The edition the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) has adopted where the project is built, with its local amendments, unless the contract documents call for something stricter. It is often not the newest edition. Check the edition the specs cite, check what the AHJ enforces, and send an RFI before bid day when the two don't match.
The National Electrical Code is published every three years. Each state, and in some states each city or county, adopts an edition on its own schedule, often with amendments, so neighboring jurisdictions can enforce different editions.
CEC (Canada)
The Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, is also revised on a three-year cycle. Each province and territory adopts an edition by regulation, usually with its own amendments.
Québec
Québec adopts the CEC with its own changes as Chapter V, Electricity, of the Québec Construction Code. Bid Québec work to that chapter, not to the national code alone.
The contract documents
Specs often name a code edition, sometimes an older or newer one than the AHJ enforces, and may add requirements stricter than the code. Both bind you.
How to check it on a bid
1
Read the specs' code reference
Look in the Division 26 general requirements and in Division 1 for the edition named, and note it with your bid notes.
2
Confirm what the AHJ enforces
Check the AHJ's website, or call the electrical inspection office, for the adopted edition and any local amendments.
3
Compare the two
If the specs and the AHJ differ, price the stricter requirement or send an RFI asking which one governs.
4
Watch the permit date
The edition in effect when the permit is applied for usually governs. On a long design or a late permit, that can be a newer edition than the drawings were designed to.
5
Put it in writing
If your price assumes a particular edition, say so in your clarifications.
Questions estimators ask
Why does the code edition matter for the price?
Editions change requirements that cost money, such as where ground-fault and arc-fault protection is needed and which wiring methods are allowed. Pricing to the wrong edition can leave required work out of the bid, or carry work that isn't needed.
Does the newest NEC apply everywhere in the United States?
No. Adoption is state by state, and some states leave it to cities or counties. Some jurisdictions enforce an edition one or two cycles behind the newest.
Is the CEC the same in every province?
No. Each province and territory adopts an edition with its own amendments, and Québec publishes its version as Chapter V of its Construction Code.
Does Bidprobe check the code edition?
Yes. The review identifies the project's jurisdiction, flags the code edition the documents call for, and recommends confirming the enforced edition with the authority having jurisdiction rather than assuming the latest edition applies. It doesn't replace the AHJ or a code review.
Know the edition before you price.
One free bid check on every new account, no card required. Most checks come back in 5 to 15 minutes.