Leave a Comment
A major shift just came out of the RV Industry Association’s latest board meeting, and it has already raised questions across manufacturers, dealers, and campers.
The board voted unanimously to delay enforcement of a rule that would have required every new RV with 30A or 50A service to include a grounding monitor interrupter starting in 2026. The rule is still coming, but the timeline no longer looks anything like what had been planned.
So what does that mean in practice? The industry needs more time because the devices simply are not ready for broad use yet.
The Requirement That Hit a Roadblock
Grounding monitor interrupters, or GMIs, were written into the 2023 and 2026 editions of the National Electric Code. The idea is straightforward – before power enters the RV, the device checks that the pedestal’s ground connection is functioning. If that ground is lost during use, the device cuts power.
The original enforcement date was January 1, 2026. The challenge is that there are very few fully developed, listed GMIs available for manufacturers to install. Because of that, meeting the deadline was not realistic.
What This Rule Is Designed To Address
Campground electrical pedestals vary widely, as any experienced camper would attest. Some are brand new with clean wiring, however, many have been exposed to years of weather, shoddy repairs, or worse. If it’s missing or has a faulty ground connection, it can create a shock risk, especially if metal parts on the RV become energized.
A GMI acts like a gatekeeper. It checks the pedestal’s ground before any electricity reaches the RV. If the ground is missing, the power does not flow. If the ground connection fails later, the GMI shuts things off.
For campers, this type of device can reduce the chance of hidden electrical faults that are hard to spot with the naked eye. For manufacturers, it adds another layer of protection to new models once the technology is fully ready.
A New Expected Timeline
The Standards Steering Committee will keep tracking progress and plans to offer a new enforcement date recommendation ahead of the March board meeting. Right now, the expectation is that the requirement will align with the start of model year 2028, which would be around June 1, 2027. That date could shift again if there are not enough listed devices ready for production.
What Happens Next
The push toward GMIs has been underway for six years. Manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and campground operators have been briefed regularly through meeting updates and newsletters, and that communication will continue. The industry is waiting for commercially available devices that meet listing requirements and can be used at scale.
Until that happens, the enforcement timeline stays flexible. The Association expects to share more details after additional testing and product development progress.
Write a comment