Does the NEC Require a Torque Wrench for Terminations?
Yes, in effect. Section 110.14(D) of the 2023 NEC requires that tightening torque values for terminal connections be as indicated on the equipment or in the manufacturer's installation instructions, and that an approved means be used to achieve that value. The code does not name a brand or a specific tool, but a calibrated torque wrench, torque screwdriver, or torque adapter is the only practical way to prove you hit the number.
What 110.14(D) actually requires
The rule has two halves and people usually only remember the first one. Half one: the torque value comes from the equipment label or the installation instructions, not from feel and not from a chart you found online. Half two: you have to use an approved means to reach it. Tightening by hand until it feels right is not an approved means, because there is no way for you or the inspector to verify what was applied.
This ties directly back to 110.3(B), which makes listed and labeled equipment installation instructions enforceable. When a 200 ampere main breaker is stamped 275 inch pounds, that number is code, not a suggestion. It also connects to 110.12, the neat and workmanlike rule, and to 110.14(A) and (B) generally, which govern how conductors are terminated and spliced.
The supervisor question: can you write up a loose connection?
A field supervisor who finds a loose lug in a panel has a code citation available. The installation fails 110.14(D) if there is no evidence an approved torque means was used, and it fails 110.3(B) if the marked value was not achieved. Loose terminations are the single most common cause of overheated lugs, discolored insulation, and panel fires, which is exactly why the torque language was strengthened in recent code cycles.
Practical enforcement usually looks like this. The installer torques every termination with a calibrated tool, then marks each lug with a torque seal stripe or a paint pen. The stripe is not required by the NEC, but it gives the inspector and the next electrician a visual record that the connection was set and has not backed off. Many commercial specifications now require it even though the code does not.
Where the torque value comes from when nothing is marked
Occasionally you land on a device with no marked torque and no instructions in the box. In that case, get the instructions from the manufacturer, since that is what 110.14(D) points to. The NEC also carries torque tables in Informational Annex I, drawn from UL 486A-486B, but Annex I is informational only and is not an enforceable part of the code. Use it as a fallback reference, not as a substitute for the manufacturer's number.
Two field notes worth remembering. First, re-torquing an aluminum termination after it has been in service is not the same as torquing a new one, and many manufacturers specifically warn against repeated re-torquing of a lug that has already been set. Second, calibrated tools drift. A torque screwdriver that has been in a truck for three years and has been used as a pry bar is not producing a value anyone should trust, and most manufacturers recommend annual verification.
If your AHJ is asking for documentation on a commercial job, the usual deliverable is a torque log listing each termination, the marked value, the tool used, and the tool's last calibration date. That satisfies both the code language and the inspector who wants to see that someone actually did the work.