Running sheathed electrical cable in unfinished basement/attic through joists

[Steve C.]

I have to run some sheathed electrical cable in my unfinished basement. I know code says I can’t run it across the joists I would have to run it through (and keep it far enough in to avoid nail damage). My question is there a point at which you could structurally harm the joists by drilling holes in them?

[drhome]

No. You can drill as many as you need without doing any structural damage. Keep them @ 2&1/2″ from all ends, minimum. A 9/16″ hole makes a nice smooth pull for single cable.

[Lloyd]

When did it become code that you had to run sheathed electrical cable through the floor joists instead of under them?

[Author]

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