518.1 Scope. Except for the assembly occupancies explicitly covered by 520.1, this article covers all buildings or portions of buildings or structures designed or intended for the gathering together of 100 or more persons for such purposes as deliberation, worship, entertainment, eating, drinking, amusement, awaiting transportation, or similar purposes.
518.2 General Classification.
(A) Examples. Assembly occupancies shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
comply with Article 520.
FPN: For methods of determining population capacity, see local building code or, in its absence, NFPA /0/-
2OO6, Life Safety Code.
518.3 Other Articles.
(A) Hazardous (Classified) Areas. Electrical installations in hazardous (classified) areas located in assembly occupancies shall comply with Article 500.
(B) Temporary Wiring. In exhibition halls used for dis- play booths, as in trade shows, the temporary wiring shall be permitted to be installed in accordance with Article 590. Flexible cables and cords approved for hard or extra-hard usage shall be permitted to be laid on floors where protected from contact by the general public. The ground-fault circuit-interrupter requirements of 590.6 shall not apply.
Exception: Where conditions of supervision and mainte- nance ensure that only qualified persons will service the
Armories Assembly halls Auditoriums Bowling lanes Club rooms Conference rooms Courtrooms Dance halls Dining and drinking facilities
Exhibition halls
Gymnasiums Mortuary chapels Multipurpose rooms Museums
Places of awaiting transportation
Places of religious worship
Pool rooms Restaurants Skating rinks
installation, flexible cords or cables identified in Table
400.4 for hard usage or extra-hard usage shall be permitted in cable trays used only for temporary wiring. All cords or cables shall be installed in a single layer. A permanent sign shall be attached to the cable tray at intervals not to exceed 7.5 m (25 ft). The sign shall read
CABLE TRAY FOR TEMPORARY WIRING ONLY
(C) Emergency Systems. Control of emergency systems shall comply with Article 700.
518.4 Wiring Methods.
(A) General. The fixed wiring methods shall be metal raceways, flexible metal raceways, nonmetallic raceways encased in not less than 50 mm (2 in.) of
(B) Multiple Occupancies. Where an assembly occupancy forms a portion of a building containing other occupancies, Article 518 applies only to that portion of the building considered an assembly occupancy. Occupancy of any room or space for assembly purposes by less than 100 persons in a building of other occupancy, and incidental to such other occupancy, shall be classified as part of the other occupancy and subject to the provisions applicable thereto.
(C) Theatrical Areas. Where any such building structure, or portion thereof, contains a projection booth or stage platform or area for the presentation of theatrical or musical productions, either fixed or portable, the wiring for that area, including associated audience seating areas, and all equipment that is used in the referenced area, and portable equipment and wiring for use in the production that will not be connected to permanently installed wiring, shall
concrete, Type MI, MC, or AC cable. The wiring method shall itself qualify as an equipment grounding conductor according to 250.118 or shall contain an insulated equipment grounding conductor sized in accordance