrong constant propagates through every line of a load calculation and produces an answer that looks reasonable.

Over 1000 volts, and the back of the book

Article 235 is gone. The branch circuit, feeder and service material for systems over 1000 volts is now spread across Articles 265 through 268, with grounding and bonding at 270. That is the lookup a 2023 book owner is most likely to make and fail, because their book keeps all of it in one place.

Fire resistive cable systems moved from Article 728 to Article 772.

The limited energy and communications material was rebuilt. Article 770 and Article 805 are both gone from the 2026 book, and optical fiber and communications cables are covered in Article 722. Article 720 was reused for limited energy wiring methods and materials. Article 742 is new and covers overvoltage protection of limited energy systems.

Switches split. Device type switches are handled in Article 406 and the rest stay in Article 404.

Why some numbers slid and others did not

The 2026 edition ran a template through many articles, putting Listing Requirements at .2 and Reconditioned Equipment at .3. What that did to the numbers behind them depends on whether those two slots were already empty.

Article 410 is the clean case where the template dropped into empty space and nothing behind it moved. Article 450 is the clean case where it pushed, which is why transformer overcurrent protection slid from 450.3 to 450.5.

So there is no single offset for the edition. Article 300 shifted by two, Article 312 by three, Article 410 by nothing. Take the offset from the table of contents in front of you and never carry one article's offset into another.

One number that stayed while the rule under it changed

90.3, the arrangement of the book. Through the 2023 edition Chapter 8 stood outside the arrangement and a requirement in the earlier chapters reached a communications system only when Chapter 8 pointed at it.

The 2026 wording says the code is divided into an introduction and nine chapters, that Chapters 1 through 4 apply generally, that Chapters 5 through 8 may supplement or modify the requirements in Chapters 1 through 8, and that Chapter 9 is tables applicable as referenced. Chapter 8 is inside the group now rather than beside it.

The number did not move, so nothing about a lookup breaks. What breaks is the habit of treating a Chapter 8 job as exempt from the front of the book.

What did not move

Ampacity is still Article 310. Overcurrent is still Article 240. Grounding and bonding is still Article 250. Motors are still Article 430. Boxes are still Article 314. Chapter 9 is still the tables.

The article level moves cluster at two ends of the book: the front, where Chapter 1 took in load calculations and energy management, and the back, where the limited energy and communications material was rebuilt. Chapters 3 through 6 came through with much less disturbance.

That is the useful shape of it. The relearning is concentrated rather than spread evenly, so most of the saving is knowing where it is concentrated.

The Minnesota twist

You will not be carrying a marked up book into the examination. DLI provides one in soft cover format without tabs or other aids, which means none of these numbers can be written into the copy you sit with.

So the moves above have to be learned rather than tabbed. Work them with the article drill and the table drill, and use the topic sets, which are written to the 2026 numbering.

Questions people ask

What is the biggest change between the 2023 and 2026 NEC?

Load calculations. The branch circuit, feeder and service load calculation material left Article 220 and is now Article 120, and Article 220 is vacant in the 2026 book.

Where did Article 220 go in the 2026 NEC?

Into Article 120, in Chapter 1. The dwelling general lighting unit load for branch circuits is 120.13, the feeder and service unit load is 120.41, noncoincident loads are 120.6 and the optional dwelling calculations are 120.82 and 120.83.

What happened to 450.3 for transformer overcurrent protection?

It is 450.5 in the 2026 book. The 450.3 number is now a Reconditioned Equipment heading with its subsections reserved, so the old address still exists and answers a different question.

Did Minnesota amend any of these changes?

No. The Board of Electricity voted unanimously to adopt the 2026 NEC without amendments, so the edition applies as printed.

What happened to Article 235?

It is gone from the 2026 book. Branch circuits, feeders and services over 1000 volts are spread across Articles 265 through 268, with grounding and bonding at 270.

Do I need to re-tab my code book?

For Minnesota examinations there is nothing to tab, because DLI provides a soft cover book without tabs or other aids. For work, move the 220 and 750 tabs and check the handful of sections listed on this page rather than re-cutting a whole set.

What did not change?

Article 310 for ampacity, Article 240 for overcurrent, Article 250 for grounding and bonding, Article 430 for motors, Article 314 for boxes and Chapter 9 for the tables.

Put it to the test

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Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

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What this page cites

If your notes still say 2023

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Labor and Industry, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Minnesota examinations are open book on a book the department hands you. DLI provides the National Electrical Code in soft cover with no tabs or other aids, allows a laws and rules booklet and a basic calculator, and allows no other materials or electronic devices in the building. The questions follow the 2026 edition from 8 September 2026, and 17 August 2026 is the permit date rather than the exam date.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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