700.5 Emergency transfer equipment
What changed in 700.5
Emergency transfer equipment now has to be listed and marked for emergency use, reconditioned automatic transfer switches are banned, and meter-mounted transfer switches are off-limits.
Point by point
- Emergency transfer equipment has to be automatic and now must be listed and marked for emergency system use.
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- 3 more points on exactly what changed
- The 2017 rule next to the 2020 rule, side by side
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This section across NEC® editions
2020 NEC®RevisedYou're here
Emergency transfer equipment now has to be listed and marked for emergency use, reconditioned automatic transfer switches are banned, and meter-mounted transfer switches are off-limits.
2023 NEC®Revised
When one feeder serves the emergency loads, the system now needs backup transfer equipment or a bypass-isolation type transfer switch so the main switch can be serviced without losing power.
Open the 2023 page →2026 NEC®Revised
Found at 700.6 in the 2026 NEC®.
Bypass and isolation of emergency transfer equipment is now required only in large assembly, school and high-rise occupancies fed by a single feeder, and the exceptions were removed.
Open the 2026 page →More 2020 changes in Article 700
This is a plain-English summary, not the NEC®'s exact wording. Always check the full section in the NEC® edition your area has adopted, plus any local amendments.
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