NEC 90.15: after 2023

What NEC 90.15 Actually Covers

The 2023 NEC introduced Article 90.15 to centralize the rules around reconditioned equipment. Before 2023, reconditioning language was scattered across individual articles, with some silent on the topic entirely. If you worked a service upgrade or a commercial retrofit and a contractor tried to drop in a rebuilt breaker or switchboard, you had to hunt through multiple sections to figure out whether it was even legal.

90.15 fixes that. It defines reconditioned equipment as equipment that has been restored to operating condition by the original manufacturer, authorized representative, or a qualified organization. The key word is restored, not refurbished by whoever. Cosmetic cleanup and a repaint do not meet the definition.

The article works in tandem with Article 100, which now carries the formal definition of "Reconditioned," and with the specific equipment articles that either permit, prohibit, or require listing for reconditioning.

What You Can and Cannot Recondition

Several articles now call out reconditioning explicitly, and the list grew again in the 2023 cycle. Knowing these cold saves rework on inspection day.

• Molded case circuit breakers, NEC 240.67 and 240.88 context: shall not be reconditioned.
• GFCI devices, NEC 210.8: shall not be reconditioned.
• AFCI devices, NEC 210.12: shall not be reconditioned.
• Equipment used for arc energy reduction, NEC 240.87: shall not be reconditioned.
• Low voltage power circuit breakers (drawout style): permitted to be reconditioned.
• Medium voltage switchgear and transformers per NEC 450: permitted when reconditioned by the manufacturer or a qualified organization.
• Electrolytic capacitors in industrial control panels: shall not be reconditioned.

If a specific article is silent, 90.15 does not automatically authorize reconditioning. Check the article that governs the equipment. When in doubt, the AHJ makes the call under 90.4.

Marking and Documentation Requirements

Reconditioned equipment must be marked with the name of the organization that performed the work and the date of reconditioning. The original listing mark cannot stay on the equipment unless the listing was re-evaluated. This is where a lot of jobs get hung up, because used gear shows up on site with the factory nameplate still on it and nothing from the rebuilder.

Before you energize, verify three things on the label: who did the work, when they did it, and what standard they reconditioned it to. PEARL 100 is the common standard for low and medium voltage switchgear reconditioning and is referenced by many AHJs.

Field tip: snap a photo of the reconditioning nameplate before you set the gear. Half the time the sticker gets scratched off during installation, and the inspector will ask for it.

How This Affects Service Upgrades and Retrofits

On residential and light commercial work, the practical impact is narrow but sharp. You cannot drop in a "tested" pulled breaker from another panel and call it good, because molded case breakers cannot be reconditioned per the listed equipment rules. If the breaker left the factory, came out of a panel, and got resold, it is not reconditioned in the NEC sense and it is not new either. Most AHJs will reject it.

For industrial and large commercial, reconditioned switchgear is still very much on the table and often the only cost-viable option for legacy line-ups. Just make sure the purchase order and O&M documentation show the reconditioner, the date, and the standard. The plan reviewer will look for it.

1. Confirm the specific article permits reconditioning for that equipment type.
2. Verify the nameplate shows organization, date, and standard.
3. Confirm the original listing mark is removed or re-evaluated.
4. File the reconditioning certificate with your closeout documents.

Common Field Mistakes After 2023

The biggest miss is treating "used" and "reconditioned" as the same thing. They are not. A used breaker pulled from a demo job is not reconditioned. It has no current listing, no rebuild documentation, and no one standing behind it. Installing it in new work is a violation regardless of how good it looks.

The second miss is the GFCI and AFCI rule. Some supply houses still sell "tested" devices from pulls. Since 210.8 and 210.12 prohibit reconditioning, these cannot be legally reinstalled in new or modified circuits. Use new, listed devices only.

Field tip: if a customer hands you their own breakers or devices to save money, document the refusal in writing. Cheap parts are not worth a failed inspection or a liability claim.

Quick Reference for the Truck

Keep 90.15 paired with Article 100 definitions in your code book, because the two work together every time the question comes up. When you hit gear you are unsure about, the decision tree is short: is reconditioning permitted by the specific article, is the gear properly marked, and does the AHJ accept the reconditioning standard used.

If any of the three answers is no, the equipment does not go in. That is the whole article in practice.

• NEC 90.15: scope and general rules.
• Article 100: formal definition of Reconditioned.
• Specific equipment article: permits, prohibits, or requires special conditions.
• NEC 110.21(A)(2): marking requirements for reconditioned equipment.