I want to install a fan over my deck suspended from the deck cover rafters. Can I use exposed nm cable or should the cable be in conduit. In general what are the rules around exposed nm cable? Also is there a code problem around the fan being 6' over a hottub? Thanks in advance.

 

With only 6 feet of vertical clearance over the tub, you cannot install the fan or any lighting fixture above the tub or within five horzontal feet from the inside walls.

If the deck cover is waterproof, you may use NM cable. The cable requires physical protection of some kind. What constitutes adequate physical protection is difficult to determine without being able to see exactly where the cable runs. If the cable is stapled to the side of the joists holding up the cover, that would normally be considered adequate. If the cable is simply stapled to the finished surface of the underside of the cover, that would normally not be considered adequate.