Minnesota's 2026 electrical code now governs electrical permits filed on or after August 17, including revised bonding requirements where people move between a swimming pool and its surrounding surface. An October 5 state clarification makes the change particularly relevant to poolside deck plans. CHS Custom Decks & Design offers deck construction and deck lighting in the Apple Valley area, where a pool project also has its own city permit and electrical inspection steps.
The state code notice draws a clear line between electrical permits filed before August 17, which follow the 2023 National Electrical Code, and those filed on or after that date, which follow the 2026 edition. That date belongs to the electrical permit, not automatically to a separate deck building permit. A homeowner planning a pool and deck together could have both kinds of work in the same yard but separate approvals to arrange.
In its October clarification, the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry describes a change to section 680.26, the rule addressing equipotential bonding at a swimming pool. The perimeter-surface provision now reaches three feet below the maximum water level rather than two, and the requirements for conductive and nonconductive surfaces have been revised. The department says a single No. 8 AWG conductor will no longer suffice in most cases. Those details affect the electrical design around a pool; they are not a finding that any existing deck is unsafe.
The location of a deck edge, steps and nearby hardscape can change how the pool perimeter is laid out. Before that layout is set, the person responsible for the electrical plan needs to determine which surfaces fall within the bonding requirements and how the approved installation will be inspected. A deck board material or a lighting fixture cannot answer that site-specific question on its own. Coordination matters most before framing or finish work makes the relevant area difficult to reach.
The same new code also addresses a narrower lighting issue. Minutes from the Minnesota Board of Electricity's adoption review identify festoon lighting as newly subject to minimum clearances above a pool and its surrounding area. That is a distinction for anyone considering suspended decorative lights near water, not a declaration that all deck lights are prohibited. The actual fixture placement and applicable clearance must be determined from the adopted code and the pool's configuration, rather than from a general rule of thumb about outdoor lighting.
Apple Valley's pool instructions show how those design questions enter local review. For pools that require a permit, the city asks for a site plan with the pool and barrier locations, requires a separate electrical permit, and calls for electrical approval before the final pool inspection. Its barrier requirements address access and gates. A fence or gate and the electrical bonding system solve different problems, so one does not stand in for the other.
A deck has its own approval path. The city requires a building permit for a deck attached to a dwelling or garage, while certain low, unattached decks are exempt from that particular permit but still must meet building-code and setback rules. Its application asks for a survey and drawings that show the deck location, footings, framing, guards and stairs. The building review does not erase a separate electrical permit for work that needs one, and the pool review does not eliminate the deck review. The city's inspection sequence also matters when framing or electrical work could be concealed by later construction.
CHS Custom Decks & Design's published services include deck installation and lighting, and its website lists pool decks as a design style. Those offerings explain why the new pool-perimeter rules matter to its line of work, but they do not establish that the company performed electrical work on any specific pool. Minnesota requires an appropriately licensed electrical contractor for a business contracting to perform electrical work, while general contractors can contract with licensed subcontractors. The actual installer, permit holder and inspection responsibilities belong to the facts of each project.
For poolside construction planned under the new code, the practical sequence begins with the pool and deck layout, then a review of electrical bonding and any suspended lights before final placement is fixed. Property owners can use the state code notice and city permit materials to frame that discussion with the appropriate contractors and officials. The new rule is a change to the requirements for covered electrical work, not an announcement of a CHS project or a blanket order to rebuild existing decks.
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For more information about CHS Custom Decks & Design, contact the company here:
CHS Custom Decks & Design
Heather Saleen
+19522607514
heathersaleen@chscustomdecksanddesign.com
14607 Felton Ct #115, Apple Valley, MN 55124, United States
