300.5 Underground installations
What changed in 300.5
EMT now has burial depths in Table 300.5, Column 3. The 300.5(D) protection rules, including the service warning ribbon, now cover conductors in raceways, not only direct-buried ones.
Point by point
- Table 300.5 now lists EMT in Column 3, so it gets the same cover depths as nonmetallic raceways.
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This section across NEC® editions
2020 NEC®No change
This section did not change from 2017 to 2020.
2023 NEC®RevisedYou're here
EMT now has burial depths in Table 300.5, Column 3. The 300.5(D) protection rules, including the service warning ribbon, now cover conductors in raceways, not only direct-buried ones.
2026 NEC®Revised
Found at 300.7 in the 2026 NEC®.
Service raceways run underground now clearly need a warning ribbon too, along with direct-buried service cable.
Open the 2026 page →More 2023 changes in Article 300
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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