Standards & Guidance

The proposed amendment adds a paragraph to NFPA 110: “Where used for permanent Level 1 applications, EPA-mandated inducement engine shutdowns due to emissions system controls that are required on Tier 4 certified engines with SCR shall be prohibited.” It extends to the 2025 edition an amendment already made to the 2022 edition; identical language has been accepted for the 2028 edition. It was submitted by Cummins.

NFPA 110 reserves Level 1 for the most critical systems, where a failure could put lives at risk. Many data center backup systems are classified differently, so this matters most where a facility’s generators also serve life-safety loads, or where a hospital, 911 center or similar operation shares the plant.

A related question in Virginia. Virginia now requires data center generator permits to meet Tier 4-equivalent emission limits, and its definition of “Tier 4 equivalent” includes selective catalytic reduction (SCR) “or equivalent.” That is an emissions requirement, not a Level 1 rule, and it does not by itself mean a site’s engines are Tier 4 certified or subject to inducement shutdowns. Where both apply, owners should ask their generator supplier how emissions-control faults are handled on emergency loads.

NFPA 75 covers protecting IT equipment and IT equipment areas from fire and its effects: smoke, corrosion, heat and water. The current edition is 2024. For the next edition, NFPA posted the First Draft Report on 18 September 2026; public comments on it close on 6 January 2027.

We have not yet reviewed the draft’s specific changes. This entry will be updated when we have.

Standards process: the Second Draft is due 6 October 2027.

NFPA 855 provides “the minimum requirements for mitigating the hazards associated with” energy storage systems. The current edition is 2026; an erratum (855-26-1, Table 9.7.6) was issued on 13 October 2025.

Whether a given UPS battery system is within the standard’s scope depends on its details; confirm with your authority having jurisdiction rather than assuming either way.

Standards process: work on the 2029 edition (Annual 2028 revision cycle) is under way; the First Draft Report is due 24 March 2027.

The current edition of the NEC is 2026. NFPA describes the code as “enforced in all 50 states,” but each state and many localities adopt editions on their own schedule, so the edition that applies to a project can be older.

Standards process: NFPA is reorganizing the code over several editions, with completion targeted for 2029; the 2029 First Draft Report is due 10 June 2027.

A 2025 edition of ASHRAE Standard 90.4, the energy standard written for data centers, is current. It is intended for adoption into energy codes, and it relies on Standard 90.1 for the building envelope, service water heating and lighting. Which edition applies to your project depends on the energy code your jurisdiction has adopted, so the same expansion can face different requirements in different places.

No public review of 90.4 was open on ASHRAE’s public review page when we checked.