Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

One addition, no schedule

Colorado NEC Amendments: What the Rule Actually Says

Some states publish a long list of deletions and additions to the code they adopt. On the rule text we could read, Colorado does not. It incorporates the code by reference, adds one requirement about electric vehicle infrastructure, and sets a high bar for departing from the code at all.

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The power to amend, and its price

C.R.S. 12-115-107(2)(a) says the Board shall be governed when appropriate by the standards in the most current edition of the national electrical code, or by any modifications to the standards made by the board after a hearing is held.

Then it sets the price of a modification: the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all appointed members of the board is required to set any standards that are different from those set forth in the national electrical code.

The Board has nine members under C.R.S. 12-115-104, appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate, serving three year terms with a limit of two full terms each. So a code departure needs six of nine and a hearing, which is a real obstacle rather than a formality.

What the readable rule text contains

Rule 1.5 of 3 CCR 710-1 is the incorporation by reference rule. The version we could read incorporates the National Electrical Code by reference and as may be amended by the Board.

It adds one Colorado specific requirement rather than a list of code amendments. Under C.R.S. 12-115-107(3), permit applicants for electric vehicle power transfer infrastructure in multifamily buildings must comply with the Colorado Energy Office's EV power transfer infrastructure requirements in the Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, effective March 1, 2024 or later.

No article by article list of Colorado deletions, additions or exceptions to the code appears in any published version of Rule 1.5 we read. On that text, Colorado incorporates the code and adds the EV requirement alongside it.

The text we could not read

This is the honest limit of the page, and it is a real one.

The adopted rule, the redline and the proposed rule attachment for tracking number 2026-00171 are published only as Word files on the Secretary of State's server. None of them would convert to readable text, and a direct download was blocked by the outbound proxy on 5 September and again on 7 September 2026.

So the literal adopted sentence of the new Rule 1.5 is unresolved. Whether it keeps the same structure, keeps the EV requirement, or adds anything else, we do not know.

What is confirmed is the filing metadata, the effective date of July 15, 2026 and the purpose statement. Nobody should write that Colorado adopts the 2026 code without amendment until that file has been read by a person, and that includes us.

The Board's own EV rulemaking, separately

The Board held a policy hearing on electric vehicle power infrastructure on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 9:30 A.M., with a written comment deadline of March 20, 2026.

Its notice stated that the Board will not accept public testimony at the March 25, 2026, meeting, which is a written comment process rather than an open hearing.

We have no record of what came out of it. If EV infrastructure work is your trade, that is a Board agenda to follow rather than a settled rule to read.

What this means for the exam

There is no published Colorado amendment schedule to study, and no state laws and rules examination for incoming licensees on any page we read.

The Colorado specific material that does exist is licensing law rather than code text: the license grades and their scopes, the supervision ratio, the apprentice registration duties, the renewal cycle and the continuing education competencies. Those live in Article 115 and 3 CCR 710-1, and they are worth reading in their own right.

For the code itself, study the 2026 edition as published. The exam content page covers what we can and cannot say about what the paper asks.

What this means for the work

Where the state inspects, the standard is the adopted code. C.R.S. 12-115-120(3)(a) says that if the work meets the minimum standards set forth in the national electrical code referred to in section 12-115-107(2)(a), the inspector shall issue a certificate of approval.

Where a city or county runs its own program under C.R.S. 12-115-120(1)(a)(I) or (2)(a), its own code and amendments may apply on top. Denver is the clearest example, and it is also the one whose pages we could not read.

So the practical answer for an installer is to ask the authority that will inspect the job, and to treat any list of Colorado amendments you find on a third party site as unverified until you have seen it in a state document.

How to read the rule yourself

Start at the Secretary of State's rule version list for 3 CCR 710-1, which shows every version with its effective date and tracking number. The current one is the permanent rule effective 07/15/2026.

Then read the eDocket page for tracking 2026-00171 for the filing detail, the hearing date and the Colorado Register publication.

Published copies at Cornell and Justia are useful for older text but sit well behind the filing. Justia prints a currency date, Cornell prints an amendment history and no currency date, so check what a page is actually current to before you rely on any sentence in it. The timeline page lists what each publisher currently prints.

Questions people ask

Does Colorado amend the National Electrical Code?

No article by article amendment schedule appears in any published version of Rule 1.5 we read. The rule incorporates the code by reference and adds an electric vehicle power transfer requirement for multifamily buildings.

Can the Board change the code?

Yes, after a hearing and with the affirmative vote of two-thirds of all appointed members. The Board has nine members, so that is six votes.

Did Colorado adopt the 2026 code without amendment?

Unconfirmed, and we will not say it. The adopted rule text is a Word file that would not convert and could not be downloaded, so the literal wording of the new Rule 1.5 has not been read.

What is the EV requirement in the rule?

Under C.R.S. 12-115-107(3), permit applicants for electric vehicle power transfer infrastructure in multifamily buildings must comply with the Colorado Energy Office's requirements in the Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code, effective March 1, 2024 or later.

Is there a Colorado laws and rules exam?

None appears on any page we read, for new applicants or for incoming licensees. The four PSI papers are the examinations the Board runs.

Do cities add their own amendments?

They can. C.R.S. 12-115-120 allows a town, city, county, city and county, or qualified state institution of higher education to run its own code and inspection program meeting the minimum standards of article 115. Ask the authority that will inspect your job.

What this page cites

• C.R.S. 12-115-107, board powers and duties The most current edition standard, the two-thirds vote for departures and the EV power transfer subsection. source
• 3 CCR 710-1.5, incorporation by reference The readable rule text incorporating the code by reference and adding the EV power transfer infrastructure requirement. Text current through Register Vol. 48, No. 11, June 10, 2025. source
• Secretary of State eDocket 2026-00171 The 2026 adoption filing, including the Word files for the adopted rule and redline that would not convert. Read 7 September 2026. source
• State Electrical Board homepage Carries the March 25, 2026 EV power infrastructure policy hearing notice and the written comment deadline. Read 7 September 2026. source
• C.R.S. 12-115-104, state electrical board The nine member composition, the three year terms and the two term limit behind the two-thirds vote. source