Amend NEC^® 2017, page 268:

410.16 Luminaires in Clothes Closets.

(C) Location. The minimum clearance between luminaires installed in clothes closets and the nearest point of a closet storage space shall be as follows:

(1) 300 mm (12 in.) for surface-mounted incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source installed on the wall above the door or on the ceiling.

(2) 150 mm (6 in.) for surface-mounted fluorescent luminaires installed on the wall above the door or on the ceiling.

(3) 150 mm (6 in.) for recessed incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source installed in the wall or the ceiling.

(4) 150 mm (6 in.) for recessed fluorescent luminaires installed in the wall or the ceiling.

(5) Surface-mounted fluorescent or LED luminaires shall be permitted to be installed within the closet storage space where identified for this use.

(6) LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source or fluorescent luminaires shall be permitted to be installed within the area defined in 410.2 Exception.

The delayed effective date of this Rule is January 1, 2020.

ELR commentary: In North Carolina, the space above the door inside a clothes closet has always been an issue when it comes to defining it as “closet storage space”. With the North Carolina exception to 410.2, it’s clear that if no shelf is present directly over the closet door, then this zone is not considered “closet storage space”. There are still rules in 410.16 which indicate how close specific types of luminaires can be installed to the defined closet storage space. In North Carolina, line item 6 above has been added to make it clear that certain types of luminaires are permitted in that area directly above the door as in the image.