On Fri, 5 Jun 2015, Blake Hudson wrote:
The fire marshal that regularly inspects our building will cite us if he sees an extension cord in use - even temporarily - or sees a temporary power tap/surge suppressor connected to another. Meanwhile, in another city, I see government and commercial buildings violating these rules for years. Perhaps there's some amount of interpretation allowed or some inspectors are more aggressive than others.
Every Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) is their own fiefdom. Although there are a few model national codes, its the locally enacted law and AHJ interpretation that rules. And, yes, the effectiveness and knowledge of AHJs varies greatly. It wouldn't surprise me if there were some places with no building codes or inspectors.