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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

One month, two code books

Wisconsin Electrical Code Change: The Field Went First

Wisconsin changed the code on site before it changed the code on the paper. For the month of September 2026 the work follows a newer book than the exam, and a candidate who does not notice can walk into the room with the wrong edition.

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On this page
  1. Two dates, four weeks apart
  2. The consequence, in one line
  3. If you have an exam booked this month
  4. If you are working this month
  5. If you are doing both at once
  6. Which book to buy right now
  7. Why the two dates are not the same
  8. What to watch after October 1
  9. Questions people ask
  10. What this page cites

Two dates, four weeks apart

September 1, 2026. SPS 316 moved to the 2023 National Electrical Code with Wisconsin amendments, under rule CR 26-016. That is the code an inspector is working to and the code a plan review is measured against.

October 1, 2026. The date attached to the exam change. DSPS says it "expects exam updates to be completed by October 1," and the trade press reports the change as starting on October 1.

Between those two dates, the code in the van and the code on the paper are different editions. That is not a mistake by anybody. It is what happens when a code adoption and an exam item bank move on separate schedules.

The consequence, in one line

Between September 1 and September 30, 2026, a Wisconsin electrician works to the 2023 National Electrical Code on site and sits an exam written to the 2017 National Electrical Code, carrying a 2017 code book into the room.

That is the whole thing. Everything below is what to do about it.

If you have an exam booked this month

Carry the edition the DSPS exam page for your credential names. On September 7, 2026 that was the 2017 National Electrical Codebook or Handbook, on all five electrician exam pages, and the standalone permitted materials PDF stamped June 2025 said the same.

Check that page again in the week of your appointment, because DSPS can change it without telling anybody. The book that is allowed is the book that page lists on the day.

Do not carry both editions hoping to cover yourself. Item 2 on the reference list is one code book or handbook, and the permitted materials PDF caps the whole stack at four items.

If you are working this month

The 2023 edition with Wisconsin amendments is the enforced document from September 1. Plans submitted for review to DSPS or its delegated agents from that date have to meet the new requirements.

Local pages will lag. Milwaukee's Electrical Inspection Section page still says the state has adopted the 2011 code, and a Mequon staff memo still says the effective date has not been set. Neither changes what the ordinance or the rule says.

If a job started under the old edition, the question of what applies is one for the authority having jurisdiction, and CR 26-016 created a defined term for exactly that. The change page covers it.

If you are doing both at once

This is the awkward case and it is a common one. You are wiring to the 2023 book on Tuesday and answering 2017 questions on Saturday.

Two habits get you through it. First, learn rules by subject rather than by section number, because the number is the part that moves. Second, when you look something up at work in the new book, note what the same rule was called in the old one.

The exam is the short term problem and the field is the long term one. If your test date is late September, study the 2017 book for the paper and read the change list once so nothing on site surprises you.

Which book to buy right now

If you have an exam before September 30 and no long term reason to hold a 2017 book, borrow one rather than buying one. It is an edition the state has already left behind for work.

If your exam is in October or later, buy the 2023 edition. It is the book the exam is expected to use and it is the edition Wisconsin enforces, so it earns its price twice.

Either way, print SPS 305 and SPS 316 yourself. They are public law, they are permitted in the room in your binder, and they cost nothing.

Why the two dates are not the same

An exam item bank has to be rewritten question by question and checked against the new edition. DSPS said on September 3 that it "has started updating its licensing exams to reflect the electrical code changes."

A code adoption, by contrast, takes effect on a date fixed by rulemaking. Even that date has two published formulas in DSPS documents, one saying the first day of the month following publication and one saying the first day of the third month.

So a gap between the field and the exam is a scheduling artifact rather than a policy. It still costs you money if you buy the wrong book.

What to watch after October 1

Watch the exam page for your credential and the permitted materials PDF. When item 2 stops saying 2017, the exam has moved on paper as well as in the press release.

Watch the codified chapter too. SPS 316.007 still lists the 2017 edition, and the chapter table of contents carries a February 2019 register date, so the published text has not caught up with the rule.

Our unfinished business page tracks both of those, and the corrections page logs every change we make here.

Questions people ask

When did Wisconsin switch to the 2023 NEC?

September 1, 2026 for the field, under rule CR 26-016 amending ch. SPS 316. The exam is a separate date, with DSPS expecting updates to be completed by October 1, 2026.

Which code book do I take to an exam in September 2026?

The 2017 edition, because that is what the DSPS exam pages and the permitted materials list name. Check the page for your credential in the week of your appointment.

Is the exam wrong if it still tests the 2017 code?

No. The exam and the field code move on separate schedules. The exam page tells you which edition your paper uses, and it is the document to rely on.

Which code applies to work started before September 1?

That is a question for the authority having jurisdiction, a term CR 26-016 defined in SPS 316.006. The rule report also gives the authority power to require an existing installation to be brought into compliance where a hazard exists.

Should I buy the 2017 book for an exam this month?

If you can borrow one instead, do. It is the edition Wisconsin has already left behind for work, and a 2023 book earns its price on site as well as on a later paper.

How will I know when the exam has changed?

The exam page for your credential and the permitted materials PDF will stop naming the 2017 edition. Until then, the press release is a statement of intent rather than a change to the reference list.

Put it to the test

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What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

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The Wisconsin examinations are open book, and the allowance is a generous one: the code book or handbook, one binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, and up to two bound reference books. The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 National Electrical Code, DSPS expects its exam updates to be completed by 1 October 2026, and the trade press reports the questions changing from that date. The field code, SPS 316, went to the 2023 edition on 1 September 2026, so for one month the book you work to and the book you test on are different.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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