I'm looking to add some overhead lighting to a basement room that was added by a previous owner of my house. Due to the layout of the rooms and joists, I've got a straight shot from the unfinished part of the basement over the ceiling of the finished part.

I assume I can run the wiring through there to add the overheads, but am unsure how to properly secure the it to the joists. I would imagine that I don't just let it lie on top of the drywall. Do I need to run it through conduit, or is there some other way to secure it to the joists without ripping out the ceiling?

Thanks,

Mike

Actually, you can let it lie on the drywall. Fish it through, secure it as well as possible then let it be.

For concealed work in finished buildings where it is impractical to do so you don't have to support the romex. This is the only exception to the rule that I know of.

Code reference if you are interested is NEC 300.4(D) exception no. 2