The NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2020 Edition, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association, hereinafter referred to as "NEC" in this chapter, is hereby adopted by the City of El Reno as governing law controlling all matters concerning electrical installations made, maintained and operated in the City of El Reno, as if fully set forth herein, except as to such portions as are specifically amended or deleted in this chapter, as currently and subsequently modified by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission, and except as to such matters as may be provided for in other ordinances or in the rules and regulations authorized under provision of this Code. Electrical installations, under the exclusive control of the electric utility department, prior to the service point, as defined in the NEC, shall be subject to the requirements of IEEE C2 (National Electric Safety Code).
[Adopted 11-14-2023 by Ord. No. 9337[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also repealed former Art. V, Dilapidated Buildings, adopted 9-1-1972 as Ch. 19, Art. II, Div. 3, of the 1972 Code; amended in its entirety 12-4-1990 by Ord. No. 2642, as further amended.
[Added 9-9-2025 by Ord. No. 9383]
The NEC adopted in § 142-501 is hereby amended as set forth in the following paragraphs:
A.
Section 230.85 is amended to read as follows:
230.85 Emergency Disconnects (Amended).
All new electrical services, regardless of occupancy type or use, including but not limited to residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and electrical vehicle (EV) charging station installations, all service conductors shall terminate in disconnecting means having a short-circuit current rating equal to or greater than the available fault current, installed in a readily accessible outdoor location. If more than one disconnect is provided, they shall be grouped. Each disconnect shall be one of the following:
a. | Service disconnects marked as follows: |
EMERGENCY DISCONNECT, SERVICE DISCONNECT | |
b. | Meter disconnects installed per 230.82(3) and marked as follows: |
EMERGENCY DISCONNECT, METER DISCONNECT, NOT SERVICE EQUIPMENT | |
c. | Other listed disconnect switches or circuit breakers on the supply side of each service disconnect that are suitable for use as service equipment and marked as follows: |
EMERGENCY DISCONNECT, NOT SERVICE EQUIPMENT | |
Markings shall comply with 110.21(B). | |
B.
Part 1, Article 100, of Chapter 1 is amended to add the following definition:
Emergency Disconnect | ||
A. | A disconnecting means (switch or circuit breaker) installed on the supply side of an electrical service that: | |
• | Is intended for use in emergency situations to immediately de-energize an electrical service to protect life, property, or emergency responders; | |
• | Is located in a readily accessible outdoor location, visible and accessible to first responders, utility personnel, or other authorized personnel; | |
• | Has a short-circuit current rating equal to or greater than the available fault current at the service point. | |
A.
All persons, firms, partnerships, corporations or individuals, engaged, or hereafter engaging, in the installation of electrical fixtures, wiring or apparatus in or on any building or other structure or any person desiring to engage in the business or activity of electrician or electrical contracting in the City of El Reno, Oklahoma, shall first obtain an electrical registration from the Community Development Department.
B.
All applicants for a El Reno Electrical Registration shall be licensed to do so under the Electrical License Act (59 O.S. § 1680 et seq.) as administered by the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board. No person shall do any electrical work, except a state-licensed and locally registered electrician, except as provided in this section.
(1)
Individuals possessing an active Oklahoma journeyman or apprentice license may work only when registered with the City and authorized to do so by a state-licensed and locally registered electrician.
(2)
Those holding an inactive Oklahoma electrical contractor's license shall be subject to the same regulations as journeymen.
(3)
Apprentices shall work under the supervision of journeymen as authorized by a state-licensed and locally registered electrician at a ratio of two apprentices per journeyman.
C.
The City Council, by resolution, shall establish fees associated with first-time registrants and re-registration. Said fees shall be paid at the Community Development Department and the registration shall not be valid unless it has attached to it or written on it, a receipt or statement showing that the required fee has been paid. Any registration that has lapsed for longer than one year may apply for a new registration in the same manner and under the same conditions as a new applicant.
D.
No permit or registration shall be required for:
(1)
Minor repairs, consisting of repairing or replacing outlets or minor working parts of electrical fixtures;
(2)
Maintenance work for state and federal institutions;
(3)
The construction, installation, maintenance, repair and renovation by a public utility regulated by the Corporation Commission;
(4)
Public service corporations, telephone and telegraph companies, rural electric associations or municipal utilities;
(5)
The construction, installation, maintenance, repair and renovation of telephone equipment or computer systems by a person, firm, or corporation engaged in the telecommunications or information systems industry when such activities involve work exclusively for communication of data, voice, or for other signaling purposes; except fire alarm systems, security systems and environmental control systems that are not an integral part of a telecommunications system; or
(6)
The installation, maintenance, repair or replacement of water supply pumps, provided such work is performed from the output side of a fused disconnect or breaker box.
E.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to require:
(1)
Employment of a licensed electrical contractor, journeyman electrician or electrical apprentice;
(2)
Any regular employee of any firm or corporation (the City Council of the City of El Reno, Oklahoma interprets this to include municipalities and their public trusts), to hold a license or registration before doing any electrical work on the property of the firm or corporation whether or not the property is owned, leased or rented, provided, however, applicable permits and inspections will still be required; or
(3)
An individual to hold a license or registration before doing electrical work on his own property or residence, provided, however, applicable permits and inspections will still be required.
All installations hereafter installed within the corporate limits of the City of El Reno shall be done in a neat, workmanlike manner in accordance with the codes and ordinances of the City of El Reno. All materials shall be approved for the purpose. The Building Official shall have the right to request data and tests on any and all material and the installation thereof at any time.
The administration of the Electric Code, including permitting, inspections, and enforcement, shall follow the same processes established in the International Plumbing Code as adopted in Article VI of this chapter. It shall be unlawful for any person to do any electrical wiring within the City without first obtaining a permit from the Community Development Department.
It shall be unlawful for any person to conceal or cause to be concealed any electrical conductors used for electrical light, heat or power until such time as the work has been approved by the Electrical Inspector. A tag in the cabinet, properly signed and dated, so stating will be sufficient notice that the work has been approved.
It shall be unlawful for any person or any public service corporation or light, heat or power company to connect, or cause to be connected, any service or building for the supply of electric current for lights, heat or power until he or it has been notified by the Electrical Inspector that the electric work has been inspected and approved and is ready for electric service; provided, however, that for good and sufficient reason, the Electrical Inspector may grant temporary permits allowing such connections prior to inspection and approval for a period of 30 days.
[Added 10-14-2025 by Ord. No. 9388]
A.
For the purposes of this section, "copper conductor" shall mean an electrical conductor composed of commercially pure copper or copper alloy with a minimum copper content of 99% by weight, conforming to applicable ASTM, UL, NEC, or equivalent international standards, and meeting conductivity requirements of not less than 100% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard), unless otherwise specified for specialized applications.
B.
No aluminum or copper-clad aluminum conductors shall be used for electrical wiring in any residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, or other structure within the City limits. The use of such wiring is strictly prohibited beyond the service or emergency disconnect at any premises.