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Required 20-amp circuits and general lighting circuits in a house
Lesson 4.4 covers two things that show up on every residential exam: the 20-amp circuits a house is required to have, and how many general lighting circuits the square footage calls for.
The breakdown, in plain English
- Kitchen and dining small-appliance receptacles: at least two 20-amp circuits.
- Laundry: at least one 20-amp circuit.
- Bathroom receptacles: at least one 20-amp circuit.
- Garage (with power): at least one 20-amp circuit for the receptacles.
- General lighting load for a dwelling is figured at 3 volt-amperes per square foot.
Worked example
Example: a 2,000 sq ft house
- 2,000 sq ft × 3 VA = 6,000 VA.
- 15-amp circuits: 120 V × 15 A = 1,800 VA each. 6,000 ÷ 1,800 = 3.33, round up to 4 circuits.
- 20-amp circuits: 120 V × 20 A = 2,400 VA each. 6,000 ÷ 2,400 = 2.5, round up to 3 circuits.
Codes to look up
NEC 210.11(C)
A dwelling needs 20-amp branch circuits for the small-appliance, laundry, bathroom and garage receptacles.
NEC 220.14(J) / Table 220.12
Dwelling general lighting load is figured at 3 VA per square foot (location depends on the code cycle).
These are plain-English summaries, not the code's exact wording. Always check the full section in the NEC edition your area has adopted, plus local amendments.
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