10A NCAC 14J .1219       ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

(a)  Each jail shall have an electrical system that provides artificial lighting of not less than:

(1)           30 footcandles of light at floor level in confinement units and dayrooms that can be reduced during sleeping hours; and

(2)           20 footcandles of light at floor level in corridors.

(b)  In inmate accessible areas, lighting fixtures shall be security-type and tamper-resistant as rated by the manufacturer.

(c)  In inmate accessible areas, a fire alarm system notification appliance shall be rated as tamper-resistant by the manufacturer or enclosed in a metal guard. For the purposes of this Rule, "notification appliance" means a component of the fire alarm system as defined by the National Fire Protection Association, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, NFPA 72.

(d)  A jail shall provide an electrical connection and an antenna or cable connection for a television in its dayroom areas.

(e)  The main electrical distribution panel and electrical subpanels shall not be located in areas accessible by inmates and shall be accessible to officers during an emergency.

(f)  A jail shall provide emergency power to areas, equipment, and systems as required by the North Carolina State Building Codes. A jail may provide additional emergency power to maintain jail operations and functions needed during a power outage. If the following functions are not provided with emergency power, the disaster plan required by Rule .0403 of this Subchapter shall indicate how these functions will be maintained during a power outage:

(1)           operating equipment and systems located in the control center;

(2)           heating, ventilation, and air conditioning of the jail;

(3)           heating of hot water for inmate lavatories and showers; and

(4)           preparing and cooking of inmate meals, if meals are prepared in the jail.

(g)  If the fire alarm control panel is not located in the control center, a jail may install a remote annunciator panel in the control center to provide officers with fire alarm status information from the fire alarm control panel. For the purposes of this Rule, the terms "fire alarm control panel" and "remote annunciator panel" mean a component of the fire alarm system as defined by the National Fire Protection Association, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, NFPA 72.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 153A‑221;

Eff. June 1, 1990;

Readopted Eff. September 4, 2020.