It is no longer part of the permanent wiring, it is a cord and plug connected load. The tamper requirement does not apply.

breezy, for some reason I have a hunch that they have never seen an airswitch. Remember....I think they are shocked about a "white" kitchen. I'll just mention it again in passing that the GD needs to be a plug in type. I'll make sure to buy the right one when I purchase the 2nd one. Thanks everybody. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't need a "special" brand that plugged in.

I'm a little confused - are you keeping the light switch or not? Or if you're keeping it, are you saying that it's not in the same box as the disposal switch? I ask because usually the above the sink light switch and the disposal switch are in one double box, in which case this is an easy thing to do. But- assuming that your disposal switch is indeed in it's own box, then your hubby is right that you can't, by code, cover it up. And you shouldn't cover it up even if you're not getting inspections. If the disposal switch is at the end of a circuit run then you'll only need to trace where it's power is coming from - it will be another nearby outlet, or the light switch that you mentioned - and then removing that wire, disconnecting it from the other box. If it's in the middle of the run then it's a bigger job because you would need to trace the wiring in two directions, and then remove the wires going both directions, and then run a new wire from the previous box (where the power comes from to the disposal switch) to the next box (after the disposal switch) in the circuit. Regardless, it means removing drywall and then drywalling after you're done with electrical. But - most likely the previous electrical box and the next electrical box in the circuit are also in the kitchen, maybe on the same wall, and it won't be that hard.

I've always had the on-off type. But it's no big thing. You can replace it later if it drives you nuts. You don't even have to change the button, just move the tubing to the new switch unit.