One question, one answer
Checked against primary sources 2026-09-04
Which NEC Edition Is on the Michigan Electrician Exam: 2023
The 2023 edition, with the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8 beside it. That is what LARA's examination page says and what the rule in force adopts. A draft rule would move the state to the 2026 edition 120 days after filing, and as of 4 September 2026 it has not been filed.
The answer, and where it comes from
The examinations are based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, 1972 PA 230 and 2016 PA 407. That sentence is LARA's, on its electrical examination and licensing page.
PSI's reference list agrees with it in shape. It names the National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230 and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, without printing an edition year against the code book.
Underneath both sits the rule that actually adopts the code. R 408.30801 in the Part 8 rules adopts the 2023 National Electrical Code second printing, with technical interim amendments 70-23-1 through 70-23-13 and errata 70-23-1 through 70-23-6, and that rule set took effect on 12 March 2024.
What would change it, and where that stands
Draft rule set 2026-17 LR, dated 19 August 2026, would replace the 2023 adoption with the 2026 National Electrical Code second printing, carrying technical interim amendments 70-26-1 through 70-26-8. It would take effect 120 days after filing with the secretary of state.
The same draft moves NFPA 110 and NFPA 111 from their 2019 editions to their 2025 editions, and raises the price the rule prints for the code book from $153 to $169.
It is still open. LARA held a public rules advisory meeting on it on 27 August 2026 at the Ottawa Building in Lansing, and takes comments at its rules address. Nothing has been filed, so nothing has started the 120 day clock.
Two things follow. Buy the 2023 book. And check the bulletin again before you sit, because a filing plus 120 days is the only sequence that moves your paper.
The numbers that differ between the two books
If you are studying from anything written for the 2026 edition, a short list of addresses points at the wrong page in the book you are carrying. We read each of these in the 2026 text before listing it.
- Load calculations are Article 120 in the 2026 book (Article 220 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on). Article 220 is vacant in the 2026 book.
- The dwelling general lighting unit load for feeders and services is 120.41 in the 2026 book (220.41 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on). The branch circuit figure sits at 120.13 in the 2026 book, and the 2023 book keeps its load calculations in Article 220, so look that one up in your own copy and skip the translation.
- Energy management systems are Article 130 in the 2026 book (Article 750 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on).
- Overcurrent protection of transformers is 450.5 in the 2026 book (450.3 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on).
- Protection against physical damage is 300.6 in the 2026 book (300.4 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on).
- Wire bending space and deflection of conductors is 312.9 in the 2026 book (312.6 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on).
- The bar on re-bonding the neutral to ground downstream of the service is 250.24(B) in the 2026 book (250.24(A)(5) in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on).
- Branch circuits, feeders and services over 1000 volts are spread across Articles 265 through 268 with grounding and bonding at 270 in the 2026 book (Article 235 in the 2023 edition Michigan tests on).
That is the list we can show you the evidence for. Anything else you see described as renumbered, treat as unconfirmed until somebody names the page they read it on.
What did not move
Most of the book came through the edition change at the same address, which is worth saying because the renumbering gets described as though the whole book was rebuilt.
Ampacity is Article 310 in both. Overcurrent protection is Article 240 in both, and 240.6 keeps its number. Grounding and bonding is Article 250 in both. Motors are Article 430 in both. Boxes are Article 314 in both. Chapter 9 is still the tables.
One caution on box fill. Our renumbering record still marks the volume allowance table inside 314.16 as unresolved between the editions, so take the subsection letter from your own 2023 copy.
If your study material is written for the 2026 book
A great deal of current material is, because most of the country moved first. The method in it is not wrong. The addresses are.
Work through the list above once and mark the eight entries on a card. Then use the material, translating as you go. That is a cheaper fix than throwing out a course you have already paid for.
Our own practice items are written to the 2026 numbering, and wherever a section moved, the 2023 number is printed beside the 2026 one.
What to watch, and where
Three documents decide this and all three are free. LARA's electrical examination page, which names the codes the questions are based on. The PSI bulletin, which carries the reference list and an effective date. And the Part 8 rule set on the state's administrative rules site, which is the thing that actually adopts an edition.
The order they move in matters. The rule files, 120 days pass, and only then does the exam material have a reason to change. A draft on the open rules page is not a date.
If the bulletin and LARA's page ever disagree with each other, that is the moment to call PSI on 855-579-4635 before you buy anything.
Questions people ask
Which NEC edition is the Michigan electrician exam based on today, 2023 or 2026?
The 2023 edition. LARA's electrical examination page names the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, and the Part 8 rule that adopts the 2023 NEC second printing took effect on 12 March 2024.
When does Michigan move to the 2026 NEC?
No date is set. Draft rule set 2026-17 LR, dated 19 August 2026, would adopt the 2026 NEC second printing 120 days after it is filed with the secretary of state. As of 4 September 2026 it has not been filed, so the 120 day clock has not started.
Should you buy a 2023 or a 2026 code book for the Michigan exam?
The 2023. Your paper is written against the edition Michigan has adopted, and that is still the 2023 edition. A 2026 book would put you on different section numbers for load calculations, transformer overcurrent protection and several other lookups.
Which section numbers changed between the 2023 and 2026 NEC?
The ones we have confirmed are load calculations from Article 220 to Article 120, energy management from Article 750 to Article 130, transformer overcurrent from 450.3 to 450.5, physical damage from 300.4 to 300.6, wire bending space from 312.6 to 312.9, the downstream neutral bar from 250.24(A)(5) to 250.24(B), and Article 235 spreading into Articles 265 through 268 with 270.
Does the Michigan exam test the Part 8 rules as well as the NEC?
Yes. The reference list carries the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8 alongside the code book, and the content outlines name the electrical code rules explicitly. The Part 8 rules also amend the NEC in places, so the answer to a Michigan question is not always the plain code answer.
Will the Michigan exam change on the day the 2026 rule is filed?
The rule itself would take effect 120 days after filing. What PSI does with the examination reference list on that date is a separate decision that PSI publishes in the bulletin. Check the bulletin's effective date before you sit, since it may not match the rule's.
What did not move between the two NEC editions?
Most of the book. Ampacity is still Article 310, overcurrent is still Article 240 with 240.6 unchanged, grounding and bonding is still Article 250, motors are still Article 430, boxes are still Article 314, and Chapter 9 is still the tables.
30 free timed items, worked on every miss
Get one wrong and the review lays out the arithmetic, the section it rests on and the trap that caught you. You won't need an account.
The items are written on the 2026 code. Wherever a number moved, the 2023 number Michigan still tests is printed beside it.
What this page cites
- LARA exam and licensing page, Bureau of Construction Codes The state page naming the code each examination is based on and the experience each license calls for. Read 4 September 2026. source
- Part 8 Electrical Code rules, R 408.30801 to R 408.30880 Michigan's adopting rule, which puts the NEC into force in the state and writes in the state's own amendments. Read on the state administrative rules site, 4 September 2026. source
- Draft rule set 2026-17 LR, Part 8 Electrical Code The strike and bold draft dated 19 August 2026 that would move Michigan to the 2026 National Electrical Code. Not filed as of 4 September 2026. source
- LARA currently open administrative rules The Bureau of Construction Codes page carrying the open electrical rule set, its advisory meeting date and the address for comments. Read 4 September 2026. source
- 2023 to 2026 renumbering record The list we keep of articles and sections that carry a different number in the two editions. Each entry was checked in the 2026 text before it was added.
The book that counts on exam day is your own unmarked copy of the National Electrical Code. Michigan's papers stay open book on the 2023 edition until the PSI bulletin names a newer one.
Every practice item on this site was written here, and none of them came off a real Michigan paper.
Both NEC and National Electrical Code are trademarks registered to the National Fire Protection Association, the body that also holds the copyright in the code.
Trojan Digital Marketing publishes this site on its own. It has no affiliation with NFPA, LARA, the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes, PSI Services or any licensing authority, and none of them endorses or sponsors it.