Swimming Pools, Spas, Hot Tubs and Hydromassage Tubs
Article 680
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2023 edition · Reviewed 2026-09-21
"Swimming Pools, Fountains, and Similar Installations" is its own named sub-topic in the Special Occupancies area, and Florida pool work is everywhere. Almost every 680 question is a distance, a depth, a wire size or a GFCI rule. Written from the 2023 text of Article 680 (the Florida edition; 2023 section numbers throughout).
1. General rules — Part I
- 680.6: all electrical equipment covered by the article shall be listed (680.4: the AHJ may require periodic inspection and testing after installation).
- 680.5 GFCI vs SPGFCI (in addition to 210.8): where the article requires ground-fault protection — branch circuits rated 150 V or less to ground and 60 A or less, single- or three-phase: a Class A GFCI; over 150 V to ground, not exceeding 480 V phase-to-phase: SPGFCI with a ground-fault trip not exceeding 20 mA (IN: the high leg of a 120/240-V 4-wire delta and the ungrounded phases of a corner-grounded delta exceed 150 V to ground). Receptacles and outlets that are part of listed equipment within the low-voltage contact limit, supplied per 680.23(A)(2), need no ground-fault protection.
- 680.7 grounding and bonding: feeders and branch circuits in corrosive environments or wet locations use an insulated copper EGC per Table 250.122, never smaller than 12 AWG; cord-and-plug equipment cords carry an insulated copper EGC ≥ 12 AWG to a fixed grounding contact; field-installed terminals in damp/wet/corrosive locations are copper, copper alloy or stainless steel and listed for direct burial.
- 680.8: fixed or stationary equipment (other than underwater luminaires) may be cord-and-plug connected for servicing with a cord not exceeding 3 ft.
- 680.9 overhead conductor clearances — Table 680.9(A): insulated cables ≤ 750 V on a grounded messenger — 22.5 ft above the water/edge/diving-platform base, 14.5 ft above an observation stand or diving platform; all other conductors 0–15 kV — 25 ft / 17 ft; the horizontal limit runs to the outer edge of those structures but not less than 10 ft from the inside wall of the pool; **communications and CATV cable
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