I just wondering, if someone built a new home and had electrician wire it. Can the electrician use a cobra head or NEMA head or post top and have it pass inspection?

My understanding is the reason yardblasters have the closed top of the reflector around the bulb is so people can't stick their fingers in there where the wiring is. From reading instructions for them, the ones with the screw on refractors are considered UL listed, latch on might not be though because it has a larger opening around the bulb/ballast area.

So can these fixtures be used for residential or would they not pass inspection for the local electric code? I notice roadway fixtures don't show a UL or ETL logo on the tag.

Back when NEMA MV fixtures were the standard HID offering for homeowners here in Canada, they had the latch on optics with a hole just large enough to let the mogul lamp holder through. Not sure about the utility ones, though. I have a large hole one that I got at a local salvage yard, though.

Nowadays, NEMA heads are almost impossible to come by at suppliers, but whatever yard blaster bucket lights are available all have the small hole and screw in optics. They don't even have the "ears" to latch optical assemblies.

Back when NEMA MV fixtures were the standard HID offering for homeowners here in Canada, they had the latch on optics with a hole just large enough to let the mogul lamp holder through. Not sure about the utility ones, though. I have a large hole one that I got at a local salvage yard, though.

Nowadays, NEMA heads are almost impossible to come by at suppliers, but whatever yard blaster bucket lights are available all have the small hole and screw in optics. They don't even have the "ears" to latch optical assemblies.

Not sure in Canada, but Lithonia/Cooper has the 11L series of NEMA heads on eBay, which have screw on optics, but also have the ears so they could use latch on. In instructions for GE 201SA it also lists screw on optics as an option, and I think the one I have has mounting holes for one. But I haven't seen any that actually have one.

I had also seen a vintage yardblaster on eBay from American Electric similar to what you describe. It had the latch on reflector but smaller hole around the lampholder.

Since I gotten into collecting, I prefer NEMA heads with latch on optics, since it looks more like a utility fixture.

I just wondering, if someone built a new home and had electrician wire it. Can the electrician use a cobra head or NEMA head or post top and have it pass inspection?

Install whatever luminaire you want after the inspection...problem solved. (And follow code in your install as far as possible for your own safety, and for the safety of others, especially grounding.)

I cant see why it would be a problem. If youre pulling all the stops and putting up a real pole and arm bracket for the fixture it should pass, especially if you have it properly wired from underground going to the panel in your house or garage.

For what it's worth my post 1980 cobraheads have CSA listed (equivalent to UL listed in Canada) on the nameplate and the ones from the 1990s and newer even have a plastic guard covering the ballast and terminal block area. I believe the guard is a Canadian thing as I've only seen it in Canadian CSA listed cobraheads.

This is the way it works in Aussie but I'm sure it is the same elsewhere.

See if the light has an approval sticker, if so then you should be allowed to install it, here it has to comply with standards if you leave it as is then you can use it because it complies with the standards from when it was made if it has been modded then you have to upgrade it to comply with the latest standard. Really, all you need to keep in mind is the fitting has an approval number then it will pass if not you can tell them to stick it

I don't see why not, so long as they are wired correctly, we have five lanterns that we have had working in our home, four of them will be converted into floor or table lamps. 

I think yes,but if bulb has high blue peak or low CRI it would cause headackes and colors would be poor.

We have two our two 35W SOX lanterns on at the moment, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. 

Nice!

I know some commercial/utility grade fixture, have a consumer version that has the UL Listing. Such as the GE 201SA, there is or was a UL version which have a screw on reflector instead of clamp on. I've seen a Cooper/Lithonia model of the 11 Series NEMA which does as well. I think these are the same as the other versions, just the optics are different, since the head has the ears also for clamp on. But I think having the screw on reflector makes it an "enclosed" fixture as far as the wiring is concerned, and therefore can have the UL listing.

Cole, this likely won't answer your question, but pulling old permits from my house I found this 1979 California card for electrical permits, that shows what was needed. Interestingly it shows "Mercury Lamps" as its own item. So as far as what constitutes a correct mercury fixture I'm not sure, but HID lighting is listed on its own meaning it probably had enough demand to justify putting it on the card and inspectors were aware of that.

As far as today, since these are not a lighting standard among homeowners and are never installed on new residential construction anymore, I'd assume if you put an HID fixture up, it would likely raise an eyebrow and a few questions. But who knows?

If you’re building house from ground up. Probably just buy whatever cheapest yardlight you can buy in Home Depot or Lowe’s and have them install and pass inspection. Then give a few months after you moved in before you put in a higher grade fixture.