As part of our ongoing commitment to safety in the electrical community, we annually update our report that assigns a safety grade to each of the U.S. states based on points* for state-wide adoption and enforcement of the following electrical standards:

• The most current NEC®
• State licensing requirements for Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Contractor, Inspector, Engineer
• Continuing Education requirements for license renewal

THE CURRENT NEC®

The 2014 NEC® became effective on August 21, 2013. This report, and the map, reflect those states that have adopted it.

“A+” [HIGHEST] RANKING

Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota and Wyoming - a ‘full house” of points due to adoption of the 2014 NEC®, and meeting the state mandated requirements on all the categories evaluated for this analysis.

HERE’S THE RANKING

Click Here for a complete history since 2007, and details of how the points are assigned.

*HOW THE POINTS ARE ASSIGNED

One point is assigned to each element of the licensing type, and one point for each element of the continuing education requirements for that license type. To see details of the points behind the grades Click Here

The number of points assigned for adoption of the most current NEC is 3. This year 2014 NEC=3 points, 2011 NEC=2 points, 2008 NEC=1 point, 2005 NEC = 0 and prior NEC or local adoption = -1 point. States that have not adopted a newer edition of the NEC since the last report will automatically slide down one point due to the new scale. The points in the ‘2015 CHG’ column indicates the change since the last report showing whether the state went up (+), down (-) or stayed the same (0).

Important note: We know that there are many safe counties and municipalities that take licensing and enforcement seriously. This will not be reflected in the data reported here because this analysis is based on a uniform standard that is the State adoption of the requirements, regardless of whether local counties and municipalities have their own high standards.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK!

If you have any updated information that you feel would change our rankings on this year’s report, please post your comment – we appreciate your feedback to help keep this analysis accurate and current.

ARCHIVE OF PAST REPORTS

Click Here for a complete history since 2007, and details of how the points are assigned.

We acknowledge and congratulate all those states, counties and local municipalities that continue to set high standards in electrical safety.

NEC® is a registered trademark of the National Fire Protection Agency.