Electrical Code study

Hey everyone! I was looking for code study material, for electrical at the moment, I see most often listed titles like the NFPA 70 NEC 2023, etc…but prices are so huge ranging from like $50-$400. I see my state website offers code amendments for free PDF download, but not the actual code that I can find at the moment. Any ideas on a free or cheap location to purchase study material? Thanks!!

Mike Holt quite a bit of free stuff on the Internet. His videos are top notch. Take a look here:

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Thanks Robert! I always enjoy his videos!

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I have many of Mike’s books and they’re really great too but as you’ve noted some of these materials are very expensive.

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UpCodes has free resources which are relatively simple to use…

I like to double check with NFPA which is more difficult to access…

The ICC also has electrical Code references, one example is IRC…

All three list different year versions. UpCodes and ICC have different location versions too.

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You can often find the code books as pdf through a Google search. A scanned copy may need character recognition software to make it searchable, but sometimes the downloaded copy is already searchable. Here’s the 2017 for example:

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Great thanks Bob!!

The NFPA provides free access to the NFPA standards and codes. All you need is a free login to the site nfpa.org.

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Another Mike Holt supporter here, great resources there and even when you get a grasp for a lot of this, article 250 Grounding and Bonding is a little confusing but to me, is part of an understanding of electrical principles for inspection, remote/sub panels and so last I checked there was a 2017 course and 2023 Mike Holt Grounding vs. Bonding - 2017 Understanding the NEC Requirements for Bonding and Grounding Textbook here’s a sample https://www.mikeholt.com/instructor2/img/product/pdf/17NCT2-1475-sample.pdf

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You can check these options for free or affordable electrical code study materials:

  1. NFPA’s Free Access – NFPA allows free online viewing of NEC 2023 (registration required).
  2. Local Libraries – Some public or university libraries have physical or digital copies.
  3. Community Colleges – Some offer cheaper textbooks or online resources.
  4. Used Books – Check eBay, AbeBooks, or Facebook Marketplace for older editions.
  5. State Websites – Your state may offer summarized versions or amendments for free.

Hope this helps! :+1:

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Yes thanks Zafar!!