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Schertz Electrical Permits Switch to the 2026 Code on Sept. 1

Homeowners, builders and electrical contractors face a filing-date cutoff, plus a Texas-specific GFCI rule for listed outdoor HVAC equipment.

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Stylized cream, navy and muted-blue illustration of an open electrical disconnect box and conduit in front of a municipal building, with no people or text.
Illustration: An electrical disconnect and wiring outside a municipal building represent Schertz’s updated electrical code requirements.Original editorial illustration; not a photograph and does not depict the reported event or an exact property.Comal.News Visual Desk · Original illustration · Source ↗ · Comal.News original illustration ↗

Beginning Sept. 1, Schertz will require permit applications containing non-exempt electrical work to comply with the 2026 National Electrical Code when they are submitted on or after that date.

For homeowners, builders and electrical contractors, Sept. 1 is the practical planning deadline for deciding which code edition governs a covered Schertz permit application.

The statewide baseline also changes Sept. 1

Texas's 2023 NEC remains the statewide electrical code through Aug. 31, after which the adopted 2026 edition takes effect. The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation adopted the change July 28, and the rule was filed with the Secretary of State Aug. 12. Schertz's notice says the city follows the state and will use the same Sept. 1 effective date throughout its corporate limits, including the city's Comal County side.

The city's test turns on when the permit application is submitted, not when planning or design began. An application submitted on or after Sept. 1 that includes non-exempt electrical work must meet the 2026 NEC and be installed under it. The notice does not specify the city's exempt-work categories or explain how a later revision to an earlier application will be treated, so those details should not be inferred from the cutoff sentence alone.

Texas kept one specific HVAC exception

The adopted state rule contains one Texas modification to the 2026 NEC. Section 210.8(F) generally addresses GFCI protection for certain outdoor outlets. The national text included an exception for listed HVAC equipment that would have expired Sept. 1, 2026; Texas extended that exception without an expiration date. The state said unresolved compatibility problems could cause nuisance tripping and air-conditioning outages in hot weather.

That HVAC exception is narrower than the city's phrase non-exempt electrical work. It should not be read as a complete list of jobs outside the Schertz permit requirement. The Texas Register also says the state must adopt the most recent NEC and generally departs from it only when a safety or workability concern supports a change.

Schertz directs applicants with transition questions to its Inspections Division at Inspections@schertz.com or 210-619-1750. The most useful questions are whether a specific job is exempt, which edition applies to a pre-Sept. 1 application revised after the cutoff and what plan-sheet or inspection changes the city expects for projects already being designed.

From the source record

Effective-date notice2026 electrical code starts Sept. 1
Schertz says covered applications submitted on or after Sept. 1 must comply with the 2026 NEC.
City of Schertz ↗
The city's Aug. 20 notice states the local filing-date test for covered electrical work.

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