Required small-appliance, laundry, bath and garage circuits
Homes need at least two 20 A small-appliance circuits, a 20 A circuit for the required laundry outlet, a 120 V, 20 A bathroom receptacle circuit and, in an attached garage or a powered detached garage, a 120 V, 20 A garage receptacle circuit.
What the code requires
210.11(C)(1): A dwelling needs two or more 20 A small-appliance branch circuits for the receptacle outlets required by 210.52(B). 210.11(C)(2): At least one 20 A branch circuit must supply the laundry receptacle outlet or outlets required by 210.52(F), and that circuit may have no other outlets.
210.11(C)(3): At least one 120 V, 20 A branch circuit must supply the bathroom receptacle outlets required by 210.52(D) and any countertop or similar work-surface receptacle outlets. It may have no other outlets, except as noted below.
210.11(C)(4): In attached garages, and in detached garages with electric power, at least one 120 V, 20 A branch circuit must supply the garage receptacle outlets, including those required by 210.52(G)(1). It may have no other outlets, except as noted below. Additional circuits of 15 A or more may serve garage receptacles beyond the required ones.
On the job
- Lighting outlets on the required 20 A garage receptacle circuit do not meet this rule. Its only exceptions are outdoor receptacle outlets and, in a single-vehicle-bay garage, outlets for other equipment.
- Bathroom 20 A receptacle circuits may not also pick up bedroom or hallway outlets.
Exceptions that matter
- A 20 A circuit that serves a single bathroom may also supply other equipment in that same bathroom, within the limits of 210.23.
- The garage receptacle circuit may also supply outdoor receptacle outlets.
- In a garage with a single vehicle bay, the 20 A circuit may also supply other equipment outlets in that garage, within the limits of 210.23.
What changed in 2023
The 2023 edition let the required 20 A garage circuit serve garage receptacle outlets beyond those required by 210.52(G)(1), allowed additional garage receptacle circuits of 15 A or more, dropped the readily accessible limit on outdoor receptacles served from that circuit, and added the single-vehicle-bay exception.
In California
For new single-family homes, the 2025 California Electrical Code adds dedicated, identified circuits and readiness provisions for heat-pump water heaters, electric cooktops and electric dryers (422.3) and heat-pump space heaters (440.3), under Energy Code 150.0(n), (t), (u) and (v), plus matching panel breaker spaces (408.2(B)).
Related sections
- NEC 210.52(B)
- NEC 210.52(D): Bathroom receptacle near the sink
- NEC 210.52(F)
- NEC 210.52(G): Garage, basement and accessory building receptacles
- NEC 210.23: What loads 10-, 15- and 20-amp circuits may serve
- NEC 422.3: California: electric-ready water heater, cooktop, dryer
- NEC 440.3: California: heat-pump-ready circuit at gas furnaces
- NEC 408.2: California: reserved breaker spaces in new homes
Where this comes from
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Kyle Robert Anderson KBC Electric · CSLB #1073066 · C-10 Electrical · Licensed since 2021