A cover lens is certainly a good idea, because it will provide protection against accidentally shattering a bulb overhead while moving things around in the closet, however it is not required for either a surface-mount or flush fluorescent light in a clothes closet by the National Electric Code (NEC). Excessive heat generated by a light fixture that might start a fire in the stored items in a closet is the biggest safety concern, and fluorescent lights do not generate the high heat of incandescent lights—which are required to have an enclosure around the bulb.
But any closet light fixture (called a “luminaire” by the building codes) must be mounted outside of the “closet storage space,” which is a volume of space within the closet specifically defined by the NEC. You can read more about it at our blog post “Is a bare bulb light in a closet alright?” The only exceptions allowed are fluorescent or LED fixtures specifically rated by the manufacturer for installation within the closet storage space.
While we hope you find this series of articles about home inspection helpful, they should not be considered an alternative to an actual home inspection by a local inspector. Also, construction standards vary in different parts of the country and it is possible that important issues related to your area may not be covered here.
© McGarry and Madsen Inspection
