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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

55 days from 7 September

November 1 2026: The Last Day for the 2023 NEC Book

One sentence in PSI's bulletin sets a date that decides which book is on your desk. Until November 1, 2026 you can ask for the 2023 code book. After that you cannot, and Colorado does not let you bring one. This page is for anyone whose study time went into the older edition.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. The two sentences that set the date
  2. What the sentence does not say
  3. If you already have a date before November 1
  4. If you have not booked yet
  5. If your study time went into the 2023 book
  6. What you cannot do about it
  7. The calendar, in one place
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

The two sentences that set the date

From PSI's candidate information bulletin 3395, printed as Updated 6/18/2026:

The 2023 code book can be provided upon request until 11/1/2026. After this date, the 2023 book will no longer be provided as an option.

They sit at the end of the paragraph that begins Effective 8/1/2026 and moves the questions to the 2026 National Electrical Code.

As of 7 September 2026, November 1 is 55 days away. If you have not booked yet, that number is the whole decision.

What the sentence does not say

Three gaps, and we would rather name them than paper over them.

It does not say how you make the request. No PSI page and no state page we read explains whether it happens at booking, by phone, or at the door.

It does not say the questions change for anyone who requests the older book. The Effective 8/1/2026 line is about the questions, and the request sentence is about the book. Read literally, a candidate who requests the 2023 book sits a 2026 edition examination holding a 2023 book.

It does not say what happens on or after November 1 to somebody who wanted the older book. There is no allowance to bring your own, so the outcome is a 2026 examination with a 2026 book. Nothing in the bulletin says an appointment is forfeited, and no published source addresses a candidate who refuses the supplied book.

If you already have a date before November 1

Keep it, and prepare for 2026 questions regardless of which book you ask for.

The reason is the gap above. The only thing the bulletin promises you is the older book, and the questions are written to the newer edition. A book you cannot mark, in an edition that does not match the questions, is not an advantage.

If you decide to request the 2023 book anyway, ask PSI in advance rather than at the test center, and ask them plainly whether the question set changes. Whatever they tell you, write down who said it and when.

If you have not booked yet

Then the date is not really about the book. It is about whether you want to spend the next eight weeks studying the edition the questions come from.

Sitting before November 1 gets you the option of the older book and nothing else. Sitting after it gets you the same questions with the matching book on the desk, which is the simpler arrangement.

Either way the fee is $78, a retest is $73, and the fee is valid for one year from the date of payment. So paying now to hold a price and testing in the spring is possible, and it does not change which edition you face.

If your study time went into the 2023 book

Start by separating what you know from where you found it.

Colorado never let you bring a marked copy, so you were always going to be looking things up in a book you had not touched. That is the skill to rebuild, and it rebuilds on any edition.

Work by subject. Grounding, conductor sizing, load calculations, box and raceway fill, motors, overcurrent protection, branch circuits and the special occupancy chapters are all still there and still asked about. Find each one by heading in a 2026 copy and note where it landed. Do not memorize page numbers, because the copy at the test center is a different physical book.

Then get fast. Our timed practice test runs a clock, our topic sets are written to the 2026 numbering, and the drill is built for lookup speed rather than recall.

What you cannot do about it

You cannot bring your own 2023 book. The bulletin says you may not use any other materials, and the only references in the room are the ones PSI supplies.

You cannot tab or mark the supplied book either. The bar on writing, highlighting, underlining and indexing applies to PSI's copy, which is the only copy.

And you cannot see what you got wrong afterwards. Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.8.C gives results in a pass or fail format and says results will not be given in any other manner, and rule 1.8.D says examinations shall not be subject to review by candidates. So there is no post mortem to plan a retake around, which is another argument for testing on the edition the questions come from.

The calendar, in one place

July 15, 2026. Colorado's state electrical code moved to the 2026 National Electrical Code under rule filing 2026-00171.

August 1, 2026. PSI examination questions moved to the 2026 edition and the supplied book became the 2026 book.

November 1, 2026. The 2023 book stops being offered on request.

September 30, 2026. Sitting between those two, unrelated but on the same calendar: licenses expire, with renewal open through November 30, 2026.

December 31, 2026. Photovoltaic installers have to be registered with the Board.

Questions people ask

When does PSI stop providing the 2023 NEC in Colorado?

November 1, 2026. The bulletin says the 2023 code book can be provided upon request until 11/1/2026, and that after this date the 2023 book will no longer be provided as an option.

How do I request the 2023 code book?

The bulletin does not say. No PSI page and no state page we read explains the mechanism, so ask PSI when you book and keep a note of the answer.

If I get the 2023 book, are the questions from the 2023 code?

Nothing published says so. The Effective 8/1/2026 line moves the questions to the 2026 edition, and the request sentence only covers the book. Read literally, you would sit a 2026 examination holding a 2023 book.

Should I rush to test before November 1?

Only if the older book genuinely helps you, and the text does not promise that it will. The questions are on the 2026 edition either way, so most candidates are better off preparing on 2026 and picking a date that suits their study time.

Can I bring my own 2023 code book instead?

No. PSI provides the code book and formula page and says you may not use any other materials, so there is nothing to bring and nothing to tab.

What if I fail? Can I see which areas I missed?

No. Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.8.C gives results in a pass or fail format only, and rule 1.8.D says examinations are not subject to review by candidates.

Put it to the test

Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown

Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

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All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

What this page cites

If your notes still say 2023

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.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Colorado State Electrical Board, PSI, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Colorado examinations are open book only in the sense that PSI puts a book on the desk. PSI provides the National Electrical Code and a formula page at the test center, bars writing, highlighting, underlining and indexing on them, and allows no other materials. The questions have followed the 2026 edition since 1 August 2026, and the 2023 book is provided on request until 1 November 2026.

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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