Hopefully everyone has a fantastic holiday season! The weeks leading up to Christmas can be frantic with decorating, crowded malls, finding the perfect gifts, wrapping, and visiting family. As enjoyable as Christmas day is, it seems to come and go entirely too quickly.
One of my favorite parts of the build up to Christmas is seeing homes decorated with Christmas lights. Whether your house looks like the Griswold household or you took a milder approach to decorating, all Christmas lights have something in common. Christmas lights are considered festoon lighting.
According to the Article 100 of the NEC, festoon lighting is defined as a string of outdoor lights that is suspended between two points. Festoon lighting is mentioned in Article 225 Section 6(B) in regards to conductor size and support, but for this blog we’ll highlight Article 590 Section 3(B). Article 590.3(B) states temporary electric power and lighting installations shall be permitted for a period not to exceed 90 days for holiday decorative lighting and similar purposes.
In other words once Christmas passes and the fast pace starts to return to normal, it’s okay to enjoy your Christmas lights for a little longer. Just remember to remove your festoon lighting within 90 days of installation.
Engineers at Allegheny Design Services can assist in answering code compliance questions or provide code compliance inspections related to mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or structural engineering. You can reach Allegheny Design Services at 304-599-0771. We look forward to working with you!
Thanks for reading,
Alex Clarkson, EIT
Junior Mechanical Engineer
Journeyman Electrician
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Allegheny Design Services is a Structural Engineering and MEP Consulting Engineering Firm based in North Central West Virginia. Working closely with Architects, Contractors, and Owners, ADS provides simple solutions to complex design issues while keeping the integrity of the Architect's vision intact.
