Why the number depends on the state
The 2026 NEC moves Article 220 into a new Chapter 1 as Article 120, and the section for existing loads becomes 120.87. The method did not change. The number did, which makes the citation depend on which edition the jurisdiction has adopted, and adoption is state by state.
The 2025 California Electrical Code, Title 24 Part 3, is based on the 2023 NEC and took effect on 1 January 2026. The state adopts the NEC through its own code, with amendments, on its own three-year cycle, so the edition in force in California is the one the state cycle names and not the newest one the NFPA has published.
What to write on a California submittal
Cite 220.87. Never write both numbers. A submittal that reads "220.87/120.87" tells the reviewer that the author does not know which edition applies, which is exactly what it means, and it invites a correction notice on a document that was otherwise ready.
The arithmetic under the 2023 edition is the existing measured demand at 125%, plus the new load calculated under its own article, against the rating of the service or the ampacity of the feeder. The 2026 edition's credit for removed load does not apply in California today, and neither does its removal of the continuous-load multiplier from the load calculation. Compute the 2023 way.
When that changes
When California adopts the 2026 NEC through a later edition of the California Electrical Code. The edition that applies to a job vests with the permit application date under the cycle then in force, so a project permitted under the 2025 CEC stays on 2023 numbering for its life. Check the adopted edition before every submittal rather than assuming the last one.
Questions people ask
Which edition of the NEC is California on?
The 2025 California Electrical Code, Title 24 Part 3, is based on the 2023 NEC and took effect on 1 January 2026.
Is 120.87 a different method from 220.87?
No. It is the same method for establishing an existing load from measured demand. The 2026 NEC renumbered it when Article 220 became Article 120. Which number a submittal cites is set by the edition the jurisdiction adopted.
Can I cite both numbers to be safe?
No. Writing both reads as not knowing which edition applies, and a wrong article number on a submittal is a correction notice. In California, cite 220.87.