Code Change Summary: A new code section was added establishing requirements for installing reconditioned equipment in Class I hazardous (classified) locations.

SME commentary: In the 2026 NEC^®, new Section 501.3 provides clear requirements for installing reconditioned equipment in Class I hazardous locations. This new section represents the outcome of a multi-cycle effort to properly locate and formalize reconditioning rules that had previously appeared in other parts of the Code, including Article 430. The addition aligns hazardous (classified) location requirements with existing NEC^® provisions addressing how equipment is treated when reconditioned.

The changes in 501.3 originated when an informal CMP 14 task group reviewed the 2023 NEC^® language in Section 430.2, which included verbiage on the listing of reconditioned motors in hazardous locations. That language created confusion because motors used in hazardous locations fall under the scope of Chapter 5 rather than Article 430. The task group concluded that the reconditioning requirements must be located in Chapter 5, which governs classified locations, to ensure consistent application within Articles 501, 502, and 503.

The intent of the new language in 501.3 is to ensure that equipment required to be listed or identified for use in hazardous locations must continue to meet those requirements after reconditioning occurs.

New 501.3(A) provides the following two rules depending on whether the equipment is required to be listed or simply identified:

• “Equipment that is required to be listed for use in hazardous (classified) locations, after reconditioning, shall be listed as reconditioned”.
• “Equipment that is required to be identified for use in hazardous (classified) locations, after reconditioning, shall be identified as reconditioned”.

The distinction between listed and identified equipment reflects historical NEC^® terminology differences, where "listed" refers to products evaluated by a qualified testing laboratory, and "identified" refers to the equipment being clearly recognizable as suitable for the specific intended purpose, function, use, environment, application, and so forth.

Historically, the NEC^® language in 501.125 has allowed motors to be “identified” for the location rather than explicitly requiring them to be listed. This contradicts with the 2023 NEC^® language in 430.2 (removed in 2026) stating that reconditioned motors identified for use in hazardous (classified) locations shall be “listed” as reconditioned if installed in hazardous (classified) locations. As such, the CMP14 task group proposed 2026 language stating reconditioned motors shall be identified (rather than listed) as reconditioned, which mirrors current requirements for motors in the relevant equipment sections. 

The new code language also covers equipment not originally required to be listed or identified. Under 501.3(A)(2), other equipment that is permitted for use in hazardous locations and not required to be listed or identified for use in hazardous (classified) locations remains permitted to be installed after reconditioning.

These new requirements to Article 501 provides a unified and enforceable framework for all reconditioned equipment installed in hazardous locations. The addition of Section 501.3 improves usability, supports consistent enforcement, and promotes safer reconditioning practices by ensuring that only properly evaluated equipment is reintroduced into hazardous (classified) locations. Similar changes occurred in 502.3 and 503.3.

Below is a preview of the NEC^®. See the actual NEC^® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on their link to free access to the 2026 NEC^® edition of NFPA 70.

2023 Code Language:

This code section did not exist

2026 Code Language:

N 501.3 Reconditioned Equipment.

(A) Permitted to be Installed. Any changes to the explosion protection features of reconditioned equipment shall be assessed as a part of the reconditioning process. The installation of the reconditioned equipment specified in 501.3(A)(1) and 501.3(A)(2) shall be permitted.

(1) Listed or Identified Equipment.

(a) Equipment that is required to be listed for use in hazardous (classified) locations, after reconditioning, shall be listed as reconditioned.

(b) Equipment that is required to be identified for use in hazardous (classified) locations, after reconditioning, shall be identified as reconditioned.

(2) Other Equipment. Equipment that is permitted for use in hazardous (classified) locations and is not required to be listed or identified for use in hazardous (classified) locations, after reconditioning, shall be permitted to be installed in hazardous (classified) locations. See 110.20.