Temporary power at a new-house site

The answer

Nothing is wrong: the temporary receptacles are GFCI protected under in-use covers, the cord is an outdoor-rated hard-usage type, and it is supported off the ground.

Correct choice: 1. Nothing. This installation is compliant

The pole's receptacles are GFCI types, which 590.6(A)(1) requires for 125-volt, single-phase, 15-, 20- and 30-ampere receptacles that are not part of the permanent wiring and are in use by personnel. They are in a wet location, so 406.9(B)(1) requires them to stay weatherproof with a plug inserted, and an in-use hood must be listed extra-duty; leaving the saw plugged in with the cover shut is the intended use. SJTW is a hard-usage, outdoor-rated cord, acceptable even for temporary branch circuits under 590.4(C), and hanging it on hooks keeps it out of the mud and away from traffic. The grounding electrode conductor goes to two rods 6 ft apart (250.53(A)(2) and (A)(3)), and temporary power is permitted for the duration of construction (590.3(A)).

How to fix it

Code references

• NEC 2023 590.6(A)(1) — Receptacle Outlets Not Part of Permanent Wiring

  125-volt, single-phase, 15-, 20-, and 30-ampere receptacle outlets that are not part of the permanent wiring of the building or structure and that are in use by personnel shall have GFCI protection for personnel.

  Drills citing 590.6(A)(1)

• NEC 2023 406.9(B)(1) — Receptacles of 15 and 20 Amperes in a Wet Location

  15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt receptacles in a wet location shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not the attachment plug cap is inserted; an outlet box hood used for this purpose shall be listed and identified as extra-duty.

  Drills citing 406.9(B)(1)

• NEC 2023 590.4(C) — Branch Circuits

  Temporary branch circuits may be run in cable assemblies or in multiconductor cords or cables identified in Table 400.4 for hard usage or extra-hard usage.

  Drills citing 590.4(C)

• NEC 2023 590.3(A) — During the Period of Construction

  Temporary electric power and lighting installations shall be permitted during the period of construction, remodeling, maintenance, repair, or demolition of buildings, structures, equipment, or similar activities.

  Drills citing 590.3(A)

2026 NEC:same rule and number. 590.6(A)(1) keeps its number and still requires GFCI protection for 125-volt, single-phase 15-, 20- and 30-ampere temporary receptacles in use by personnel. 2026 added wording that clearly permits listed portable GFCI cord sets or devices, and added to 590.4 SE cable as a temporary wiring method and a requirement to keep temporary branch circuits and feeders off the ground. None of this changes the drill's answer; the cord hung on hooks matches the new keep-it-off-the-ground rule. Confidence: medium

Minnesota

Why the other choices are wrong

• Cords may not stay plugged in outdoors in wet weather; the cover must be closed with nothing plugged in. 406.9(B)(1) requires 15- and 20-ampere wet-location receptacles to be weatherproof whether or not a plug is inserted, with any outlet box hood listed as extra-duty, precisely so a cord can stay plugged in with the cover closed, as shown.
• Temporary power must be removed within 90 days of installation. The 90-day limit in 590.3(B) applies to holiday decorative lighting. Construction temporary power is permitted for the duration of construction (590.3(A)) and must come out when the job is done (590.3(D)).
• Only extra-hard-usage cord such as Type SO is allowed on a construction site; SJTW is not permitted. No NEC rule limits jobsite cord sets to extra-hard usage. SJTW is a hard-usage cord in Table 400.4, the W marks it for outdoor use, and 590.4(C) accepts hard-usage cord even for temporary branch circuits.