remove POVisms: In the U.S., any city can be handed a civil liability lawsuit (sued) for creating a situation that results in loss of life. This means that the city should adopt and enforce building codes that specify standards and practices for electrical systems (as well as other departments such as water systems). This creates a system whereby a city can best avoid lawsuits by adopting a single, standard set of building code laws. This has led to the NEC becoming the de facto standard set of electrical code laws.