Added garage receptacle
What's wrong here?
- The NM run is exposed at bumper height with no conduit protecting it
- NM cable is not a permitted wiring method anywhere in an attached garage
- Receptacles in a garage must be mounted at least 48 in above the floor
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
The new NM cable runs exposed across the face of the garage wall at bumper and shovel height with no protection from physical damage.
Correct choice: 1. The NM run is exposed at bumper height with no conduit protecting it
Exposed NM must closely follow the building surface (334.15(A)), and where it is subject to physical damage it must be protected by RMC, IMC, EMT, Schedule 80 PVC, RTRC marked -XW, or other approved means (334.15(B); see also 300.4). A garage wall 18 in off the floor is where bumpers, car doors, mowers, and shovels hit, and the thin PVC jacket on NM offers no real mechanical protection. A crushed or cut cable here can short or leave a live conductor exposed. Whether a run is 'subject to physical damage' is the inspector's call, but exposed NM low on a garage wall is one of the most commonly cited cases.
How to fix it
Fish the cable inside the wall cavity to a flush box, or sleeve the exposed run in EMT or Schedule 80 PVC with a bushing or adapter at each end where the cable enters and leaves (334.15(B)), or rewire the extension in EMT with individual conductors.
Code references
NEC 2023 334.15(B) — Protection from Physical Damage
Cable shall be protected from physical damage where necessary by RMC, IMC, EMT, Schedule 80 PVC conduit, Type RTRC marked with the suffix -XW, or other approved means. Conduit or tubing used for this protection shall have a bushing or adapter that protects the cable from abrasion where it enters and exits.
Drills citing 334.15(B)NEC 2023 334.15(A) — Exposed Work: To Follow Surface
In exposed work, cable shall closely follow the surface of the building finish or of running boards.
Drills citing 334.15(A)NEC 2023 300.4 — Protection Against Physical Damage
Where subject to physical damage, conductors, raceways, and cables shall be protected.
Drills citing 300.4
2026 NEC:same rule and number. No 2026 change to 334.15(B) turned up, and Oregon's 2026 amendment table still cites 334.15(B) by that number. Its 8 ft horizontal-protection rule is an Oregon amendment, not NEC text. The 300.4 cross-reference is now 300.6 in the 2026 NEC. Confidence: medium
Minnesota
Minnesota adopts the NEC by reference without amendment (Minn. Rules 1315.0200; Minn. 326B.35), so 334.15(B) applies as published. The 2023 NEC governs permits filed July 1, 2023 through Aug. 16, 2026; the 2026 NEC governs permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026 (exams moved to the 2026 NEC on Sept. 8, 2026). See the 2026 NEC note on this drill. Whether a given exposed run is 'subject to physical damage' is the inspector's call.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- NM cable is not a permitted wiring method anywhere in an attached garage. NM is permitted in one- and two-family dwellings and their attached garages (334.10(1)); the problem is protection, not the location.
- Receptacles in a garage must be mounted at least 48 in above the floor. The NEC sets no minimum mounting height for garage receptacles; 210.52(G)(1) only requires the receptacle in each vehicle bay to be not more than 5-1/2 ft above the floor.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. Exposed NM a few inches from where a car bumper, shovel, and mower land is exactly the physical-damage exposure 334.15(B) addresses.