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Sedgwick County amends building code to require emergency disconnects for large EV charging banks and eases some multifamily wiring rules
Summary
County commissioners adopted an addition to the Unified Building and Trade Code that requires emergency power disconnects for commercial EV charging banks and relaxes a long-standing multifamily wiring restriction to align with NEC baseline guidance; no retroactive requirement for existing chargers was applied.
The Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 5 approved an amendment to the Unified Building and Trade Code (UBTC) to add an emergency-disconnect requirement for commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging banks and to revise a long-standing amendment on multifamily wiring requirements.
Chris Labrum of the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) told commissioners the proposed language would require each bank of commercial EV chargers to have a power disconnect located no closer than 20 feet and no more than 100 feet from the bank, allowing emergency shutdown similar to fuel station shutoffs. "We do feel it is important for public and first responder safety and this is specific to commercial electric vehicle charging banks," Labrum said. He added the requirement would not apply retroactively to existing charging banks.
Labrum also proposed revising a UBTC amendment that for more than 30 years had required commercial wiring for multifamily buildings above three stories. He explained industry cost and supply changes prompted a move back toward the National Electrical Code (NEC) baseline guidance that allows nonmetallic-sheathed cable (Romex/NM) in residential units below the high-rise threshold. The revision preserves commercial wiring requirements for defined high-rise buildings and retains certain local color-coding protections.
Commissioner Bluebaugh asked whether the change would be retroactive: Labrum said it would not apply to existing charger installations. Commissioners opened the item for public comment but no members of the public spoke. The board then moved and seconded the resolution to adopt the addition and the amended section of the UBTC; the roll call showed unanimous approval (Bluebaugh, Wise, Howell, Meitzner and Chairman Ryan Beatty voted aye).
Staff told the board the NEC provisions referenced are NFPA 70 (2023 edition) and that the county's local amendments would be adjusted accordingly. The amendments are intended to improve first-responder safety at large charging installations while making multifamily construction more adaptable to current industry practices and supply availability.
The board's action directs staff to incorporate the new emergency-disconnect language and the multifamily wiring revision into the county's electrical code adoption package and to publish the updated UBTC language as adopted.
