NEC® Changes · 2023 NEC®

210.4 Multiwire branch circuits

RevisedChanged in the 2023 NEC® (from the 2020 NEC®)· Updated October 24, 2026

What changed in 210.4

Mostly reworded. The rule that a multiwire circuit's conductors start in the same equipment now points to an allowance for column-width panelboards.

Point by point

  • Editorial cleanup; the basic multiwire branch circuit rules didn't change.

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  • 3 more points on exactly what changed
  • The 2020 rule next to the 2023 rule, side by side
  • Why it changed
  • What to do and check on the job

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This section across NEC® editions

2020 NEC®No change

This section did not change from 2017 to 2020.

2023 NEC®RevisedYou're here

Mostly reworded. The rule that a multiwire circuit's conductors start in the same equipment now points to an allowance for column-width panelboards.

2026 NEC®No change

This section did not change from 2023 to 2026.

More 2023 changes in Article 210

This is a plain-English summary, not the NEC®'s exact wording. Always check the full section in the NEC® edition your area has adopted, plus any local amendments.

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