Closed signs appeared at North Carolina RV parks and campgrounds when electricity was unreachable. According to the Outdoor Hospitality Industry (OHI), campgrounds were complying with the National Electric Code 70 Article 551.71 (F) Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) Protection interpretation as applied to RV pedestals.
The state electric code interpretation required RV parks and campgrounds to modify 30-amp and 50-amp pedestal receptacles by adding a Class A GFCI device for new or upgraded electric pedestals.
According to OHI, when parks and campgrounds implemented necessary changes, breakers tripped almost immediately due to RV appliances.
The OHI joined forces with the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (CARVC) to solve the problem.
On March 19, association advocates attended the North Carolina Building Code Council Public Hearing in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to OHI, the hearing resulted in a unanimous council vote to move the proposed standard to a public hearing for adoption. The hearing will take place in June. The public hearing will provide an opportunity for the associations to lobby for a code change. If the associations achieve a code change, it will take effect in January 2025.
OHI Senior Director of State Relations and Program Advocacy Jeff Sims said, “We are ecstatic about this outcome. It is a big advocacy win for the Carolinas and for the industry as a whole.”
OHI President and CEO Paul Bambei said the associations united for the common good.
“OHI and CARVC experts saw the potential of this GFCI issue spreading quickly throughout the rest of the country had it not been contested in Raleigh by our mutual testimony,” Bambei said. “And as a result, the campground industry was spared considerable cost and disruption.”
