Confirm the UFC 3-520-01 version and the NFPA 70 edition the project uses, since the UFC requires compliance with both, then check the panel schedules, one-line diagram, and specifications for the DoD requirements NFPA 70 does not make: fire protection power, phase imbalance shown on schedules, surge protection, listed distribution equipment, batteries, and grounding. Generators, transfer equipment, lighting, and battery rooms are sent to other UFCs, so confirm the set cites them. AI can flag conflicts; the electrical engineer of record and the DoD reviewer decide compliance.
What does UFC 3-520-01 cover?
The digital UFC 3-520-01 states that compliance is mandatory for the design of interior electrical systems at all facilities and bases, typically extending a short distance beyond the facility envelope. It also covers the service from the utility transformer, circuits that leave the facility, supplemental grounding wiring, and connections to on-site sources such as engine-generator sets, photovoltaic systems, and fuel cells; exterior systems go to UFC 3-550-01. Its chapters cover general power system criteria (design standards, host nation standards, voltage, frequency, and compliance) and power distribution and utilization.
WBDG’s UFC 3-520-01 page lists the criteria as active digital UFC content, first published July 2, 2026, and tells teams to refer to UFC 1-200-01 for project applicability. The digital criteria viewer labels the latest version June 4, 2026. Checked October 16, 2026. The text directs compliance with NFPA 70 and the UFC, and requires an NRTL listing to the applicable UL standard for equipment subject to UL standards. WBDG’s change summary describes a major rewrite that cut the document by more than half and moved the adjustable speed drive and power quality appendices to the companion UFS 3-520-01. Contracts awarded before the reissue may invoke a superseded PDF version; record the version and date the task order names.
The power for fire protection paragraph sends fire pump and controller power to NFPA 70 and UFC 3-600-01, and the rest of the fire protection systems, including fire alarm and mass notification, to NFPA 72 and NFPA 70, with DoD requirements for circuit placement, lock-on breakers, red marking, labeling, and the preferred power source. See the NFPA 70 guide, the NFPA 72 guide, and the UFC 3-600-01 guide.
Gather the one-line, schedules, and the systems they feed
Collect the task order naming the UFC versions, the electrical one-line diagram, the panelboard, switchboard, switchgear, and motor control center schedules, the power and systems plans, the fire alarm and mass notification riser, the grounding plan and details, the electrical specifications for distribution equipment, surge protective devices, and batteries, and the mechanical and plumbing schedules for the equipment the circuits feed.
Add the plans or specification text that identify areas subject to physical damage, because the UFC asks the contract documents to show them either graphically or in the specifications.
Trace the DoD electrical criteria through the schedules
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Criteria and listing | Task order, electrical general notes, specifications | Confirm one UFC 3-520-01 version and NFPA 70 edition, and that equipment specifications call for NRTL listing to the applicable UL standard. |
| Fire protection power | Fire alarm riser, panel schedules, one-line diagram | Match the source of each fire alarm, mass notification, and suppression panel and check adjacent poles, lock-on breakers, and labeling. |
| Phase imbalance on schedules | Panel, switchboard, switchgear, and MCC schedules | Check that every schedule displays its phase imbalance and that the loads listed agree with the equipment they feed. |
| Surge protection | One-line diagram, panel schedules, SPD specification | Confirm SPDs at the service and branch panels are listed as a total unit with EMI filtering, and that fire alarm and data circuits leaving the building are protected. |
| Switchgear and spare capacity | One-line diagram, distribution equipment specifications, schedules | Confirm the switchgear, switchboard, and panelboard standards and listings, matching manufacturers, dedicated feeders, and spare space shown. |
| Batteries and grounding | Battery specification, grounding plan and details, UPS data | Check the battery type against the UFC’s selection rules and that ground rods, rings, and hangar or magazine grounding cite the criteria named. |
Generators and automatic transfer equipment go to UFC 3-540-01, lighting panels to UFC 3-530-01, battery areas to UFC 3-520-05, and ground rings and lightning protection to UFC 3-575-01. Related checks are in the fire alarm drawing checklist, the NFPA 110 guide, and the electrical drawing checklist.
Example: fire alarm panels on the wrong panelboard
Hypothetical example. An unaccompanied housing building has a life safety emergency panel fed through an automatic transfer switch. The fire alarm riser shows the fire alarm control panel and the mass notification panel fed from that emergency panel, but the panel schedules place both circuits in a normal power lighting and receptacle panel, on non-adjacent breakers, with no lock-on device noted.
The fire alarm riser on FA-601 shows the FACP and the mass notification panel fed from emergency panel EL1, but the schedules on E-601 place both on circuits 7 and 12 of normal panel LP2A, on non-adjacent poles with no lock-on breaker noted. Confirm the power source and coordinate the riser, panel schedules, and fire protection labeling.
The electrical engineer and fire protection engineer confirm the source and revise the schedules and labels. The finding is that the documents disagree, not a judgment of the fire alarm design.
Review DoD interior electrical documents with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add UFC 3-520-01 and the other UFCs the task order names from WBDG, which publishes them free, plus the model codes and standards the project uses from copies you are licensed to upload.
Compare the one-line diagram, panel, switchboard, switchgear, and MCC schedules, power and systems plans, fire alarm and mass notification riser, grounding plan, and electrical specifications. Flag a conflicting UFC or NFPA 70 edition, fire protection circuits whose source, breaker placement, lock-on device, or labeling differ between documents, schedules without phase imbalance shown, surge protection missing from the one-line, and generators or transfer equipment that do not cite the criteria named. Use the supplied UFC 3-520-01 and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and documents involved. It does not calculate loads, fault current, voltage drop, or phase balance; it reads what the schedules and drawings state.
Document review does not certify compliance with DoD criteria or NFPA 70 or replace the electrical engineer of record or the DoD authority having jurisdiction.