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I have a covered electrical box high up on my wall in my kitchen. I removed the cover and it’s telephone lines spliced together. There’s no telephone jack just the splice.

I know you cannot bury normal house electrical wires behind drywall per code, But does that apply to phone wires too? I’d like to just cover it up with drywall.

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  • Do you have land line or plan on getting one, or will anybody in the future who buys the house want a land line ?
    – Alaska Man
    Apr 17, 2020 at 20:57
  • I don’t use a landline but it’s a condo development with a lot of senior citizen so someone in the future might want it. There’s a phone jack below it near the floor about 4 foot down and I assume that’s where the wires go to
    – Danno
    Apr 17, 2020 at 21:09
  • If it is a condo then i would ask the association before doing anything.
    – Alaska Man
    Apr 17, 2020 at 21:21
  • There's a chance that there was either an external ringer if its an older house, or perhaps a visual ringer for the deaf to see when the phone was sounding.
    – Criggie
    Apr 18, 2020 at 0:05

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It depends. I don't think there is code for low voltage wiring (someone please correct me if there is code) junctioned out of reach/in a wall. Main reasoning here is that I have seen many many phone and security lines installed and have seen these guys splice together lines everywhere. I don't think their companies would train them to do this if it were against code.

However.......... I have also got permits in a lot of cities. No inspector I have dealt with will let me bury a utility access point in a wall. And given that there may be an older owner there next that may use the phone lines in good conscience I would put in a $2 rubber box and a plate on the wall - they do sell paintable blanks for stuff like this.

(Alternative is just note the EXACT location - picture with tape on the spot. Know that if you need to access it you will need to cut open the wall there. Know that you will disclose this if selling the home.)

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  • Could use an old-work bracket to provide access to the junction, for that matter
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Apr 18, 2020 at 12:45

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