2026 NEC Changes to Article 250 Grounding and Bonding
This EC&M Tech Talk examines the changes to the grounding and bonding requirements of Art. 250 Grounding and Bonding found in the National Electrical Code. Randy Barnett, maintenance and construction electrician, first discusses the removal of Part X of article 250 into a new Article 270 Grounding and Bonding of Systems over 1000VAC, 1500VDC, Nominal.
The technical changes to the article are examined one-by-one. Several are formatting changes that help to better explain the requirement. Section 250.4 General Requirements, (typically explained as performance requirements), is an example of a revision of text into a list format to increase readability. Several technical changes are explained. The location of the impedance grounding connection to the neutral point on systems 480Vto 1000V is better defined. A new provision for splicing the grounding electrode conductor may benefit installers in some applications. The location requirement of the Intersystem Bonding Termination is given.
Code users benefit from this EC&M Tech Talk by learning the organizational structure of the 2026 NEC grounding and bonding requirements and examining the technical content changes for grounding and bonding of electrical installation not over 1,000VAC, 1,500VDCnominal.
About the Author
Randy Barnett
CESCP
Randy Barnett, electrical code and safety specialist, is a master electrician, ICC commercial electrical inspector, NFPA-certified electrical safety compliance professional and has worked as an electrician and technician in nuclear and coal-fired power plants, and in industrial maintenance and construction for 40 years. He is the author of Commercial and Industrial Wiring – American Technical Publishers, numerous articles, and is seen monthly on the EC&M Tech Talk video series for EC&M magazine. Randy conducts both online and in-person classes for NTT Training where he served as program manager for over 20 years. Randy’s resources can be found at www.randybarnett.net. His email is [email protected].