NEC Article 645 might not apply to your IT equipment room according to an article written by Ron Shapiro and Steve Mccluer in “Consulting Specifying Engineer”. Article 645 does not apply to most IT equipment, and devices listed as IT equipment do not have to be installed in IT equipment rooms.
Most people associate IT equipment with computer rooms and data centers. Most IT equipment is not housed in such locations. For example, any desktop computer, server rack, fax machine or printer is a piece of IT equipment, but isn’t found in computer rooms, and isn’t directly covered by the NEC.
When a room is full of electronic equipment racks and dedicated cooling equipment, most people call it a data center, server room or computer room. Designers often look to the NEC and assume that it must comply with Article 645. Only Chapters 1-4 of the NEC are mandatory. If they choose to install their equipment in accordance with Chapters 1-4 and do not need the leniency granted by Article 645, then they do not have to meet all the additional requirements spelled out in Article 645.
To avoid misinformed over-reactions from building officials, I recommend that facilities not be named ”server room”, “computer room”, or “data center”, but rather have a room names such as “equipment room”.
The authors emphasize that before designing a room to comply with NEC Article 645, assess the risks and benefits that the article provides.
Note that the additional requirements of, and leniency granted by Article 645 only apply when the following room prerequisites exist; Emergency power off and HVAC stations, personal entry limitations, fire resistant walls, ceilings and floors, automatic smoke dampers, smoke detectors if a raised floor is used, IT listed equipment.
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