700.5 Emergency transfer equipment
What changed in 700.5
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.
Point by point
- New 700.5(D): emergency loads fed by a single feeder need backup transfer equipment or a transfer switch with bypass isolation.
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Get the whole breakdown
- 4 more points on exactly what changed
- The 2020 rule next to the 2023 rule, side by side
- Why it changed
- What to do and check on the job
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This section across NEC® editions
2020 NEC®Revised
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.
Open the 2020 page →2023 NEC®RevisedYou're here
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.
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 2023 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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