Electrical Code Requirements by Room

The National Electrical Code (or NEC) is a document put in place to protect homeowners and residents from the dangers and risks posed by working with electrical connections. These residential electrical code requirements are updated once every three years as technology continues to develop, and give the basics of what electrical inspectors are looking for when they review your space.

Whether you’re looking to add an outlet to your bedroom, buying a new appliance like a dishwasher or dryer for your laundry room or kitchen, or installing lights to your closet, these are the NEC guidelines to know for every room.

Bathroom Electrical Code Requirements

Water and electricity do not mix, so the electrical code requirements for bathrooms are very clear, and they may need more than one circuit.

• Outlets must be served by a 20-amp circuit.
• The same circuit can supply the entire bathroom (outlets plus lighting), as long as there are no heaters (including vent fans with built-in heaters).
• It’s best if bathrooms have two circuits: a 20-amp circuit for the receptacles, plus a 15- or 20-amp circuit for the lighting. 
• The circuit serving a single bathroom cannot be supporting any other areas.
• Vent fans with built-in heaters must be on their own dedicated 20-amp circuits.
• All receptacles in bathrooms must have ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection. 
• A bathroom must have at least one 120-volt receptacle within 3 feet of a sink’s edge.
• Two side-by-side sinks can share a single receptacle placed between them.
• Light fixtures in the shower or bath area must be rated for damp locations, and fixtures exposed to shower spray must be rated for wet locations.

Kitchen Electrical Code Requirements

A kitchen uses the most electricity of any room in the house, and a modern kitchen with standard appliances needs at least seven circuits.

• Kitchens must have at least two 20-amp 120-volt “small appliance” circuits for the outlets in countertop areas.
• An electric range/oven requires its own dedicated 120/240-volt circuit.
• The dishwasher and garbage disposal both require their own dedicated 120-volt circuits— these can be 15-amp or 20-amp circuits, depending on the electrical load of the appliance.
• A dishwasher circuit requires GFCI protection, but a garbage disposal circuit does not—unless the manufacturer stipulates it. 
• The refrigerator and microwave also need their own dedicated 120-volt circuits, with an amperage rating that matches the load of each appliance (typically 20 amps).
• All countertop receptacles— and any receptacle within 6 feet of a sink— must be GFCI-protected.
• Countertop receptacles should be spaced no more than 4 feet apart. 
• Kitchen lighting must be supplied by a separate 15-amp (minimum) circuit.

Living Room, Dining Room, and Bedroom Electrical Code Requirements

Standard living areas do not draw very much power, and are generally served by standard 120-volt 15-amp or 20-amp circuits that may also run to more than one room. 

• A wall switch must placed beside the entry door so you can light the room with a ceiling light, wall light, or lamp upon entry.
• An entryway ceiling light fixture must be controlled by a wall switch rather than a pull chain.
• Wall receptacles must be placed no more than 12 feet apart on any wall surface.
• Any wall section wider than 2 feet must have a receptacle.
• Dining rooms with a microwave, entertainment center, or window air conditioner usually require a separate 20-amp circuit for the outlet running these appliances.

Stairway Electrical Code Requirements

Special care is needed in stairways to ensure every step is lit properly, in order to decrease the risk of falling.

• Three-way switches—or separate switches controlling the same lights—are required at the top and bottom of each flight of stairs so the lights can be turned on and off from both ends. 
• If the stairs turn at a landing, you may also need to add additional lighting fixtures to make sure all areas are illuminated. 

Hallway Electrical Code Requirements

Hallways act as escape routes in the event of emergencies, and need adequate ceiling lighting so shadows are not cast when walking.

• A hallway over 10 feet long is required to have an outlet for general purpose use.
• Three-way switches are required at each end of the hallway, allowing the ceiling light to be turned on and off from both ends. 
• If there are more doors in the hallway, such as for a bedroom or two, you may also want to add a four-way switch near the doors outside of each room.

Closet Electrical Code Requirements

Closets come with many rules regarding fixture type and placement.

• Fixtures with incandescent light bulbs (which get very hot) must be enclosed with a globe or other cover.
• Fixtures with incandescent or LED bulbs must be at least 12 inches from clothing storage areas (or 6 inches for recessed).
• CFL (compact fluorescent) bulb fixtures may be within 6 inches of storage areas.
• All surface-mounted (not recessed) fixtures must be on the ceiling or the wall above the door.

Laundry Room Electrical Code Requirements

The electrical needs of a laundry room will vary, depending on if the clothes dryer is electric or gas.

• A laundry room needs at least one 20-amp circuit for outlet receptacles serving laundry equipment, which can supply a washing machine or gas dryer.
• An electric dryer needs its own 30-amp, 240-volt circuit wired with four conductors— and older circuits often only have three.
• All receptacles must be GFCI-protected.

Garage Electrical Code Requirements

The NEC requirements for a garage apply to both interior and exterior receptacles in and around the area.

• Inside the garage, there should be at least one switch controlling lighting. It is recommended that three-way switches be installed for convenience between the doors.
• As of the 2017 NEC update, newly constructed garages need at least one dedicated 120-volt 20-amp circuit that serves only the garage— but this circuit can also power any receptacles on the exterior of the garage. 
• Garages must have at least one receptacle, including one for each car space.
• All garage receptacles must be GFCI-protected.

Additional Requirements

AFCI requirements: The NEC requires that virtually all branch circuits for lighting and receptacles in a home have arc-fault circuit-interrupter (or AFCI) protection, to guard against sparking (arcing) and reduce the chance of fire. The AFCI requirement is in addition to any GFCI protection required, and does not replace the need for a GFCI.

AFCI requirements are mainly enforced in new construction, and there is no requirement to update your home to comply. But as of the 2017 NEC revision, when homeowners do update or replace receptacles, they are required to add AFCI protection to the updated area.

This can be done in a few ways: 

• Calling a licensed electrician to replace your standard circuit breaker with a special AFCI circuit breaker, creating protection for the entire circuit. 
• Replacing a failing receptacle with an AFCI receptacle, providing AFCI protection to only the receptacle being replaced. 
• Installing a dual AFCI/GFCI receptacle in kitchens and bathrooms, where GFCI protection is also required.

Tamper-resistant (TR) receptacles: All standard receptacles must be the tamper-resistant (TR) type, which include a built-in safety feature preventing children from sticking items into an outlet’s slots.