NEC 90.22: rough-in checklist

Rough-in is where the job gets made or buried. Get it wrong and you are pulling sheetrock or eating change orders. NEC 90.22 frames the planning principle: install with future load and code compliance baked in, not bolted on. This is your field checklist.

Plan the Rough Before You Drill

NEC 90.8 (Wiring Planning) is the parent thinking here. Size raceways and boxes for the load you have plus the load that's coming. Spare capacity is cheaper now than a re-pull later.

Walk the print with the GC before you bore a single stud. Confirm ceiling heights, soffit depths, tile layout, and cabinet elevations. A receptacle centered on a backsplash that lands behind a wall oven is your problem, not the architect's.

Mark every box height with a story pole, not a tape. One pole, one pass, no math at 5 PM when you're tired and the inspector shows up tomorrow.

Box Fill, Mounting, and Setback

Box fill is the most common rough-in violation. Count every conductor per NEC 314.16(B): each current-carrying conductor, one for all grounds combined, one for all internal clamps, two per device (yoke). Add it up before you nail the box, not after the inspector counts.

Setback matters too. NEC 314.20 requires box fronts flush with combustible surfaces and no more than 1/4 inch back from non-combustible. Use box extenders on tile and stone, not shims and prayer.

• Standard 18 cu in single gang: tight for a 14/3 with a dimmer. Upsize to 22.5 cu in by default.
• Old work boxes: never on rough-in. Code compliant but a callback magnet.
• Nail-on boxes: check plumb after the framers come back through.
• Fan boxes: rated and labeled per NEC 314.27(C), even if "they might add a fan later."

Cable Support and Stud Protection

NEC 334.30 wants NM cable supported within 12 inches of every box and at intervals not exceeding 4.5 feet. Staples flat, no over-driving, no choking the jacket. A crushed cable is a failed inspection.

Bored holes need 1.25 inches from the nearest edge per NEC 300.4(A)(1), or a 1/16 inch steel plate. Notches always get a plate. Plumbers and HVAC will run after you, so plate anything close even if it technically clears.

Drill the center of the stud, every stud, every time. Consistent holes pull faster, look cleaner, and keep you out of NEC 300.4 trouble when the framer comes back to add blocking.

Receptacle and Lighting Layout

Dwelling unit spacing is NEC 210.52(A): no point along the wall line more than 6 feet from a receptacle, walls 2 feet or wider count, hallways 10 feet or longer get one. Kitchens follow 210.52(C) with small appliance circuits and counter spacing of 4 feet maximum between receptacles.

Lighting outlets per NEC 210.70: every habitable room, hallway, stairway, and attached garage gets a wall switched lighting outlet. Stairs of 6 risers or more need switching at both ends. Closets follow 410.16 clearances; LED disc lights changed the game but the clearances still apply.

1. Mark all device boxes at 16 inches to center (or per spec) before pulling cable.
2. Verify counter receptacle spacing against the cabinet shop drawings, not the architectural plan.
3. Set switch boxes on the strike side of doors, 44 inches to center unless ADA requires otherwise.
4. Confirm 3-way and 4-way travelers have enough conductors plus a neutral per NEC 404.2(C).

GFCI, AFCI, and Bonding at Rough

You don't install the device at rough, but you wire for it. NEC 210.8 dictates GFCI locations: bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, basements, laundry, within 6 feet of sinks. NEC 210.12 requires AFCI on most dwelling 120V 15A and 20A circuits. Plan home runs so a single GFCI or AFCI breaker can protect the run, or pull the extra conductor for dead-front protection downstream.

Bonding gets buried in walls and forgotten. NEC 250.148 requires equipment grounding conductors spliced in metal boxes and bonded to the box. Pigtail every ground at rough. Fishing a missed ground later through a finished wall is a bad day.

Pre-Cover Walkthrough

Before insulation and rock, do a deliberate walk with the print and a flashlight. This is the last cheap chance to fix anything.

• Every box: secure, plumb, correct depth, fill counted.
• Every cable: stapled within 12 inches of boxes, supported every 4.5 feet, no crushed jackets.
• Every bored hole: 1.25 inch setback or plated.
• Every home run: labeled at the panel with circuit and room.
• Smoke and CO locations per NEC 760 and local AHJ, interconnected with constant power.
• Bath fans, range hoods, and dedicated appliance circuits stubbed and labeled.
• Low voltage separation from line voltage per NEC 800.133 where required.

Take photos of every wall before rock. Time-stamped, room-labeled, stored off your phone. When the tile guy hits a cable with a wet saw in three weeks, those photos are your defense and your map.