I bought some new vanity lights to replace the existing one in my brand new home. I removed the stock vanity lights and there is the usual black, white and cooper wires. The instructions for the new lights tell me to wire up white to white, black to black, and take the copper wire from the wall box, wrap it around the green grounding screw and wire it to the copper wire on the new vanity light. I noticed that the home builder did not use the ground screw at all for the original vanity lights. It was a direct copper wire to copper wire connection. Is it okay if I do the same? Or did they take a shortcut and the wiring is not to code?

 

If the box isn't metal you don't ground it. If the box is metal you connect all ground wires to a pigtail and the pigtail to the box. If your box is non metallic that is why the builder didn't run a ground screw to it.

 

I believe the box is plastic, so no ground screw required? Thanks!

 

Plastic doesn't conduct electricity so isn't grounded. You should though connect a ground to the fixture mounting bar as directed if it has a green screw..